I’m beginning to wonder if we should pay managers less and administrators more.

Is there such a thing as too many managers?

Electronic diaries along with other initiatives and technological developments mean that far fewer of us use secretaries now. It also seems to have led to an inordinate amount of a manager’s time being spent organising their own diaries and fighting off email rather than efficiently managing people and projects.

While these managers are failing to manage, I’m often pleasantly surprised by the efficiency and competency with which good secretaries can organise events and manage those around them. It could be argued that the loss of one administrator to a business would be more destructive than the loss of one manager. So if you are a business leader looking to hire new talent you might consider recruiting another administrator before expanding your management population.