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?

In an NHS Trust I worked it, the bosses had the bright idea of employing fewer cleaners and getting the nurses and nursing auxiliaries to do the cleaning. Mopping floors, cleaning the loos etc.

The union prevented this from happening as nurses are there for direct patient care. They also earn 22k+ a year and are educated in nursing whilst a cleaner is on say 15k. Nothing to do with being superior but nurses are there to nurse - not scrub the lavatories.

I love the comments saying the OP must be menopausal or have mental health issues. No doubt they would have had OP locked in an asylum in the olden days. Hysterical crazy women! Know your place!

Christ 😂 every admin office I have sat in, everyone pitches in and answers the phone and door of there receptionist is not there, it's really not that stressful.. I do two people's work currently and still manage to pick up the phone if there's no one else to, and answer the door if I see someone on the cctv waiting. You strike me as someone who says "that's below my pay grade" 😂 I hate those people

The only silver lining in this whole funny thread is I gather you're down south so lucky for me, our path will never cross. I hope they tell you to fuck right off.

I have extensive professional qualifications and years of experience. I've spent the entire day answering the phone, transferring calls opening doors and doing bits of my main job in between. Jobs are there that need doing and I wouldn't want to work with someone like the OP and her supporters. Oh, and I earn less than she does but don't consider routine tasks beneath me that help our team be more effective. She doesn't sound like a laugh to me. It seems to me that she can't handle being a team player and is pretty self important and scathing about others. Wouldn't last five minutes in my team.

Now everyone is an 'Administrator'. No matter how experienced or senior they are expected to stop what they are doing at the drop of a hat and do the most menial of junior tasks. All in the name of being a 'team player. Fuck that for a game of soldiers

^ this

It sounds awful but for someone with 22 years of experience I would expect you to be a bit more grown up about how you handled this.

This thread seems to be a mix of some supportive, some green eyed jealousy and some not reading the OP 's posts properly. She said she tried all possible avenues including CEO and HR to get things resolved, but to no avail. OP is feisty, outspoken and knows her worth. I'm all for that, cheers OP

No she didn't, she said she 'haphazardly' mentioned it. Whatever that means.

outspoken and knows her worth

Whilst angrily speaking at other employees and speaking about people in a derogatory way but hey as long as she knows her worth.

"She said she tried all possible avenues including CEO and HR to get things resolved, but to no avail" No she didn't, she said she haphazardly mentioned it. Whatever that means. Are you under the category "not reading the OP's posts properly" VanGophsDog?

Well I think you've made your decision OP. Leave because the working conditions are shit and the job's not what you were expecting. That's not unreasonable. And also - forgive me if you already said this outright and I missed it - I get the impression the senior staff are mostly men and the people in your role are mostly women and you feel you're being treated as a dogsbody.

IMHO you have a bad attitude, but being subjected to shit conditions isn't going to instil a good attitude in anyone. I'll make drinks or cover the reception desk from time to time but I'd be pissed off if I was basically expected to do my job and a receptionist's job all the time.

But you said your resignation had been accepted yesterday

If resignation accepted being asked to put in writing is just to align with contractual terms. Not presumably to restart talks.

YANBU to be annoyed at the bad system.
YANBU to resign if you are unhappy in a job for any reason.

YABU for not being a team player.
YABU in your shitty attitude.
YABU to quit via text.
YABU to degrade and talk down to and about literally anybody who isn't you.

Some interesting responses in this thread....

Very different situation if you’re in a small workplace where people will all pitch in. In a big one where there are (several) people employed to do reception / post etc then it makes little sense to take other people out their jobs to cover. Phone ringing all day is disruptive to anyone so this seems to have been handled very badly by the organisation. People are always entitled at work to raise issues like this. I’d be very unhappy too.

OP might have riled some people but to some very nasty responses and “you only earn this much” while telling the OP that HER attitude stinks!

VanGophsDog, OP said To anyone saying I should have brought this up, I have literally raised this issue through every avenue available, from the HR feedback form after a month, to raising it with my manager and director at my 3 month review to raising it with the CEO at a social night out. Before joining in with the "belittling brigade" maybe get your facts right first Van?

@paffuto

Dunno, are you in the category of being incapable of reading usernames?

Oh yeah Van, I see I got one letter wrong, thanks. Are you going to apologise to OP for your untrue post?

YANBU OP. How many jobs do they expect you to do? How are you supposed to do the job you’re being paid to do if they want you to be constantly distracted by a load of other jobs too? Dunno why so many people are siding with this badly managed company.

Yes, Paffuto, you've got it right. I've raised it with everyone who could potentially do something about it at every opportunity. My manager is like me, has fuck all influence.
It's all irrelevant, they accepted my resignation.
I've an interview next Friday for a job I'm ill experienced to do. Not sure why they called me for interview as it requires HR experience, of which I have none. Well, in a temp job I did, but that's not even on my CV.
I will temp to tide me over. Anything is better than that clusterfuck of a place.
Again, thanks to everyone who knows I'm not demanding or deranged. I just wanted to be doing the job I was supposed to be hired to do. I'm too old and too tired to feel enthusiastic about franking post and distributing amazon parcels to my colleagues.
It was genuinely making me ill, stressed and depressed. While I should have waited to have a job to go to, I literally couldn't take it anymore.
The lady who trained me is very empathetic and is herself tired of the shit the administrators have to take - not one administrator there is happy. Admin meetings are bun fights. Such is life.
I feel sorry for my manager because he was actually losing sleep with his previous administrator as she kept lodging complaints of racism (14 I believe, none upheld) and would just literally refuse to do things - i.e. her actual job. He said I had totally brought the team together and he was so relieved to have me. I know he'll find it hard, but the rest will get by. We rubbed along nicely together. Him swearing about stupid architects and me swearing about stupid phones. We were the potty mouthed corner of the office lol.
Anxious what the future holds, but confident I made the only decision I could have made in the circumstances.

Thanks again to everyone who understood.

I've only just found this thread, but I get it OP. I've experienced similar. I am expected to do a third of one person's job, and bits of several others - as well as my own job. These are people who are paid less than me, and they think the tasks are beneath them!

I've raised it with my line manager, who made supportive noises. I am currently waiting to see some supportive action.

Hope things work out for you in your new role.

Bahahahaha

You sound absolutely batshit crazy.

The phone system sounds absolutely unworkable and stupid but the rest of it you are completely out of line on.

My PA is in her 40s and on £48k pa and she makes tea for meetings. And gets my lunch for me when I’m busy. And all sorts of things. My husband’s PA is on £55k and does the same. And is a man!

If I was interviewing for an admin position and was told by a candidate that there was a long list of things they didn’t do I would struggle to keep a straight face and then throw their cv in the bin immediately. Life’s too short - you sound like one of those horrid useless gorgon office managers that seemed to be really common when I started working in law firms in the 90s but are thankfully disappearing now

Good luck with the interview. The HR element may be minor for which they'll offer training perhaps if they like you?

I totally get you about your manager 'making supportive noises'. That's exactly what my manager was like. But really not in a position to raise it further up the line.

Yes, I'm hoping the HR element is minor.