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?

I think it would be better if everyone had a designated 'cover time' when it was specifically stated that that person was responsible for covering phones. I can see it would be tough to concentrate if you're constantly wondering if someone is going to answer the phone. It doesn't give a very good impression of the company if the phone isn't answered quickly and if there is nobody sitting at reception.

You might be the best they've ever had but your attitude stinks

It’s beneath you? With that attitude, HR will readily accept your resignation.
You texted your resignation? You shouted out about the receptionist in a meeting?
You sound like a very difficult employee.

Oh dear your not much of a team player are you? You come across a very arrogant. As others have said,many managers with those tasks because that's what you do when you value team efforts regardless of your salary.

Good luck with future jobs and references. They might indeed highlight that your team work attitude sticks.

I'm shocked because you're the best we have ever had'. - yeah ok then. He's glad to see you go, you think answering the phone and door is beneath you and you handed in your notice by text

And reading further down you a really are an angry person.

In previous jobs (I run my own business now) I have been far more senior than you earning far more and I had no problem pitching in with tea, phones and doors. I think you need to take a good long hard look at yourself and your sense of self importance

There could have been a better system. A rota for example. Or just ensuring they have receptionists to cover.
I mostly agree op, im in a very small office and on the times where the admin person is away we all answer rhe door. But that's a rare event for us. If there's a meeting in the meeting room uou can be up and down every couple of mins letting people in - no good if I'm trying to focus on something or am on a Skype call myself.

It's good to have threads like these to brighten up monday mornings.

YANBU

I'm happy to pitch in with stuff that is way below my pay grade when needed, if someone is off/busy/if it's an "all hands on deck" moment.
BUT - not all the time.
That's a really inefficient way to run a company.
Business cards should have individual phone numbers on, not a generic reception number that could get answered by someone who isn't even in the right office, and who is probably busy doing other things.
I find interruptions really disruptive - even if a call only takes 1 minute, it could well take 5+ minutes to get back to where you were on your own task if you needed to cancel out of something on a system to answer the query from the phone call.

This company thinks they're saving money by not having enough reception staff but, given the number of calls coming through a day, it's a false economy as they're making their more highly paid staff much less efficient by forcing them to be repeatedly interrupted during the day,

They'd be better off setting up a rota so that everyone takes turns to sit in Reception for, say, 30 mins at a time just to answer the incoming calls, and switch off whatever it is that makes the phones across the office ring when the Reception phone is ringing.
It sounds like an awfully noisy place to work.

I feel like a fucking great load has been lifted! I'm free! I asked for a challenge when applying, I didn't realise that making fucking tea would be the challenge to break me. All good.

I do appreciate the disruption but I've been a qualified accountant for 25 years and I still answer telephones, make tea and answer the door if necessary. If I've got really tight deadlines then I'll make a point of apologising and asking if I can be excused from these duties on a certain day, but only for e.g. VAT returns when we or a client could be fined.

However, I did once resign from a position after a week because it was an open plan office and they played Radio 1 all day. It wasn't practical to wear ear plugs and I couldn't concentrate - so I understand the idea of what people can and cannot tolerate. In future interviews, maybe you should stipulate what you are prepared/not prepared to do.

You're a snob. Your attitude stinks of someone who thinks they are better than they are. Usually found in non-team players and jobsworths

Like a PP I earn a lot more than you do in a role that requires a very high level of focus and I still answer doors and make tea when required. The constant phone calls do sound grating but I'd expect an employee to raise the issue so we can try to find a solution rather than texting their notice.

Your attitude doesn't sound great and I'm sure your resignation will be better for everyone in the long run.

I agree that the company needs more reception staff. I think they have fallen into the same trap as op of thinking that junior = unimportant to the business. This is not true.

I do get where you are coming from.. my previous job was working in a small office with a service desk dept and the phones are CONSTANT and had to be answered in 3 rings. Its sooo disruptive to be answering calls when you are in the middle of something.

With that volume of calls they should have a rota to ensure reception cover and to hold someone responsible for answering.

As for making Tea and Coffee.. if you are making one its polite to ask but if you are then you should not have to make for others.

I earn slightly more than you and work with all men so i do all the dogs body work additional to my job but i don't mind as i love my job and its all very much appreciated.

Hello OP,

I’m a surveyor!

I haven’t put thought into working out your firm, but it doesn’t matter, your description is enough to be able to imagine the scenario precisely.

You are absolutely right in what you’ve done.

I haven’t worked in any other “professional” industry, so I can’t honestly compare, but I see people undervalued all the time and I wonder if this profession is particularly guilty of it.

You are spot on, and I hope your departure opens discussions in the firm that benefit others.

OP I kind of get you. I've shouted, 'FFS, I am not the fucking receptionist' at times in a job. Because I'm not. I wasn't hired to do that role, it was never part of my role. I was hired to do a specific role which I cannot actually do properly if I am expected to cover phones for other people and get up and answer a door every 5 fucking minutes because I'm sitting closest. I need to concentrate on what I am being paid to do.

Your company should make sure their receptionist desks are better covered and change the system, I agree.

All the people saying I earn more and still help out! Yes so do I.

But to be fair I think the OP is saying this is constant, not on a 'oh shit X is ill and Y is holiday, can you chip in?' way.

It sounds like a constant inefficient interruption to her working day which doesn't allow her to concentrate on her actual job.

Does the phone really ring more than once every minute? If so you need a whole switchboard, not just receptionists.

Whilst there are aspects of this I think the company could improvement upon, your attitude is absolutely awful OP; I wouldn't hire anyone at ANY level if I got even a whiff of any of this. I'm sorry to say your colleagues might be cheering your news....

Hey surveyor! *Waves! Loved my team, they were all good.

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. Nothing changes, and it ain't my ballache no more.

Can’t get past that you handed your notice in by text - is that a thing nowadays? In which case I’m obviously a dinosaur!

I think instead of spitting your dummy out, if you where as marvellous as you think you are then you could have approached your boss with your problem and your solution to it. I.e hire another receptionist - more cost effective, or suggest a rota.
And I actually feel sorry for your poor receptionist answering that many calls, the door, making tea and all the while having someone like you looking down your nose.

My line manager still helps out on reception when it is especially busy and she earns a lot more than you and oversees three different departments at the same time. I have worked in many roles in many senior positions and we still pick up a ringing phone or get the door if the bell goes and no one else is there. I actually manage a couple of receptions now and would never think the receptionist or their tasks are beneath me. In fact, reception is the first impression you get of a company so I consider them pretty important.

If completing these tasks is disruptive then that is slightly different and places I have worked sometimes created rotas so each person covered one morning/day etc and yes, that did include more senior staff. Maybe suggest this instead

If he wanted to keep you he would be trying to find a way.

They aren't.

A team player is clearly worth more to them than someone that thinks that is beneath them.