To not want to answer company tenant's phone?

[BeKindToYourKnees]

I am employed as an administrator and answer the phone along with 2 others.

We are renting office space to another company and have been informed that we shall also be responsible for answering THEIR phone (new company will have same phone number as us, we will have to put them through to an extension).

I am not employed by this new company, so why should I answer their phone/take messages etc?

Quite prepared told be told AIBU - it's day 3 Stoptober and I have PMS

Surely it's totally up to your employer to decide what your duties are? It may be that they are charging the new company a premium for that to happen.

Congrats on Stoptober btw - Im doing it too!

If that's the deal they made with your company, what's the problem?

which also means I can't type Quite prepared to be told IABU

If your employer has told you that you will be answering their calls as well then that is that as far as I can tell.
You are employed to do as your employer sees fit (within reason obviously). So if it doesn't mean having to work over time then it shouldn't really be any skin off of your nose.
Just think of it like another arm of your current company.
Well done on Stoptober - I'm on day 4 (started on Monday)
Chomping at the bit for a ciggie though, I must admit!

YABU - your company have obviously made some sort of agreement with the other company.

So basically, my employer is hiring me out to the tenant, and this is ok?

your job is to answer the phone and deal with those calls -yabu to be miffed about answering the phone and dealing with the calls.

Your employer will have sold you as a reception service to this other company as part of the deal.

Doesn't mean you should get paid more for doing your job? Do you expect to get paid per call answered?

I used to get hired out to tenants all the time. Just part of my job.

Sounds like they are renting You out along with the office space, which is common enough.

I spend less than 1% of my time answering the phone so no, I don't think I should have been "sold" as a reception service!

and Tee I have never been hired out to a tenant, so it is not part of my job

Oh honestly OP. It happens all the time. Stop being so dramatic about it.

You have to answer a few more phone calls, it's not likely to massively increase your workload.

But if you're very unhappy with the arrangement it is, of course, your perogative to seek alternative employment.

Does it constitute a change to your contract?

You're being ridiculous. You've just said you spend less than 1% of your time answering the phone and you're making this fuss?

Your job is to answer the phone and - presumably - to put callers through to the right extension. It just so happens there's a new extension number you'll be putting calls through to.

You haven't been rented out - you're still employed by the same company, reporting to the same people you always were. Unless new company is some kind of brothel or arms dealer, I can't imagine what your problem is.

YABU. Your company employ you. Part of your duties are to answer the phone it doesn't really matter who the calls are for.

Sorry.

Really cannot see you problem here. Your company pays you for your time and this is hardly an onerous task.

Do you have a union you could complain to?

So it's okay to tell you YABU until we tell you YABU then it's not okay?

Just think of it as this - if your employer has spare office space they presumably are not working to capacity. You should be grateful they have found a tenant which will bring in income and will therefore be in a better position to continue to employ you.

Good point Anne

It's a very good point Anne except my employer will not be benefitting financially, the rent will be going to our parent company.

Billy I don't know if it constitutes a change to my contract because none of my duties are stipulated. I don't even have a job description!

But I am willing to accept I am being a bit U and am overly-grumpy today

Seriously, get over it. The parent company will be your employer. You are benefiting because it is keeping you in employment.

If your employer wants you to answer the calls that is what you do!

I used to work with a girl once and all she ever used to say was "that's not on my job description " - god, she drove me bonkers!

If your employer asks you to do that then that's what you do! It's not out of your scope of regular duties. And why are you so bothered about if your company benefitting financially, what's that got to do with you. Yabu