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?

Sounds to me like they have two totally conflicting things going on.

If they want all the receptionists in every office to automatically cross cover, they need to have them well set up (and trained as necessary) with details of all staff in all offices so that they can answer and transfer calls efficiently and rapidly.

If they want all admin staff to cover if more calls are coming in than the receptionists can handle, it needs to be easy for them to identify and deal with those calls. So restrict it to calls to their own office for starters. And if it is actually needed constantly there is a very good case to employ another receptionist.

I agree that a rota of time when you needed to cover would have been far more sensible, so that you can plan your own work to do more interruptable tasks when "on call". Constantly being "on call" to help works if the interruptions are uncommon, or if you have very little or importance to do at the same time.

If you've spent several months trying to raise the issue and discuss alternative solutions, getting nowhere, you're right to go. Hope you're next post works out a lot better for you.

I do understand that it is incredibly annoying to try and work and be fending off umpteen phone calls .....but I can't understand the 'it's beneath me' attitude. I'm the MD of my own company, and before setting up my own Firm worked as an Associate Director. I have just made a round of teas, and joke that I'm being promoted to Senior tea lady, we have no room for egos or attitudes, everyone is expected to muck in. To resign by text is very unprofessional. Still if its not making you happy then you should leave.

@PuppyMonkey I'm drinking a lovely cup right now that our HR Director just made for me, super glad it's not beneath her

I manage a project for a large charity

I also make tea, cover reception when needed and will do other people's jobs if they need me to

I also make tea and I've cleaned the offices when our cleaner was off sick because I don't want to work In a dirty office

Why ? Because we are a team

I'd be glad to get rid of you tbh

I earn almost £100k in my current role and regularly make tea for my colleagues and do minor admin tasks when required.

Who knows, perhaps I've got this far due to my willingness to muck in when needed.

22 years' experience, but actually learnt nothing ...

If the phone is ringing 100 times a day then that's more than once every 5 minutes in an 8 hour work day. 400 times a day is every minute and a half.

I'd be surprised if it was genuinely ringing this often, even more so if the OP personally had to answer it every single time.

The professional approach would be to raise to your manager that youre finding it difficult to concentrate and could a rota be introduced for phone calls or some other alternative.

Not to throw your toys out of the pram via text

Only £28k for 22 years experience?? I'm on close to that with ten years admin experience. And yes, I answer the phone and help at the reception when necessary.

You sound batshit!

Why are you all saying you'd be glad to be rid of me? Clearly my manager is not? In fact, I'd say he's distraught. I understand that given his previous experience, but I have never done anything other than doing my job well. I have done the phones, in fact, myself and another girl are the ones who answer most calls. I do my job and I do my job above and beyond my job description. Don't be nasty with 'they can't wait to get rid of you'. That is so childish. They actually do love me. Not love as in a love you have for a child or partner to the dimwit who purported that notion, but they love me because I'm good at my job.

The phone rings about 3 times a minute, i.e. constantly, so it's probably more like 500 times a day.

I'm an HR Manager and senior manager. I answer the door, answer the phone, and will make tea and coffee if needed. I'll even go to the post office if needed.

However, life is too short to be in a job you clearly dislike. Some environments just don't work for some people.

I think I'd be pissed off if my boss told me I'd have to cover tea for meetings. I have a job which is a full time job. It wouldn't be the tea it would be fact that the company clearly couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery that would get to me. Oh and I have a full time job, I can't do someone else's job too. So I think you did the right thing OP. For what it's worth I have done plenty of receptionist jobs, tea making, buffet layout etc and enjoyed it because it was part of my job.

I'm a senior manager earning significantly more than you. I answer the phone and make tea regularly, and I expect everyone else to do the same.

I thought you were being fairly reasonable until you said it was beneath you.... At that point I would have been glad if a fairly new employer handed in their notice for this reason.

I'm not 'batshit'. I'm just handing in my notice.......

I really think you're working from different definitions to the rest of us. "Magic fairy", "distraught", "love". No, you're just another employee - another insignificant, little cog in the machine. You might be a fairly functional cog (though you're not likely to convince many people of that on this thread, given your conduct to this point), but that doesn't change the fact that you're not as important as you seem to think.

Don't be nasty with 'they can't wait to get rid of you'. That is so childish

Maybe look at some of the language you have used yourself first.

Haha omg OP you're a total nutter! You're after a challenging job.. maybe juggling all those phone calls was just too challenging for you.. best you quit and left it to the experts.

Great, everyone is happy! They were just all clapping and celebrating when I rang.

I know you think you're the bees knees, OP, but the fact that you're only on £28k after 22 years of experience suggests otherwise.

Lol, it's because I know that I'm a cog that I handed in my notice.

Lol, next I'll be hearing I should be on 50k.

..I can't get over making tea is beneath you and just placemarking as I'm finding each update more funnier, have you thought about becoming a CEO? As maybe that is more suitable for you..but you still might have to answer the odd call or make a brew.

Why are you all saying you'd be glad to be rid of me

Because everyone in my business is expected to help out. We are a team and there are plenty of benefits to that, and a few downsides which include doing work that isn’t part of your main role. I’m a lawyer and I happily make tea if a colleague has a meeting at the start or end of the day and no admin staff are around. Or if they are busy or sick or whatnot. We all help each other. £28k I guess is a reasonable admin salary but it’s not really relevant to whether or not you answer the door.

No one here would last if they thought tasks were beneath them.

I know you think you're the bees knees, OP, but the fact that you're only on £28k after 22 years of experience suggests otherwise

ONLY 28k? I don't know any administrators on that. They don't get pay according to years experience either.

ONLY 28k? I don't know any administrators on that. They don't get pay according to years experience either

We have experienced admin staff paid more than that, but they are not moody when they are asked to answer a phone or make a coffee.