The Two Words Robbing EAs of Power, Pay, & Prestige

By Bonnie Low-Kramen

Let’s rip the bandage off: the phrase “it’s easy” is killing the credibility of Executive Assistants. It’s not just wrong, it’s dangerous. Those two words are the silent saboteurs keeping brilliant, strategic business professionals underpaid, underestimated, and overlooked.

Across the globe, assistants are the invisible engines of business. You orchestrate chaos into order, anticipate needs before they’re spoken out loud, and execute with precision under pressure. You make the impossible look routine. And yet, the world still shrugs and says, “That assisting job? It’s easy.”

Let’s be clear: that perception is a lie. And it’s costing you.

I would argue that those two words are undermining the entire profession and preventing assistants from earning the money and the respect they deserve. We need to explore why this belief exists and how to change the narrative to an accurate one.

Anyone who has been on the inside knows that the work is not easy at all. In fact, it is complicated work that requires critical thinking and high emotional intelligence, given the myriad of personalities to be dealt with every single day. On top of all that, the job has become increasingly technical and the demands include learning all the new AI technology as quickly as possible (self-taught in many companies) so that the assistants can not only use it well, but also teach it to others.

You’re not just supporting executives—you’re enabling them. You’re not just managing calendars—you’re managing reputations, relationships, and revenue.

No, the work is most definitely not easy.

It’s not a joke either. It’s a PR crisis.

Recently, actor Josh Brolin jokingly offered Stephen Colbert a job as his assistant. Colbert laughed, calling it an “easy gig.” Harmless? Maybe. But every time mass media trivializes the assistant role, it is actually insulting and reinforces an old stereotype and narrative. And perception, as we know, becomes reality, especially on film and national television.

Actors have a similar challenge with one big exception

In the same vein, many people believe that working as an actor is easy too. I spent 25 years as the Personal Assistant to Oscar-winner Olympia Dukakis.I would often hear that “acting is so easy” which is infuriating to actors who take their craft very seriously. Acting is not easy.

The world gets to see the final results of an actor’s work. The actor’s goal is to make it all look “effortless.” What the world does not see are the hours of solitary preparation – from memorizing lines to workouts with athletic trainers to research for a particular part. I recall the hours Olympia spent with a vocal coach to make sure the plantation accent for the film Steel Magnolias was authentic and believable. I watched her prepare for roles with the intensity of an Olympic athlete—memorizing lines, training her body, mastering accents.

Olympia would tell you that acting is many things but “easy” is not one of them. This is also true of working as an executive assistant who is often told that their work is like “magic.” The big difference, though, between an actor’s work and an assistant’s work is that actors not only receive fair to generous payment for their work, but they also receive support from the top and respectful acknowledgement from the team.

Producers (the people in charge) expect to pay competitive wages to actors for their services. The people on the inside of show business understand that an actor’s work is not easy. This is not the case with executive and personal assistants.

The Problems with Easy

When society labels a job “easy,” here’s what happens:

Salaries stagnate. Why pay top dollar for “simple” work?
Disrespect festers. With 93–97% of assistants being women, this myth fuels gendered bias and systemic undervaluing.
Expertise is ignored. Leaders assume anyone can do it—no training, no experience, no problem.
Assistants are viewed as easily replaceable. Interchangeable. Disposable.

Speaking up is essential to solving this.

As a profession dominated by females, assistants, in general, are not known for speaking up, nevermind tooting their own horns and articulating their value. We cannot be quiet any longer around these issues. We must be prepared to dispel the myth, without question, that the work is easy.

How to Shatter the “Easy” Illusion

Here are three bold moves to rewrite the narrative and reclaim your value:

Document Your Power Create a detailed, accurate, quantifiable job description that is ready to be presented at all times in answer to the question: What do you do exactly? One for each executive you support. Include achievements, metrics, and impact. Make it impossible to ignore your ability to handle complexity and nuanced communication.
Ask the Hard Question and Insist on the Truth Ask leadership and HR: What is my value to this organization? Push for clarity. Challenge assumptions. In the age of AI, this question is more urgent than ever. In a world where there is plenty of talk about replacing assistants with artificial intelligence, there is no time to beat around the bush. The time has come for an open discussion about why administrative staff is still important to companies and whether AI is an actual replacement or a powerful tool for assistants to leverage.
Fight for Fair Pay Outdated salary bands are relics of a bygone era. It’s time to renegotiate. Push for inclusion in bonus programs. Advocate for titles and compensation that reflect actual job responsibilities.

It’s a reckoning

The pandemic changed everything. AI is changing everything again. Companies are reinventing themselves and building the plane as they are flying it. Assistants should have a seat in the cockpit, whether anyone admits it or not.

So show up, stand up, and speak up. Be vocal. Be factual. Be unapologetic. Who knows? Present a plan that makes sense and you will not only be respected for it, but compensated for it as well.

The myth of “easy” has had its time. Now it’s yours.