Work principles help establish general rules for interaction between an assistant and the manager. They provide the assistant with clear guidelines to follow, ensuring efficiency and high work standards. These principles can be tailored to each manager’s style.

Examples of principles:

• Protecting the manager's time:

  Filter all incoming requests to identify the most important tasks, meetings, and contacts. Help prioritize and block out less important activities.

• Simplifying the manager's life:

  Strive to reduce friction in processes. When necessary, ask yourself: “Am I making this simpler or more complicated for [Manager’s Name]?”

• Effective calendar management:

  Maximize the efficiency of time usage in the calendar. Be precise, task-focused, and provide context for all meetings and events.

• Respect for every recipient:

  Whether it's a clear “yes” with meeting confirmation details or a polite decline, every email and message should be clear, courteous, and well thought out.

• Proactive planning:

  Show initiative. Come prepared, thinking through all the details, including potential problems and solutions for each task.

What else to include in the principles section:

• Confidentiality principle: Strict adherence to confidentiality for all matters involving the manager.
• Focus on results: The assistant always aims at the end result rather than merely completing tasks.
• Flexibility and adaptability: Ability to quickly adjust to changes in the manager’s plans and priorities.

This section can be personalized for each manager, and the assistant should revisit it periodically to adjust their work as needed.