PA boundaries and 'admin support'

[stressedoutpa]

I started a new job before Christmas as PA to three directors. It's early days and I am still finding my feet but since starting I have found out that I am also expected to provide admin support to the three teams.

Without going into much detail, I am already busy with the three and various events/exhibitions and I am also being asked to complete random unrelated tasks for the teams which are often last minute; flights, hotels, car hire, taxis, po requests, couriers, post, etc. etc.

I could honestly scream..... I feel so frustrated. I left a 1:2 PA role for this job but this is more 1:25.

Clearly, I need to discuss this with my line manager but having spoken to one of the other directors and one of the PAs, the expectation is that you need to do what ever is asked.

At which point did five people's jobs become one PA job?

Was that for me stressedoutpa?

Thanks for the responses re salary, much appreciated.

And also I agree that the bus wouldn't have asked a male PM to do PA tasks! Although I already have more responsibilities than my two predecessors because one was very rigid in her thinking and the second was temporary maternity cover. The boss knows I'm ambitious for an regrade so I think is putting tasks my way deliberately.

And yes, I plan to grab the opportunity to do PM stuff with both hands!

Great thread, I've just met a new graduate who thinks she will do PA work for a bit while she decides what she wants to do. With no experience and no quals but 'it's better than bar work'. My heart sinks that that's how we're viewed 😖

*boss!

Our PAs are expected to do what you've described Op.

Another crap thing about being an EA/PA - other people in the team expect you to be really grateful when they book their own travel or book in a meeting for the boss themselves You are then meant to smile a lot and thank them profusely.

Working in the private sector I had to go out at lunch to source whole chickens or some other kind of random food for my boss to eat. But then he said for me to buy myself lunch I didn’t like going into Board meetings with his lunch or coffee and everybody else would gawp at me.

In the Civil Service I refused to do any personal tasks for my bosses. Taxpayers money is not there for assistants to run around getting lunches and dry cleaning. Another less bolshy EA used to get her boss coffee and lunch and the boss took ages to pay her back. They were on a 6 figure salary as opposed to the EAs 24k salary.

Thanks everyone

Another hideous day of dashing around. I've been in the office 11 hours today and ate my sandwich at my desk. It also dawned on me that although everyone else's work will calm down in the next few weeks, I don't think mine will as I haven't been contributing much to any of that and I'm just doing the routine monthly meetings, visits, travel planning, printing and binding crap....

So...... just trying to work out if I should just hand my notice in or wait and get something lined up first. Decisions..... decisions........

Can I ask OP - does anyone at your office say 'thank you'? You are obviously work hard for them and are feeling beyond undervalued but sometimes I found some kind comments helped me feel slightly appreciated.

Personally I wouldn't leave a job before having another but it depends on your financial situation. I do think life is too short to be ground down by this day to day nonsense but as a SAHM who can't seem to get a job I'm not speaking from a strong position!

Can you take some leave? And not run yourself into the ground setting everything up for while you're away? It seems as though your employer has no idea of your workload - do you have an occupational health department?

It's ridiculous that people think admin support is unimportant and/or that anyone can do it without realising it underpins everything that goes on - without it things grind to a halt. It is one of those things that if it's done well nobody notices!

And I would start looking hard for another job. They say it's easier to get a job from a job but you sound as if you may need a break if you can afford it.

Good luck! There are nice bosses out there! Mine lets me use his parking space (only 6 spaces for the directors and 500 people in the building) when I need to and brings me champagne after a particularly big piece of work.

I'm not a PA but reading through this thread it really strikes me that a lot of what's being described is "wifework", just translated into the office environment.

Yes, there are decent bosses and good jobs but they seem to far and few between. Old boss is lovely but he is less senior and new kid on the block so doesn't ultimately have the say and he isn't my line manager.

No occupational health within our office but that's not to say there isn't some support of that ilk within the company. We are a very large global company (c. 5k employees and this is the global head office).

My induction was pretty much, here's your desk and there's your phone/laptop/mobile.....

You're right, Arken, I can only really work at this pace for a few more weeks. I know it's not going to ease up because one of the directors has told me there is more work coming my way.

You're so right, NotDavidTennant. I used to deal with an amazing PA (at another company) a few years ago. She suddenly handed her notice and when I asked her why she said she was absolutely fed up of being the office wife to demanding bosses and was going to do something else.

Mind you, it's not just men causing the wifework. We use a senior consultant (woman) and she handed me some paperwork to put in the confidential shredding.

Just to clarify.... I don't do work for her. I was walking past her desk and the conf shredding bag was about 10 steps away from her desk.

I was so speechless I took it but what I really wanted to say was, "Are you taking the piss?".

I could have said, "Have you lost the use of your legs?" but that would probably be viewed as confrontational as I'm supposed to be the only person in the office that is required to wear the badge 'Happy to help!' with a big smile plastered on my face!

I don’t know. I can see your point of view but I am currently job hunting and some of the salaries quoted above seem quite good for what’s involved.

I recently applied for a job:

Required in-depth specialist knowledge at postgraduate level
Experience of writing to published standards
Line management
National travel required
Leading on an aspect of a national programme in a high profile organisation
Central London

That was advertised at £35 - £39k.

stressedoutpa The woman who gave you paperwork for shredding, you should have told her 'let me show you where the machine is' and had her do it herself.

You need to be a lot more assertive so you don't end up doing too much.

Maybedoctor, it is a good salary for what is not particularly difficult work. It's the SHEER VOLUME of it. I am doing lots and lots and lots of little bits of everything for everyone. I can see what the directors priorities are but the only analogy I can use is spinning 100 plates at the same time without realistically knowing (or actually having the physical time) to ascertain what is important.

Very difficult to understand if you haven't done this role.

When it all gets too busy my boss can block out time in his diary or close his door. I have to keep answering the phone and going down to greet visitors because all the phone numbers come via the support staff.

She won't do it again, Want2bSupermum, because I will tell her straight. I was walking past her desk thinking of something else so she caught me off guard. Yes, I have used the "Let me show you how to do it this time so you can do it yourself next time." approach many times in the past! Difference was, I was PA to a Board Director with clear boundaries where I could push back. Nice boss is telling me to say yes to all these unusual requests to keep the peace.

Anyway, fuck that for a game of soldiers. Next week, I am going to start pushing back big time.

Which civil service departments still have PAs? The last one I worked at got rid of all the PAs in the 1990s!

I have an idea for you - look into apprentice schemes, your company should be able to give information, see if you can hire an apprentice administrator as your right hand man /woman and get support but also use the apprentice scheme as needed for the country, young adults and also for you! It's not a huge expense - do a business cAse but also playbitnofd against your job
Description which assume doesn't explain you're supporting the world and his
Dog - be strong, give a good case and take it in hand. Also tell them you'll line manage her or him too so you get management experience and experience as a trainer

Win win

Ah yes the blocking out time in the diary for undisturbed work! What an absolute luxury.

In a previous role I carried a workload of 2-3 people. I obviously couldn't do it all well, so I was permanently scrambling to get as much of the work done as I could. My standards had to slide which caused me a lot of stress, being expected to compromise my professional integrity for the sake of saving some money. The service users didn't ge the service they deserved. Management replaced experienced qualified staff with 'apprentices' and school leavers because 'admin isn't difficult'. I left when I wasn't allowed to report the confidentiality breaches and lost files of intensely personal information (children's services setting) and before I was scapegoated for such breaches. My new boss is AMAZING by comparison, but is actually probably just normal. And he doesn't get me to do any 'wifework' at all. His wife wouldn't let him as she's a senior professional person too and certainly knows how to treat a PA.

Best wishes for a brighter future 😁

stressedoutpa Yeah don't listen to your boss on keeping the peace. Get assertive. Tell people they need to do x because big boss needs you to get y done. Walk away and leave them

PA work is little valued because it's usually women who do it.

Too true expat

Just quit and get a 1:1 or 1:2 role. If you’re stressed or losing sleep over it it’s not worth it. Ex FTSE100 PA here 💐

Another PA (technically EA but very little difference) here. I work in banking sector in London so pay is a bit better than others on the thread, but the work is equally sh*t. I have a 1:1 job on paper, but in reality run around after all 30 of the people who report into my boss. I have resigned myself to the fact that PAs are generally expected to pick up anything that no one else wants to do... in my case that seems to include dealing with blocked loos and doubling up as the receptionist whenever the actual receptionist can't be found. 10 years and I'm still fetching and carrying endless cups of coffee for men who are apparently incapable of making their own I also hate that my boss's wife seems to think she can use me as her PA too, argh!

It's a lousy job, and so easy to get trapped into it. Biggest mistake is believing 'oh, it's a great way into a firm'...

Were you 1:1, Ifartrainbowsandglitter?