If you have an admin job, what do you do once your work is completed?

[maplecream]

I've just started a new job doing admin for a retail company. A friend used to work there and said it's a good job but because she was a fast worker, she would finish the bulk of her work early then have nothing to do.

The same thing is happening to me now too. I complete the set work then find myself sat waiting for any emails or calls to come through. There is no extra tasks to complete.

As I'm new I feel embarrassed to be just sat twiddling my thumbs.

Is this normal for admin workers? I thought it would be a bit more full on.

current open university degrees

My last job went like this. I was always super busy and the days flew. Then we started to loose orders and I had less and less to do.

I became very good at mine sweep and solitaire 🤦‍♀️ and eventually found myself another job before the Company went under. Which sadly it did about 12 months later.

Days really drag when you have nothing to do.

I’ve had this in the past too with admin jobs. Sounds great at first but actually it’s difficult pretending to be busy. It got to the point where I’d rather have gone home than be paid to do nothing! Soul-destroying. Sorry, no ideas but can totally relate!

Yes, I also become an expert at minesweeper too 😂

Go on Duolingo on my phone, read books (also on my phone), chat to colleagues, learn origami, watch univetsity lectures on random topics on youtube, knit, drink LOTS of tea... I used to hate having that sort of job at first, but once I learned to occupy myself (and realised that genuinely no-one cares as long as my tasks get done) I came to love it. Give yourself a few weeks to settle in and see if you get used to it, you might realise you enjoy it.

Could you do something like learn to touch type? That way if your boss asks what your doing you can be honest and say it will improve efficiently? I bought a book years ago and taught myself - and having that skill on my cv made it much easier to get my next job.

By the way the difference in responses from managers vs admin on this thread are hilarious.

Is this a stop gap job for you? If it was, i would ensure i really had done everything and do a course in the gaps.

If i was interested in the company and hoping to go further id ask if i could shadow some others in different departments or help cover lunches or something elsewhere to see how it all works.

I'm not suggesting it but I knew someone who built houses out of matchsticks..take up a new hobby maybe to kill the time.

I can't imagine being in a job where there's nothing to do!
There was a whole thread about people working from home and how they filled their time, though. It sounded like permanent lockdown - yoga, baking, gardening, dog walking.

My first job was like this and I miss it sometimes and in my current job the work never stops coming in (work im contacted to do).

Sadly for the places I have worked in the past I realised if you are efficient at your job you get to do other peoples work for the same salary.

My poor admin now bare all y have time to breathe let alone relax, but i had a summer temp admin job once where I was so bored I became obsessed with buffing my nails to the point that started to hurt because they were too thin (very shiny though), I stopped that. They used to tell me I was incredible. I was 18 and had no admin experience I really wasn't, I think other admin user just been doing their own things in the time. Ask your boss of there's anything you can do for them to take the pressure off or any of the other members of management team. Are there policies/projects etc it would be useful to learn about if you want to progress in the organisation? Is there anything you'd like to observe or shadow? Being proactive will do well for your reputation.

Find a newspaper article/ long mumsnet thread you like the look of. Copy and paste into a word doc so it looks like a policy document or something. Read at your leisure 👍

That's exactly what I used to do when I had a similarly boring admin role I could do standing on my head. Read long articles copied into Word so at least I felt that my brain was engaged. I also did some free online courses, the touch typing above is a good suggestion.

I feel for you though, it can make the day go really slowly when there's nothing to do. I eventually moved on to a much busier role and it's a lot better.

This is literally what I did in my first admin job.

I have a job like this. I'd rather be bored than stressed, but it is beyond tedious at times. I journal on Google documents. I read books on Project Gutenberg. Also very good at Minesweeper. I do the life admin of bookings and banks and shopping. Keep the suggestions coming; I've done my day's work already.

You've done your day's work at 9.05.
I'm definitely going to save this thread.

I agree with training. Find something that is related to your job and ask if you can do it when you have quiet spells.

So, time management, project management, more would depend on the area you’re working in. Something that would be useful if you were your own manager. Then you don’t need to worry about being seen doing it.

This is why the UK has a productivity problem- its dreadful management and such a waste of resource (and potential- far better to be working on something interesting that you can feel proud of)

I had a job like this once, after asking what else I could do, this seemed to annoy them, I would just re check my work and look busy 😂

The irony is, I’m far more qualified and experienced than anyone else on my team and when I’ve offered up solutions for things they’re struggling with they’re delighted…

anyway, these veggies aren’t going to chop themselves so I’d best get back to it.

I am amazed companies are willing to pay for a full time job which could be done in half the time. Are the managers that stupid? Do they just not care that the company is paying people to be sitting around? Why do people need to be proactive and start looking for tasks to fill the time?
I had a job like this once, after a couple of days months trying to find work to do, I started reading books quite openly. In an admin job, there is only so much you can do to be proactive. You can hardly tidy your desk every day can you?
I started looking for something new after half a year and was so glad when I couldfinally leave.

In my job there are intensely busy periods and very quiet ones.

During the quiet ones I get all my life admin done and plan a few imaginary holidays and consider it a good exchange.

If it were quiet like that all the time I'd have to leave. You lose the will to do tasks then even when they do come in.

I have a job like this. It is soul destroying.

we have to be constantly live on the phones (although only have 2-3 phone calls a day) so you can’t go off & do anything else (working from home). Recently I’ve been watching Netflix on my home laptop parked next door to my work laptop.

This! I'm answering emails that are over a week old as I can't keep up during my working hours

Many years ago I had jobs where we had quiet spells but for a long time worked in the NHS where the workload was far more than we could manage.
I think both overwork and underwork are bad and an efficient management would ensure the correct number of staff were employed.