When Silence Costs: The Impact of Ghosting in the Virtual Assistant Industry

In our personal lives, ghosting usually describes a dating nightmare. In business, particularly in the fast-growing Virtual Assistant (VA) industry, it is becoming a serious professional challenge. Ghosting: cutting off communication without explanation. This may seem like an easy exit, but the hidden costs are steep for both clients and VAs.

Ghosting in the Virtual Assistant World

Unlike traditional workplaces, VA client relationships are built on trust, reliability, and digital communication. When either side disappears, the fallout is amplified:

• Clients ghosting VAs: Stopping communication after receiving a proposal, ignoring invoices, or vanishing mid-project.

  
  

• VAs ghosting clients: Accepting a project but failing to deliver, ignoring follow-up tasks, or dropping off without notice.

  
  

• Within teams: Freelancers and subcontractors failing to respond creates bottlenecks, missed deadlines, and reputational risks.

  
  

A 2024 workplace survey revealed that 60% of professionals feel ghosting is now “commonplace” in business interactions and while most studies have focused on recruitment, the same behaviours are increasingly reported in freelance and remote work sectors.

The Effects of Ghosting

On Virtual Assistants

1. Lost Income & Time: Unpaid hours spent preparing proposals or partially completed tasks cannot be recovered.

   
   

2. Emotional Toll: Studies on ghosting show it triggers feelings of anxiety and self-doubt, with professionals describing it as a form of “emotional cruelty.”

   
   

3. Reputation Risks: Even a single instance of ghosting a client can damage future referrals in a reputation-driven industry.

   
   

On Clients

1. Business Disruption: Missed deadlines, incomplete projects, and last-minute disappearances lead to lost opportunities.

   
   

2. Lower Productivity: One 2024 report found that when managers are unresponsive, employees feel up to 30% less productive and 60% more stressed. Substitute "manager" for "VA," and the effect on overwhelmed business owners is the same.

   
   

3. Hidden Costs: Re-hiring, re-explaining processes, and onboarding a new assistant all drain valuable time.

   
   

Why Ghosting Happens in VA Relationships

• Avoiding Awkwardness: It may feel easier to disappear than to say, “This project isn’t working out” or "I've changed my mind."

  
  

• Overwhelm: Freelancers and clients alike juggle multiple priorities, and communication sometimes slips through the cracks.

  
  

• Mismatched Expectations: A lack of clear onboarding, unclear deliverables, or scope creep can create frustration and silence.

  
  

• Unprofessional and Bad Manners: Ghosting is more than just unprofessional, it’s fundamentally bad manners, signalling a lack of respect for the other person’s time, effort, and trust.

Breaking the Cycle: Communication as a Competitive Advantage

The good news? Ghosting is preventable. In fact, handling communication with clarity can set a VA or business owner apart.

For Virtual Assistants

• Set Expectations Early: Clear contracts, scope of work, and communication guidelines reduce misunderstandings.

  
  

• Close the Loop: Even if you’re declining work, a polite response (“Not available at this time, but thank you”) keeps doors open.

  
  

• Automate Updates: Use project management tools to keep clients informed, even when you’re deep in tasks.

  
  

For Clients

• Respect Time: A simple “We have changed our mind or do not want to move forward at this time” acknowledges the VA’s effort and preserves goodwill.

  
  

• Stay Transparent: If priorities shift, communicate it—it’s often easier (and cheaper) to pause work than to restart from scratch later.

  
  

• Foster Partnership, Not Transaction: Research shows trust and reciprocity increase loyalty, reduce turnover, and improve productivity in professional relationships.

  
  

Final Thoughts

In the virtual assistant industry, ghosting isn’t just bad manners, it is a business risk. For VAs, it can mean lost income and credibility. For clients, it can mean broken trust, stalled projects, and wasted resources.

But the antidote is simple: clear, honest, and timely communication. A quick message, whether to decline, pause, or clarify protects relationships and strengthens reputations.

In a remote-first world, where trust is currency, silence isn’t golden. It’s costly.

Let's leave the ghosting to Halloween!

Have you ever been ghosted? Please let me know your thoughts and feelings.