How to Backfill Administrative Assistant Positions After Someone Is Promoted

Because of the demanding nature of so many industries, administrative assistant positions often need to be backfilled. This occurs when an employee must leave their role for a certain amount of time, but their position still needs to be covered. Sometimes this occurs on a short-term basis, such as when an administrative professional assists on company projects. In other instances, it occurs on a longer-term basis, in cases of promotion, leave of absence, or permanent leave from an employee.

Here is everything you need to know about backfilling administrative assistant positions while ensuring the workflow and organization is not disrupted. 

Four Different Ways to Backfill Administrative Assistants Roles 

There are a few ways management can backfill the roles of administrative assistants. Most importantly, companies should seek to fill the position as soon as possible. This is to ensure that no task falls through the cracks and that protocol remains intact. Here are a few successful and popular options for a seamless transition. 

Promote From Within the Company 

Promoting someone from within the company is often the quickest and easiest way to backfill an administrative assistant role. When utilizing this option, you can hire someone already familiar with the company, its protocols, and its team members. Before turning to external hiring, first, take a look at your personnel pool of qualified team members. From there, you can see if there’s anyone you can promote from within who would be a good fit for the role. 

Hire Externally 

If you are looking for a fresh perspective or new talent for the role, post the position externally and start interviewing. This may take longer than promoting from within the company. However, bringing in new employees with the necessary skill set is often a great option for backfilling administrative roles. 

Consider Using a Temp 

Hiring a temporary employee poses an immediate solution to the company’s vacancy. This is a great option if you don’t see an immediate permanent solution to filling the administrative assistant role. Instead, turn to a temp agency. Using this option allows you to immediately fill the void, while also doing a thorough assessment of internal and external options for the role. 

Implement a Hybrid Option 

Don’t be afraid to try new things and think out of the box. Businesses can implement a hybrid solution to fulfill the vacant role. For example, hire a temporary worker for half the day and an existing employee for the other half. This is a viable option if the permanent replacement needs to complete additional training or can’t step out of their current role immediately. 

Administrative Assistant Certification: Things To Consider 

Ensure that whoever you hire to backfill the position has the proper training and skill set for the role. Having to refill a role numerous times over a short period of time is destabilizing for the company. It costs time, resources, and money.

If you want to promote from within, but the employee you are considering needs additional training, look to ASAP. Our training courses and certification programs can often be completed on a hybrid basis. This way, you can get your new administrative assistant trained while also utilizing their help with the daily duties of the role. 

Get Someone Trained Effectively and Quickly 

Ensure you backfill the position with someone who exudes the necessary skills of a successful administrative assistant. Don’t backfill these valuable roles in your company with just anybody. Choose someone with the proper experience and training.

Here at ASAP, we offer a wide range of resources to administrative professionals on a global scale. We are dedicated to elevating the admin role in several fields and industries. If you’re looking to expand your network, consider joining today.