Myriam Balerio is the founder and writer of PA Privé. After kick starting her career as a PA and finding success as an assistant, Myriam later trained in digital and online marketing and has since combined the two disciplines in creating PA Privé, the platform through which she provides sage advice for those in the assistant profession and a network for like-mined PAs and EAs to connect. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Myriam has lived in London for over 10 years and currently lives in London with her husband and French bulldog.

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12 Simple Ways to Improve Your Relationship With Your Boss

  Having the support of your boss is important to your job and your career, so it’s worth it to try and improve or develop a relationship with your supervisor. Keep reading for some simple strategies to improve your relationship with your boss!    Go the extra mile. The next time you’re on the job performing your job tasks, why not go the extra mile? Remember that your job description outlines the basic tasks and duties required to maintain employment. Occasionally going above and beyond the call of duty can really help others out and help you stand out in a positive ...

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How to Throw a Summer Office Party

  Company summer parties give the employees an opportunity to relax and have fun with the other co-workers  and your boss has finally realized that a summer office party is a great way to boost morale and camaraderie and you have been chosen to organize it. Never organized an office party before? Don’t worry, unlike winter office parties, the summertime is full of activities and venues to choose from. We have some great tips on how to make it a party that will make summer last a litte bit longer.    Budget Confirm with your boss the budget, the scale of the ...

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Healthy Work Lunches

Having lunch at your desk – again? Here’s how to enjoy healthy lunches even if you can’t leave the office.      Herbed Chicken Salad Not every salad has to be soaking in mayonnaise and this is a good example of a light and tasty lunch option. Take some skinned chicken breast or chicken tenders and cook them in a pan until they’re brown. Put the cooked chicken in a bowl, shred it with two forks, then add diced tomato, sliced cucumber and a little red onion slices if you’re feeling brave. Sprinkle the mixture with a tablespoon of cider ...

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Best Apps for Travel & They’re Free!

It would be impossible to list all of the great apps that are out that make travel better and easier, but here are some of the top ones:       TripIt easily turns flights, hotel, and car reservations into a simple itinerary. Additionally, the app allows you to get flight status, driving directions, and more.   SeatGuru gives you detailed airline seat analysis, comments about seats which have limited recline (yes!), less legroom, bad windows, etc.   GateGuru Stuck at the airport? GateGuru app has information and maps for gate locations, food vendors, stores, ATM’s, places to plug in, airline ...

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Business Travel Tips for Smart Women

Here are some practical tips to make business travel run more smoothly      Sleep smart. Dark circles under your eyes aren’t good for business. Many road warriors know that you can only use a certain amount of concealer to cover bags under your eyes to mask jetlag or poor sleep nights. Carry eye masks and earplugs.    Get elite status. Nothing beats having being an elite member of an airline insofar as travel goes as the perks are just great: Faster lines, free upgrades, first class upgrades, the ability to use their lounge in the airport, etc. how do you get that ...

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10 Questions To Ask Before Buying a Business

  There are no stupid questions. This is what you should consider when doing your research before buying a business. The more questions you ask, the less risk you will have.  But just in case you have no idea where to begin, here is a list of ten questions as a starting point of a thorough investigation.    1 – What are your biggest challenges right now?  You want to be aware of potential issues. For instance, if you’re buying a company that will need improvements, you need to know that before deciding to acquire the business.    2 – ...

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Summer Office Attire

Appropriate (and not so much) office attire. Most employee handbooks will give specific examples of what to wear and what is considered acceptable. With the spike of summer heat comes an opportunity to adjust your work wear for the rising temperature.   Rule of thumb for appropriate attire during the summer season is to avoid the “four Bs”: bar-wear, boudoir attire, barbell outfits and beachwear.  Women’s skirt lengths should not be too short nor should necklines be too revealing. Showing your bra straps are also a definite no-no. Flip flops are distracting. They make noise and expose your feet. The weather ...

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How To Boost Workplace Happiness

Research continues to show that a happy and positive workplace increases productivity, reduces staff turnover and engenders employee flexibility.  Basically happy workers are more likely to say yes to extra responsibilities, stay for longer, collaborate and help boost morale.     Incorporating the following ideas into your workplace will soon have everyone smiling! Do Something You Love Every Single Day. Trust your team. Step out of approval. Instead, pre-approve and focus on supporting your people. Make your people feel good. Make this the focus of management. Pass the knowledge on to your people, so they don’t need things approved. Find ...

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Top Health and Wellbeing Tips to Get You Refreshed for Summer

  To help you break the busy-ness cycle and work happier, we’ve rounded up a handful of counter-intuitive ways to tweak your habits and your mindset. They range from obvious-but-oft-ignored tips     Do more exercise.  Make sure you exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, 3 times a week. Exercise is one of those activities that improves almost everything, including productivity and focus.    Ask for help and share feelings. If you feel under pressure and feel your workload is spiralling out of control, take the opportunity to discuss your feelings with friends, family or your manager.    Sit less. Most of us spend ...

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Great Apps for Executives

There are lots of lists out there and they are all different because new apps show up everyday. Here are some top apps for executives that we have hand picked for you. Docs-To-Go This is essentially a mobile version of Word, Excel and Powerpoint. It will not be a replacement for the desktop version but it is great for a quick edit or to jot notes or review information in transit or before a meeting. Very stable app with a strong history   Scanner Pro Paper meets the iPhone in Scanner Pro, which turns the iPhone’s camera into a simple scanner for ...

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