Why We Made Our Contractors Employees (and Now We Only Hire Virtual Assistants as Employees)

One of the complaints from industry VAs who act as independent contractors is that they feel frustrated with an environment that undervalues and underpays them.

We were on a mission to create a positive work environment unlike any other Virtual Assistant company in the industry.

The industry standard in the Virtual Assistant world is to hire Virtual Assistants as contractors. Shifting to an employment model is a bold move for any business, but especially in this industry. So why did we do it in way back in 2018?

Having a team of contractors presents quite a few pitfalls: Virtual Assistants can easily feel disconnected and unmotivated. They would have to take on several side hustles to make a living wage. There is no control over their schedule or hours, so clients can't rely on being able to connect with their VA during business owners or have confidence in deadlines.

So, we bit the bullet and did what we thought was the right thing. Now, we can offer benefits like retirement planning and generous paid time off. We attract better, stronger talent who are looking for stability. We retain 100% ownership over our approach and methodology to Virtual Assistants. And, we foster a sense of team across the business. We are the only company hiring Virtual Assistants as employees, and we're proud of it.

A well-trained team stands out from the crowd. With our model, we are able to provide ongoing training and continuing education to our team. When the VAs embody our methodology, it instills confidence in our clients. We have an education/training budget for our team members, which helps us constantly work on being better. If you want to retain a healthy and happy team, how can you help them get better at their role? The more experience and value they gain from your company, the longer they’ll want to stay.

"We pay our VAs 80% more than the industry standard and that’s really important to me,” shares Danielle Cuomo, CEO. In addition to a best-in-class salary, Virtual Assist USA offers benefits. Here, the team feels fully taken care of.

It's the right thing to do.