how to deal with this colleague at work? AIBU?

[user6hty]

I don't wan to be too specific in case it is outing but basically i have worked in a job in the NHS for a year and about 6 months ago someone came back from maternity. they are more senior by one pay grade (there's about 6 pay grades, for perspective). i am not in training and haven't been for a number of years.

despite being back for 6 months, it is only in the last 2 months that she has started to ask me to do tasks that are way below my pay grade (i actually don't have a problem with this now and then, we all need to pitch in, but it is the only time i engage with her, to carry out these sorts of tasks to support her workload). i have my own workload of work i am employed to do.

a couple of weeks ago she asked me to stay late to photocopy. i stayed until 10pm. without giving away my job title, my salary is over 60k. hopefully this explains in some way the frustration with her asking me to do these tasks when i have my own workload that i then had to fit into the next day, along with all the next day's work. i made a point this time of saying i couldn't pick up her admin everytime she is short staffed (ie support staff aren't free) and we had words...she said that she was in an emergency situation and i should be more organised (!) and i said in response that had SHE been more organised then it wouldn't have been a 10pm job (this is true...she has basically left the admin as an afterthought then pulled me in to help).

the issue...i work from home on Tuesdays and wednsdays. i always have. i will change the day if we have a reason to be in the offices. last week i changed Wednesday to Thursday working from home. it was in my calendar. on Wednesday night she emails loads of documents to me to file. she is working at home and cant do it. i email to explain this and she tells me i hadn't informed her that i was working from home. i have heard on the grapevine that she is going to make a complaint to the manager.

it is probably hard to comment not knowing the ins and outs of the roles etc. but how would you approach this? i don't want to cause a drama out of nothing...am i being unfair here?

Is she your line manager?

Ignore. And ask her to refer any requests for your time (unless she's requesting something relating to your actual job) to your line manager.
I agree everyone needs to pitch in but by abusing that she no longer gets to make those requests directly to youm

You need to speak to someone higher up or HR and bring this up. I'm sure they don't want to be paying a high salary for someone to do admin!

Report to your senior. Tell them you don’t have time to do photocopying and filing when you have your own workload. Suggest a solution, such as another employee who could be given the responsibility who maybe isn’t as busy as you.

I’m not sure what job you do in the nhs that you work from home for, but make a point to let everyone know verbally and by email what days you’ll be at home to prevent this from happening again. Always cover your back.

I would pre empt this and have a meeting with your line manager to discuss your concerns. You're obviously relatively senior and trusted to manage your own workload/hours/location. In my view, if you don't work for her, it's not up to her to assign you work/tell you what to do. At £60k you're a pretty bloody expensive admin assistant!

I'm in a similar position in terms of seniority and autonomy and had someone trying to get me to fetch sandwiches Luckily calling them out on it worked, but sounds like your colleague has a thicker skin! Definitely get in there first and protect yourself.

Actually if she makes a complaint then that will be a good way of airing your issues, clarifying job roles and letting her know that you are not her personal bitch who does admin tasks for her.

If you are on 60k then you are obviously in a very high management position, you are certainly not a nurse or on the shop floor. So my question is in order to get to your position surely you have dealt with much much worse and far more challenging situations and people so why is this bothering you so much?
This is nothing that a simple conversation with the woman won’t sort at your level surely?

iggly she is not my line manager but she is more senior than me by one pay grade. not sure if it is relevant but she is about 15 years older and so we are usually close in pay grades than would be the standard with that age difference.

bleeping it was in my calendar as to the days at home...this colleague wouldn't think to check this as presumably she sees me as too junior. she is aware that i do work from home though.

the job is related to management and 90% office based. art of my frustration is also that i want to progress and doing photocopying is not going to assist me with that, which she knows.

Yes that's what I was wondering. How do you get to this level without having to direct your own workload and fend off inappropriate requestsm

Have a meeting with your manager about all this. It sounds absurd.

It's a ridiculous waste of money getting you to do this. It's not what you're paid for. Also, working til 10pm unless you're actually on a late shift is nonsense.
How to deal? You're obviously fairly senior yourself at that NHS pay level so make a business case for more admin staff. And push back on her requests. You have your own work to do and a life.

*unusually not usually!

i feel in a vulnerable position though as not yet employed for 2 years...she has worked with the line manager for longer than me.

Then you need to talk to your line manager

I'd also preempt this by speaking to your line manager.

Be nice though. Say you're happy to pitch in but you're concerned about the level of admin work she's allocating to you, it's starting to impact your ability to do your job, due to its consistency and you are wondering if there is another way to support her that is more efficient.

crosser i am totally capable of having a difficult conversation, that's not the issue. i am concerned as i haven't worked there as long as this woman and she is very insecure about her role generally (constantly asking me what i have on and what level work i am doing etc).

as i haven't been there two years i also worry about the employment perspective in that i essentially have no key rights until 2 years

And this is why the NHS is in such a mess. 6 grades of admin staff, with some earning over 60k?? Fuck.

Surely to God, if you are relatively senior and earning such money, you have the nous to say to a colleague that you're not there to do filing and photocopying??

thelastgolden that is the point, neither of us are admin staff. again i am capable of standing up for myself but given she has been there much longer i domt want to jump in all guns blazing.

If you continue to placate hwr you're not doing your job. Presumably your job is to manage your area of work.

To be fair to OP, £60k salary isn't so high that she must have the skills/experience to cope with this herself. She says there is a 15 year age gap and that her colleague had been on maternity leave. I assume OP is fairly young?

OP, are you unusually young for your level in the org chart? Some people have a real problem with that. It threatens them, and they try to drown you out with grunt work to stop you getting the exposure you need to progress further. It sounds like she is deliberately targeting you, so unless you feel you have a line manager's full support, then yes, it is difficult if you are unusually young for your role.

She sounds a pain in the arse for you.
It also sounds like she is weighing you up.

Air it all with manager. It’s the only way of sorting it once and for all and officially.
Good luck with it too, it’s very awkward.

thelastgoldeneagle I was thinking the same! My team are all B7 and 8 clinicians, highly qualified psychologists and psychotherapists and no-one is on anything over £50k at the most!

OP I know it won't feel nice but I'd let her make her spurious complaint and prepare your case for it so you can get clear structure about who's job her admin is (not yours).

not unusually young but she is in a much lesser role and pay grade for someone her age and it is clearly as issue for her generally as i have heard this from other people.

i fear the line manager will be sympathetic to her having worked there much longer.

She literally said she isn’t admin! Why don’t people read before making their faux-shocked, snarky comments??

OP, if I were you, I’d write down everything that’s happened with her. A record of the problematic interactions.

If you do think she’s going to make a complaint then it’s worth sending an email, outlining what you’ve had a problem with and highlighting how you’ve gone above and beyond to do things for her.

I wouldn’t necessarily BCC anyone just yet but I would certainly make sure I had it to forward on in the event that a complaint is raised.

Two years or no, they can’t sack you for no good reason!!

Rabbiting even if op is in Central London 60k in nhs is a high salary

To be fair to OP, £60k salary isn't so high that she must have the skills/experience to cope with this herself

Are you shitting me? Of course it is. 60k is a very good salary

Sorry, missed the bit where OP said her 'job was related to management'. That's ironic, OP, that your job involves management yet you can't manage this woman...

Agree with IvanaPee. Write down everything that has happened and the jobs she has asked you to do, extra hours you have done for her. Talk to your manager about who should be doing this stuff and whether you 'have' to do anything like that for her. If she's a PITA with a chip on her shoulder, other people in the dept will have noticed.