AIBU about job?

[Dhapeer]

I started a new job 6 months ago. I was interviewed by the office manager, my manager and a director. It was casually alluded to that everyone pitches in with taking calls etc.
On my first day, it became apparent that while doing your job, they also have this 'virtual' reception which is where your phone rings every time a reception phone in any of the offices nationally rings. You are expected to take some of these calls.
I can not describe the stress of being in the middle of something and having to answer reception calls.
Ok, so I got used to that and accepted it.
Last week, we had an admin meeting and we were told that we now have to do the following as well:

1. Offer to do incoming/outcoming post when receptionist is on leave
2. Listen out for the doorbell ringing and answer the door if no-one is at the 4 desks behind reception. I sit about 30 seconds walk from the reception door.
3. Make teas and coffees for meetings in the absence of the receptionist.

I have 22 years administrative experience and am supposed to be a Team Administrator for a team of 5 building surveyors. I also have PA duties for my Director.

Would any of you do this? I have handed in my notice to my manager by text and have rang HR and am waiting to hear back.

FFS, they are paying me 28k to answer phones and make tea?

Am I the unreasonable one given that NONE of this was indicated in the interview and is not on my job description?

The OP a senior admin person

senior?????? Well my goodness, let’s get her a badge and a bodyguard, we can’t have our SENIOR administrator anywhere near boiling water!

Senior just means she’s done it for an age. Why would that absolve her of tea making duties? If anything, she should be very good at multitasking by now.

As I said best go into your next interview with a list of what you will and won't do.

I would happily take on a job where I was paid £28k for answering phones, the doorbell and making tea for visitors.

They asked you to do something you didn't like doing (for whatever reason) and you decided to resign, because you could.
Well done and good luck for the future. And I mean it sincerely. Life's too short to work jobs that stress you out. :)

Some people want more from a job.

You lot all must make perfect wives. This might explain why I'm not married either!

I would add to my previous post however that the company does need to look at its organisation. It sounds chaotic to say the least. You're not happy with what they've asked you to do and you've handed your notice in response to that. I think that's fair enough. As a pp said, life's too short to take on jobs you hate.

Don't think you can avoid, someone has to do her job when she is not available, always been like this in small companies. My old team of three had been receptionist since CEO PA / receptionist made redundant. While our 60k+ engineer still open door and sign parcels. I looked for other opportunities and moved on since.

There is no reason for you to stay if you don't enjoy your job anymore. Good luck.

I'm confident I made the right decision despite panicking about bills and such but I was going to end up sick so I had to. I just wish they had told me what the job was and I would never have taken it. Now I look dodgy leaving so soon. But Christ, if I know anything about life it's that it throws curve balls at me on a permanent basis.

When I worked in an office my male colleagues usually managed to be busy when it was tea making time - do the men really pull their wait in the tea making, phone answering, bottom wiping roles mentioned by pos.

Pps not pos

You lot all must make perfect wives. This might explain why I'm not married either!

A better explanation is that you come across as a bit of a turnip.

For those interested in high-earning admin roles - look no further than a university! Senior admin roles will pay more than £50k (outside of London), however you will have to be educated to degree, sometimes postgrad, level.

And back to the thread....

£28k a senior role? Where are you, Brazil?

I was on £72k in my last job and answered the phone and the door, made tea and ordered sandwiches for meetings. I didn't think it was beneath me at all.

My manager did similar to me last year. I sent a rangy email. I was fuming. It was the beginning of the end. He wanted me to do a job one of my assistants did. I don’t think I should be doing a job that pays 14K when I was on almost 5 times that much. I sympathise with the OP.

You say this is all beneath you but you were happy to send your resignation by text message. You sent the text to your direct manager with whom you say you get on well. Don't you think you should have spoken to them face to face?

You also resigned without having a job to go to and now are slightly worried about paying the bills. And leaving the role so soon will raise questions about your job history.

I think you should have slept on all this before resigning.

Wow, you sound an absolute nightmare to work with, OP. So precious and self-important. I can't believe the comment that this work is "beneath you", although I have had the misfortune to manage administrators with attitudes like yours previously. Sounds like the company is well shot of you.

FWIW, my salary is well over double what yours is, and I'll still make cups of tea if required - for visitors, for my boss, or even - shock, horror - for one of my administrators. My boss will also make drinks when required.

Same with the phones/dealing with visitors coming in. No, it's not my job, but we're all part of one organisation, working as part of a big team. If colleagues need a hand, we chip in and do what we can.

I get that interruptions are difficult to deal with, but most people find strategies to cope with this, and that's obviously what your company expected you to do. If you don't have those skills, or if the interruptions are so frequent that you can't actually deliver on the other aspects of your job, then it would be appropriate to have a conversation with your line manager about that. Resigning by text in a strop sounds highly unprofessional - throwing your toys out of the pram is never a good idea!

Anyway, you've done it now, and whatever your manager thinks, it's probably a good thing as you're clearly not a good fit for that particular company.

I'm sure with such a great salary your employer will have no trouble finding someone who doesn't consider the little jobs beneath them. I can only imagine how demotivating your attitude must be to your subordinates (who'll probably be glad to see the back of you too).

I don't want to disclose my exact salary but it's several times what out (very well paid) receptionists make and I have no trouble answering the phone/door. I don't make teas or coffees beyond using the automated machine because I don't drink them so have no way of gauging whether I'm doing a good job (my previous tea making attempts have ranged between a rating of 'poisonous' and 'unpalatable').

*what our

If you wanted a senior role which was challenging, why did you apply for an admin/pa role on £28k? Sounds like your expectations were all out of whack from the outset tbh.

Sounds like you are not a good fit for the role and were right to quit.

Lol, you are really enjoying kicking me. Go on. I might recommend boxing as a past-time but since you don't seem the sort, bring it fucking on. I hope you sleep better for telling me what's what.

Idiots.

Sorry OP you are being unreasonable. We have 3 admin and if they aren't available for any reason the whole team chip in, including our MD on around 8x your salary. He also makes a pretty decent cup of coffee (don't ask for tea though, he's not so good with that). It's a part of every day life in an office.!

Tell you what if someone wants to pay me £28k to answer phones and make tea id bloody take it. They are asking you to muck in with office tasks you are an administrator and therefore an office resource you might think it is beneath you and that is your right but it is likely not beneath the role the company needs to be done right now.

Jobs evolve business needs change stop being so ridiculously precious. Sounds like they will be better off without you if you not willing to take your share.

Can you lot read?

You all earn loads of money but don't seem to understand a post on MN. The OP is happy to chip in occasionally, but it isn't occasionally it all the time.