In any job, being an honest employee is important. But it is especially so with Executive Assistants who have access to all sorts of sensitive information and who need to establish a relationship with their Executive that is built on trust. 

Integrity is key 

A great EA will never avoid shortcuts, Melba Duncan, author of The New Executive Assistant, says. You should be honest about completing tasks to the best of your ability and in the most ethical way possible. This is especially important when you're dealing with very important information. As an EA, you may be in charge of the payroll and have access to all of the employees's bank account details. In the name of cybersecurity, it is crucial that you take all of the precautions to avoid any chance of those financial details being stolen. 

EAs have access to sensitive information, which makes honesty vital.

You should have integrity in all areas of your job. Joan Burge, author of Who Took My Pen ... Again? Secrets from Dynamic Executive Assistants, provides a list of areas where you should apply special consideration of whether or not you're being honest: 

• Information that is confidential 
• Corporate resources
• Your tasks and assignments 
• Your time 

Sometimes the line of honesty and dishonesty will not always be clear, but you should do your best to be on the right side of the line, Burge recommends. For example, you may wonder if you were right in assuming you could use the company card for a coffee at a conference. It's always best to come clean about what you did and ask your boss if it was okay.

Practise honest communication, even if it's hard

Honesty will get you far in business. If you're able to be upfront, you'll find that you will be a more effective EA.

But it is hard to tell someone what you really think sometimes, especially if they're your superior. You may be nervous that they'll dislike your disagreeing with them. However, at the end of the day, you are entitled to have an opinion if it is respectfully communicated. 

For instance, if you find that one employee continually holds you up from doing your job on time, you should be able to talk to your Executive about this issue. 

And vice-versa, if your Executive confides in you about an issue, it's important that you give them your honest opinion. It is also essential that you keep that information to yourself if your Executive is telling you something in confidence (so long as your Executive is not doing anything illegal).