AIBU for expecting to be called my job title

[Mumsnorthernmonkey]

I work as a XXX assistant to my manager. Three managers and three people at the same level as me. Above us is the manager and above that ‘head of X’.

The lady who is the overall head of our department always refers to people at my level as admin. I’m an assistant and I don’t know why she refers to us as assistants.

AIBU to be bothered by this?

I work in sales and my job title is xxx area specialist - I don't get worked up about being called a sales person. However in reflection that may be because I know that the work I do is respected by those in the organisation- is there more to it with this person and the lack of use of your job title is only part of the problem?

@RhymesWithOrange

I think I get you OP, e.g. your boss is a Professor, you are an Assistant Professor. Or your boss is Head of Procurement and you are Assistant Head of Procurement. Neither are "admin" jobs.

Why shouldn't you be afforded the status your job title affords?

You don't get it. She's an assistant to a manager, one of multiple at her level. She's not a personal assistant to the head of department. She does an administrative role.

YABU
You do admin, and are objecting to be referred to as admin.
And as for the comment that your boss does the same work as you, unless your boss is senior assistant, you are seriously misguided.
I’ve had a team of administrative assistants working for me and they did administrative tasks which supported my work but were in no way shape or form the same work.

Your job mostly involves admin and you're annoyed your HoD calls your role Admin?

YABU and weirdly precious about your title.

@RhymesWithOrange

I think I get you OP, e.g. your boss is a Professor, you are an Assistant Professor. Or your boss is Head of Procurement and you are Assistant Head of Procurement. Neither are "admin" jobs.

Why shouldn't you be afforded the status your job title affords?

But those roles are not called “Assistant” but “Deputy Head of Procurement” or “Adjunct Professor” All roles titled “Assistant” are administrator roles.

It does sound like you do admin though..?

I’m getting a Gareth Keenan (from The Office) vibe here.

GC ‘I’m assistant area manager.’
David Brent ‘No, assistant to the area manager.’

🤣

There are lots of different types and levels of administration. The Head of the Civil Service is an administrator, for instance, but he probably doesn't do much photocopying or filing. Admin is not a slur. Now, 'clerical' on the other hand...

You definitely get e.g. an Assistant Director of Finance job title in the industry I'm in and that's definitely not an administrative assistant. I also used to be an audit assistant - I wasn't an administrator and would have thought it very odd to be referred to as admin. However I would have been called a junior and that was quite normal.

But in my new organisation we have various " Xx department" assistant and "Xx department administrator" and some departments have one and some the other and some a mixture but in pretty much all cases they all do the day to day administrative work - it all needs doing but I wouldn't differentiate between the exact job titles of the juniors/admins/assistants doing it.

This can’t be real, surely? Honestly, who gives a shit?

In some ways, you sound a little bit snobby, OP. Are there others in the organisation who you would regard as admin, and if so, are you unhappy about being lumped in with them?

Obviously, there are hierarchies within organisations, but there is nothing wrong with "admin". On the contrary, many admin roles are essential for the effective functioning of a team.

I guess there is a difference between an Executive Assistant and admin assistant in terms of responsibility. But there’s not really any difference between Personal Assistant (PA) and admin assistant/secretary in terms of responsibility. I assume you are a PA not an EA due to the fact that you assist middle management. Therefore I think yabu and a bit precious.

Also there’s no shame in admin or someone referring to your job descriptively.

OP, YANBU in the slightest to be pissed off that the head honcho is dismissive of your work and your value to the organisation. I suspect that there are other ways in which you are sent the message that you rank at the bottom of the pecking order, and this petty quibbling over titles is just one concrete example. But the thing is, you are playing their game. Forget your role and your title. The way forward is not to do your job to the best of your ability in the hope that you'll win praise and promotion. Do the managers job. Let the other drones do the admin work. If your managers recognise talent, they'll either feel threatened or they'll respect you more. If the former, get a job with a rival at the higher level. Either way, you won't be getting your knickers in a knot over admin sounding inferior to assistant. It's all bullshit.

@LeaveMyDamnJam

I’m getting a Gareth Keenan (from The Office) vibe here.

GC ‘I’m assistant area manager.’
David Brent ‘No, assistant to the area manager.’

🤣

Bang on! I was Tim for far too long. That program was so painfully real to me that I could hardly watch it. Honestly - I actually physically cringed and yet couldn't look away. Literal pain from clenching my jaw

I feel your pain. I used to work as a support worker and managers would refer to us as ‘staff’. I always found this abit insulting.

isn’t most jobs admin

Err... no.

If you (over)simplify things to skilled/qualified jobs: (medical, education, engineering, finance, science, music and the arts etc.) and unskilled jobs (sales, driver, cleaning, shop work, etc.) the vast majority of those would not be admin.

Although there would be admin supporting/linked to those roles.

(^unskilled meaning not specialised as such. I’m not suggesting that driving isn’t a skill.)

I think it depends if you’re getting the impression that it’s intended to undermine you / put you down. Even if it is, not much you can do except sulk.

Do have a think about whether you’re maybr being a bit precious. My team used to have an admin assistant. Her job title was “Team Admin assistant.” If I asked her to do any admin, she’d have a big sulk and tell me all about how she was a graduate. (After a while I noticed that she happily did admin for all the male team members but got super indignant/lazy if the female team members gave her any work 🙄).

Anyway, I would suggest you just get over it. Some job titles are weird / old fashioned. The Foreign Secretary is still a secretary...

Perhaps get another job?

I think it depends on what your job title actually is, and your qualifications?

I had beef with being called “assistant”/PA by another staff member in a previous role—but I wasn’t an assistant, assistant was in my title (like Officer) to denote me being junior, not to refer to me being an assistant to someone senior (e.g. nurse assistant or architectural assistant—professionally qualified, not a PA just junior still).

However it sounds like your job is literally being an assistant whose job is to do admin? In which case I don’t think being called admin would be lower status than being called assistant? Unless I’m understanding it wrong...

Are there people who work the who have the job title of 'admin assistant' or the like?

@12309845653ghydrvj all I’m asking for is the correct title for my role. No I don’t just do admin.

YABU

you do admin. You’re referred to as admin. I fail to see the problem other than you having a person objection to the term and feeling it’s beneath you.

I think my husbands official title has about 36words at last count it is admin, we both think the title is ridiculous and we both use 'admin'.

My job now is reception/admin assistant i use 'admin' mainly

I have had some fancier jobs before but yes basically use admin

This is like when you're watching game shows and they give fancy job titles because they don't want to admit they're secretaries or administrators etc. There's fuck all wrong with either of those things and it just makes the contestants look daft.

OP, you do admin, you're referred to as such and you think it's beneath you. You sound silly really. Perhaps you should ask management to get rid of wanky job titles. Or look for another position you feel is appropriately titled. Unless you have a professional qualification and that's what's lead to this unhappiness then I'm failing to see the big issue.