"I owe my life to a clerical assistant"

[user1472419718]

I keep seeing Unison adverts on the internet recently, highlighting the work that people in the public services sector do.

They have titles such as "I owe my life to a clerical assistant" and go on to detail the individual contributions of different public sector workers. But whilst I agree that every role is essential, ultimately the clerical assistant who created the ambulance rota did not save this man's life, and I feel this undermines the actions of the paramedics, doctors, nurses and other medical professionals.

Another example has the title "A cleaner helped teach my Chloe her times table". Again, whilst the cleaner is an essential public services worker at the school, this statement undermines the teacher and teaching assistant.

AIBU or am I just missing the point?

[NoahVale]

oh yes the Tory scathing comments about Back Office staff Absolutely got my goat.
Yes we will employ more nurses and doctors and Cut down on the Back office staff

Actually, it doesnt work like that. the doctors do not write their own letters, they do not book their own theatres or clinics.

[NotYoda]

Noah

I agree
But let's face it - they do not know what they are talking about. They've never, most of them, taken "menial" roles, support roles, customer service roles, retail roles. They don't really know anything about being the Public Servants they purport to be

[flumplet]

I think it's a really great campaign. It's very refreshing as it's rare for those of us who work our knackers off day in day out in very demanding 'behind the scenes' roles to receive any form of recognition for our contribution to the smooth running of public services. I don't think that recognising our efforts in any way detracts from the hard work of the front line staff.

[DiegeticMuch]

I think that headteachers/teachers and doctors/nurses recognise the positive impact that lower-ranked staff have, but I don't think that "the public" necessarily does. Whether this campaign improves that, remains to be seen.

[hippydippybaloney]

When I was at the start of my career and very junior, someone more senior than I was would take pleasure in trying to make me feel small to make her feel better about how incompetent she was.

Our boss, much more senior than either of us were, found out about it. His words have stuck with me ever since, 'hippy, we all just do different jobs. Mine isn't any more important than yours, it is just a different one, but part of the same ultimate goal.'

At the time, I just saw it as a lovely, kind thing to say, but also thought, yeah right, he is way more important than me, etc.

The more time went on the more I really understood what he meant and the more impact it had.

It's a story I've relayed several times when people have felt like they don't matter, or when they have had to deal with colleagues like the one who was awful to me all those years ago.

[Elendon]

I love these adverts. The message is loud and clear without being shouty and confrontational.

I worked in a large multidisciplinary office and each year the CEO would give a speech. The speech always included high praise for the administration staff, as was rightly pointed out, the company would not exist without them.

Failing to see the point is beyond my comprehension.

[Olympiathequeen]

Yes you're missing the point.

Unison is a union for all NHS staff as opposed to the nurses Union being for them alone.

Unison is pointing out that all the people in the NHS are human beings giving their best professional and personal care and deserve to be fairly represented and to take their money lol-

[GoofyTheHero]

Oliversmumsarmy I'm a bit confused by your post. No it doesn't matter who cleans the wards etc. But it does matter that it's done, surely? In the same vein, it doesn't matter who the Dr is that diagnoses/treats your child, all that matters is that someone does. The Dr wouldn't be able to do that if it wasn't for the admin staff/cleaners/porters/technicians. I'm not sure how people can't understand that.

[HKHKHR]

You are missing the point and at the same time proving that you don't value staff who aren't frontline. I am frontline and value all my colleagues work every shift.

[Rainbowshine]

I manage a team of hospital porters and in my experience there's a lack of knowledge about what the role is. Public seem to think they just push wheelchairs and beds. They don't realise that the blood or platelets have to be collected, moved safely and promptly, and delivered all being tracked. Medical gases, pharmacy deliveries to wards, who do they think does that? We have a joke that the Porters are like the house elves in Harry Potter. The whole hospital would not function without them. This campaign, I hope, will make the public realise that behind the headlines of cutting back behind the scenes is a crisis waiting to happen. The support staff are vital to the hospital working. They don't just push beds...

[Elendon]

Oh and it was one of the kitchen staff at my primary school who helped me comprehend times tables. She demonstrated to me how she counted out the puddings. The penny dropped, visual and well explained. Never forgot that and it helped my youngest child too.

[morningtoncrescent62]

I think those adverts are bloody brilliant. If more people generally got a proper grip of the idea that all parts are essential to function as a whole and treated people accordingly the world would be a better place.

This. I love seeing the adverts, and it's brilliant to see a positive campaign from Unison when unions generally are perceived to be negative and carping.

[amusedbush]

I think the adverts are great and, yes, it is nice as 'just' an admin assistant to see that the work you do facilitates the bigger stuff, the stuff that gets the recognition.

A different situation but I work in a busy university and when the admin is done badly, the academic side of things grinds to a halt. Yet when the Principal is thanking everyone for their contribution, he is only really thanking the academics for getting the research grants or pushing up scores in the REF. Not the admins who do the drudgery and manage the academics' time well to facilitate it 😒

[mycatwantstokillme1]

OP YABU & you and Oliversmummy are both missing the point - which is so blatantly obvious I can only think you're deliberately missing it!

[yougetme]

This happened yesterday.
In a public service office of 350 we have no dedicated admin staff. We have a variety of people who have several jobs which encompass admin duties but they are busy people. So when I need to send a standard letter to a customer I have to compose the letter,print it out ,go and fetch it from the printer, put it into an envelope and then into an out tray . This takes me about 10 minutes .

But wait. The printer has broken and the next nearest has no toner so I ask the team leader to find the number of a working printer. She has to take time out from compiling mid year reports to check another floors printers. Then she reports the broken printers to the person who us nominally responsible for the printers. Oh and there are no envelopes either. So that's another person who had to be tracked down for that . It's so frustrating and took well over half an hour and several peoples time at a variety of pay scales so that one letter could be sent.

So what previously was a simple 1 second button push to the admin section became a costly exercise . And sadly this is a daily occurrence in our department.

[Gallopingourmet]

We employ wonderful ward clearks amongst other things they answer the phone which never stops ringing, they answer the ward entry phone which also never stops and due to the security on our ward they also have to let every visitors out as well. When they're not there it becomes our responsibility and it's virtually a full time job. Sometimes I think I'd rather be one nurse down rather than a ward clerke. Good knows what they're paid but I'm sure it's not much.
Cleaners are also essential our ward employs two at a time, one prepares all the food and serves it, another helps prevents infections by keeping the place immaculately clean. They are another set of eyes on our ward, and receive basic training including safe guarding. They often mention things they've noticed going on. When our patients are very unwell they care as much as we do often asking after them, if patients get transferred out then return they are always pleased to see them. They too are paid the minimum wage.
We are all a team working for the good of the patients some staff may make a less obvious contribution to those who are not working in the NHS than others but without then our hospitals would just collapse even more so than they are already.
Now when it comes to our many managers I do sometimes struggle to see exactly what their contributions are and I know they aren't paid the minimum wage.

[whattheseithakasmean]

I agree with the majority, I think the adverts are wonderful. When my daughter was bluelighted to hospital (some years ago now, thank goodness) I was as vulnerable as it is possible for a human being to be. Everyone we encountered during our stay in hospital was wonderful. Everyone. The consultant, junior doctors, nurses, auxiliaries, play leaders, cleaners and all the other roles I probably don't really understand. They saved my daughter's life, everyone of them. When you are holding on by your fingernails, the kindness and concern you receive makes a huge difference, regardless of what grade the staff member happens to be. I am so grateful to the wonderful people who work in our NHS, including the unsung heroes at the bottom.

[NotYoda]

MrsDevere

Yes, it's an eye-opener when you've worked in @professional2 and admin. roles in the same organisation. I think everyone should try it. You see how much status is valued above competence, mostly by the public.

[Foslady]

Normally I get hacked off when an OP starts a thread and disappears. Not this time.
These adverts are very important- reminding you to open your eyes to see the full picture. I work in admin. This summer where I work has had a good reminder of why my role is important when I was the only one left out of three to do the role and all hell broke loose

[50ShadesOfEarlGrey]

www.fbu.org.uk/news/2016/02/12/fbu-backed-operator-film-nominated-bafta
Go to this link and watch the film they are talking about. It is the most moving piece of film I have ever seen. I watched this in a small cinema, there were lots of fire fighters there, I was embarrassed about sobbing my way through this, I needn't have been, when the lights went up they were all sobbing too! The person this film is based on was at the screening and she got a standing ovation. At the end , when she just goes to the next call that is exactly what she did. They were so busy her supervisor couldn't let her off the phones for 15 minutes, then she had a cup of tea and went back to the phones.
Watch this and then tell me she didn't save their lives.

A good friend was a Head Teacher for many years, she always said the most important person in her school was the caretaker and she meant it.

[roastednut]

Agree with all the comments (bar one of course) these adverts are great

[Sillysausages44]

I think these adverts are great. I am a solicitor, I am the one signing my name at the bottom of the letters and I am the one doing the 'fancy pants' legal work.

BUT without my truly awesome secretary, I wouldn't have the letters in front of me to sign, I wouldn't be able to find anything as she sorts out my filing, I wouldnt get to court to do the fancy pants legal work as i'd spend my day dealing with the always ringing phone, and (most importantly) I probably wouldn't function without the constant stream of coffee that she puts on my desk.

She is quite frankly the reason why I am able to do my job, but I would estimate that for all the clients that thank me (which don't get me wrong is much appreciated) only about 5% mention my secretary, even though they've probably spoken to her at least once a week, and often many times more, during the case.

[TobleroneBoo]

I've worked in a job where the smug overpaid brokers thought the admin were so beneath them, but they couldn't have done our job and the processes wouldn't be complete without us


Also, don't most medical procedures / appointments / consultations start with a letter?

[Sallystyle]

I love them.

I am a HCA and people do underestimate what we do. It has been me who has pointed out to a nurse that a patient has gone downhill and needs a doctor called out right away. People often see us as people who just clean up patients, but we are the eyes and ears and there has been many times I have flagged up potential problems because I have been there first and noticed something worrying.

The porters are worth their weight in gold, the receptionists, the cleaners and so on. We/they don't get as much recognition as they deserve from the general public.

We all work together and couldn't do the job without working as a team.