You are an executive looking to reduce your administrative overhead.
You have heard of hiring shared executive assistants as one way to do so. However, you are skeptical since it is a new concept to you or your organization.
The question is: how does a 3-to-1 client-to-assistant ratio work?
The answer lies in the model’s ability to increase productivity, reduce idle time, lower costs, and centralize support functions.
The Hidden Efficiency of Shared Executive Support
The level of activity in a company is not always constant. There are times when you and your staff will have significant workloads, for example, right before a major deal, such as a merger or acquisition. Conversely, there will be times with fewer duties, such as right before the holiday season.
Similarly, your executive administrative assistant will have periods when they are swamped with work and others when they experience serious downtime. Having a full-time executive assistant (EA) means you have to pay them even during standby periods, which is a loss for your organization.
A fractional executive assistant lets you reduce administrative overhead by paying for services only when needed.
Other efficiencies of a shared executive support model include:
- Centralized Communication: If you hire a single EA to work with multiple executives in your company, they can become a central communication hub. In this role, they can identify scheduling conflicts and maintain consistent communication among the executives.
- Clearly Define Priorities: A shared EA can help align executives’ priorities, reducing conflicts and enabling smoother decision-making.
- Process Optimization: Shared EAs can compare the different workflows used by executives and create a hybrid that incorporates each system’s strengths.
As you delve deeper into the guide, you will understand how the 3:1 model works in practice and why it offers the best balance of support quality, executive satisfaction, and cost.
How a 3-to-1 Client-to-Assistant Ratio Works in Practice
According to a survey by the American Society of Administrative Professionals, most assistants support an average of 5 to 6 people. This means that sharing an EA is standard practice.
The 3-to-1 executive-to-assistant ratio strikes the best balance, ensuring principals receive responsive support without overwhelming the EAs.
However, for this model to work, several criteria must be met:
1. Setting Expectations
At the beginning of the client-EA relationship, a conversation is needed to outline the expectations of both parties.
The client outlines the top tasks to delegate to an executive assistant, including their preferences. On the other hand, the EA states the support they need from clients to perform their duties.
Download ProAssisting’s free ebook on “The 29-Hour Workday” to learn how executives can communicate their preferences effectively to help their EAs support their performance multipliers. This helps EAs function as a chief of staff, project manager, business partner, personal assistant, and scheduler, helping their principals reclaim up to 15 hours weekly.
2. Setting Communication Guidelines
Clients and EAs need to identify preferred modes of communication and response times, and define what constitutes an “urgent” task. An example of a tiered communication system includes:
- Emails for non-urgent tasks that the EA can handle the following day
- Slack for mid-priority tasks
- SMS for issues that require a response within an hour
- Calls for emergencies that require immediate attention
3. Task Prioritization
Your EA should be able to scope and prioritize tasks based on urgency and workflow fluctuations. They should distinguish between core, minor, and long-term tasks. This helps the EA juggle competing demands.
For example, suppose Executive B has an urgent task, but the EA is on standby for Executive A. In that case, the EA should be able to perform Executive B’s task while waiting for Executive A to assign them a duty.
4. Reasonable Time Allocation
Just because three executives are sharing one EA does not mean the EA will spend the same amount of time on each executive’s tasks. Time allocation is based on each executive’s needs.
For example, an EA who works 40 hours a week might dedicate 18 hours to Executive A, who travels often; 12 hours to Executive B, who attends numerous meetings; and 10 hours to Executive C, who only needs basic support, such as scheduling.
5. Standardizing Processes and Tools
EAs leverage various executive assistant tools such as customer relationship management (CRM) and project management systems to perform their tasks efficiently. For the EA to transition seamlessly from performing one executive’s tasks to another’s, all three executives should use a uniform set of tools, given they’re in the same organization.
As a 2025 Inc. 5000 company (ranked #2,466), ProAssisting has found that the 3:1 fractional EA support model works better than higher executive-to-EA ratios. This is hugely because ProAssistants have 5+ years of experience at globally recognized brands. Additionally, the company retains less than 5% of the EA candidates, ensuring clients receive executive support from the most qualified professionals.
Schedule a free consultation to begin experiencing your 3:1 shared support model today.
What Makes the 3:1 Client-to-EA Model Work
For years now, companies have been slowly embracing the 3:1 client-to-EA model.
Some of the key factors driving this shift have been:
- Not All Executives Need a Full-Time EA: Not all executives have the exact support needs. One may have a heavy workload that requires comprehensive assistance, while another just needs simple scheduling support. In the latter scenario, having a part-time executive assistant is ideal for responsive support without paying a full-time salary.
- Cost-effectiveness: If you have few administrative needs, paying a full-time executive assistant to handle them increases your budgetary constraints, especially if you are a small business or startup.
- Better Resource Utilization: When one executive’s workload decreases, the shared EA can dedicate more time to the other two executives. This ensures the EA stays engaged, which helps them stay focused.
- Leveraging Technology: EAs rely on digital tools, such as CRM, calendar management software, and travel and expense software, to improve work efficiencies. The technologies also help them streamline coordination across multiple clients.
- Evolving EA Roles and Skill Sets: The role of the EA has evolved beyond schedule management and travel booking. According to the Executive Assistant Institute, 60% of EAs are taking on new responsibilities, including event planning and HR tasks. This means an EA in a 3:1 Model can operate as a small centralized administrative hub, allowing all the executives to leverage their new skills.
When the 3:1 Support Model Isn’t the Right Fit
Though the 3:1 shared EA model can deliver high levels of support in certain circumstances, it is not suited to every work environment. There are situations where the model underdelivers or becomes counterproductive.
Some of these scenarios include:
- High-Demand Executives: Executives who constantly need to be reminded to perform specific tasks because they have hectic schedules, such as constant travel, urgent timelines, or unpredictable workloads, cannot fit into this model. Such executives should instead consider hiring a dedicated 1:1 assistant to avoid delays.
False-Panic3893 said this on Reddit about working for high-demand executives within a shared EA model:
“I’ve had 4 at once. Whether it’s manageable really depends on each exec’s needs. I had one that was very high needs, and it made juggling 4 difficult.”
- Conflicting Working Styles: If the three executives in a 3:1 shared model have vastly different communication styles, scheduling needs, or priorities, they might overwhelm the EA due to the constant shifting of context. The 3:1 model works best when executives’ priorities align, and their workflow processes are similar.
- Needing In-Depth Support: If the executives need deeper strategic support, such as strategic partnership, project management, or stakeholder coordination from their EA beyond administrative work, splitting attention among three may lower the quality and consistency of that support.
- Risk of Burnout: Constant context switching and juggling the demands of three executives across different industries or time zones can lead to EA fatigue, mistakes, job dissatisfaction, and, eventually, quitting.
The bottom line is that once executives’ demands exceed a single EA’s capacity, the 3:1 model becomes inefficient and potentially harmful.
How High-Level EAs Prioritize Tasks Across Clients
You might ask yourself, how does one EA realistically divide time and attention across three high-performing executives?
Below are some of the strategies EAs use to fulfill their duties:
- Task Categorization: EAs create a ranking system to determine which tasks have priority and which can wait. If a task is very urgent and has a short deadline, it becomes the first on the to-do list, regardless of whether the EA has already received other tasks.
- Client Segmentation: EAs categorize the executives they work for based on their work needs and patterns. For example, an executive who is a frequent traveler requires more attention than one who only needs light administrative support.
- Clear Communication: Seasoned EAs often inform their executives of their capabilities and limitations early in the working relationship. Additionally, EAs should inform other executives when they are under a heavy workload from a single principal.
False-Panic3893 shares their opinion on Reddit about dealing with a heavy workload:
“The key here is communication. The work will likely come in waves. I always made sure my execs knew when I had an especially heavy workload from one exec so they understood why my attention to their tasks might have been slower than normal.”
- Time-Blocking: Some EAs dedicate specific time blocks to particular clients, for example, Mondays for Client A, Tuesdays for Client B, and Wednesdays for Client C. This system can also handle some tasks, for example, travel bookings and expense processing on one day, and strategic planning on another.
What It Takes to Sustain a 3:1 Support Structure
You need to establish some guardrails for the 3:1 shared executive assistant model to work sustainably and not succumb to the complexities of the system:
- Understanding Parties: All the executives in the shared support structure need to understand the complexities of hiring a part-time vs. full-time executive assistant. This helps reduce any sense of entitlement among the executives.
- Clear Role Definition: The EA and the three executives they support need to define the EA’s scope of responsibilities and priorities. This provides clarity on the expectations of all parties and also helps establish boundaries.
- Mutual Trust: The executives need to trust that the EA can competently manage and prioritize tasks without playing favorites. They should also give the EA the flexibility to choose how to manage conflicting demands.
- Monitoring Workload: Executives should regularly review their EA’s workload and the quality of their output. This ensures the EA maintains a healthy level of stress and does not burn out.
- Offering Support Where Necessary: If the executives’ needs exceed the EA’s capacity, it is crucial to provide backup support to cover the overflow.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Below are answers to common questions executives often ask about the 3-to-1 client-to-assistant ratio:
Is 3-to-1 Support Enough for Busy Executives?
It depends on what you associate with being busy. If the executive has a busy but predictable workload, then the 3:1 model can work.
However, if the executive has an unpredictable workload with high-pressure tasks, such as crisis management, then a 2:1 or 1:1 model would be more appropriate.
Is the 3:1 Model More Cost-Effective Than Hiring In-House?
Often, yes. Sharing an assistant among three executives reduces administrative costs and improves the EA’s time use by reducing idle time.
However, one must understand the model’s limitations, such as a higher risk of EA burnout.
Can Confidentiality Be Maintained with Multiple Clients?
Yes.
Confidentiality can be maintained with multiple clients, provided the EA establishes clear boundaries for each executive’s tasks and follows the protocols for handling sensitive information.
What Happens if One Client Needs More Time Than Others?
The EA has the flexibility to redistribute their time based on the executive’s needs dynamically. However, the executives need to understand that such adjustments shall be realigned in the future.
For example, if Executive A asks for 50% of the EA’s time in week one while the rest receive 25%, then sometime in the future, Executive A will also have a week when they receive 25% of the EA’s time.
Conclusion
The 3:1 shared executive assistant model is among the most successful variants of the shared EA model. Provided you avoid overworking the EA and create a conducive work environment with reasonable boundaries, you have nothing to worry about.
ProAssisting, offers fractional EAs with at least five years of experience working for executives in internationally recognized companies such as Target and Oracle. Therefore, they are proficient at working with various sharing models and can adapt to any situation swiftly.
In addition, they receive 75% of your monthly retainer, which helps boost morale and job satisfaction and helps them stay in the EA role long-term.
Schedule a free consultation to see if the 3-to-1 client-to-assistant ratio is a good fit for your company.
