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?

It's also the most under valued and under appreciated role around. Amazing how no one notices or says thank you when you are doing a good job, but the smallest slip up brings the roof down on you.

Oh crikey, MrsMcW, I almost cried when I read your post.

I have these exact conversations with my PA friends. The ones who do have reasonable jobs with nice bosses are just stagnating. They are too scared to move in case they end up in a duff job with an awful boss.

Whenever I mention any of this to anyone else they look puzzled and if I ever mention it to a boss I might as well be talking martian.

I can't believe women are still expected to make coffees in the office in this day & age. What is this, the 19-freaking 50s? It's so sexist.

And I'm a bit at the non-PA posters implying that this is an okay expectation.

Stressed - you are so much better than this.

MrsMcW so true.

I was offered admin work once as a way into a firm and I said no. You have to stand your ground.

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.

^

This with bells on.

A work in a similar role and someone said to me the other day 'Oh, will you do that?'. I said 'Oh no, you can do that'... They looked a bit pissed but didn't ask again

Just tell it like it is.

I always found it a crap role, personally. Never any chance for promotion, usually. You're just 'the secretary'.

Ultimately, you should probably look for a sideways move into a non PA role.

There is a double-edged sword here - if you convince the other people in the team that they don’t need you and should do things themselves, then eventually your role disappears when those people become promoted to management roles. I think these roles are very vulnerable to vanishing as systems, diaries and everything else becomes more and more ‘smart’.

If you are prepared to walk right now, then now IS the time to start pushing back. Also, block out the tasks on outlook so that you can actually show where your time is going. Stop doing the extra hours, present a list to your line manager at the start of each working day with your prioritisations and work down the list, and tell him that you are stopping at 5pm and what does he think is going to happen to the tasks at the bottom, he needs to prioritise them if he wants them all doing.

Also, things like booking flights - surely if people will all book high cost flights, there needs to be a policy written and disciplinaries if they do not adhere to it. The finance person and HR need to get these in place.

I guess i’m lucky, i look after 6, all amazing bosses and my line manager is totally fine with me pushing back on team admin when i’m swamped, for us its a nice to do if we have capacity, if we don’t then they do things themselves. I did push back on changing toner, so many of my team would come to me to do it when it ran out, got so fed up i printed instructions inc pictures. No-ones asked since 😄
Honestly love my job and i’m happy checking my emails evening/weekend around any plans i have.

MrsSchadenfreude - PAs and EAs still very prevalent in the MoD, Home Office, DfT, DfE, HMRC. Other Departments have replaced them with “business suppport Officers.”

I do know of assistants who have moved into project roles, HR, fraud, compliance etc so there is hope if you want to move internally. I didn’t like the civil service as an employer but there is more opportunity to move around into other roles. The big bank I worked for also supported assistants to move into other specialities.

Thanks everyone, you've helped me to clarify the situation.

The expection re workload/helping everyone is unreasonable. It's also a job which is going to be defunct in a few years. I decided this a while ago.

I'm going to get out of PA work altogether so will push back where I can. If people get upset then so be it.

Will attempt to stick with it and line something else up but if it all gets too much I will leave. I'm considering a couple of options - project management and another totally unrelated career which will require some study.

DH has told me to hand my notice in tomorrow. I know he's right.

Feel sick at the thought of that and sick at the thought of staying and sucking it up.

Honestly, if you're that stressed you have two options: a) cease to care and therefore start politely pushing back/ not doing everything- VERY difficult to do as you clearly take pride in your job or b) hand your notice in.

A good PA will always get temp work - I've had my last two start as temps and both disappeared into Project Officer roles after a year with me so about to start again!

DH has told me to hand my notice in tomorrow. I know he's right.

They will not be expecting that. Give yourself time to find a job that suits you but having the letter handy tomorrow means you have control.

I’m so with you OP. My job isn’t exactly PA but close enough. We just can’t keep people and the remaining staff then realise they’re being taken for mugs and leave and then we’re even more short staffed.

I’mcurrently on holiday and my office didn’t make any provisions to cover my work until my last day!

Have decided to start the job hunt when I get back. I’ve been in my current job far too long and while there’s opportunities to go up one more level it’s become patently obvious I’m not one of the ‘chosen ones’ so even a sideways move will be fine.

As an assistant you are constantly running around to find meeting rooms/get coffees or lunch/phocopying/binding etc and then people get snippy at you if you aren’t at your desk at all times!

Some other EAs can be very uppity and rude because they work for the CEO or whatever so think they are important.

Did you hand in your notice OP?

The reason EAs assume the authority of their bosses is probably because most of the time they do their job for them, better than them and at a fraction of the pay

An EA who works for the CEO is uppity because they are a gatekeeper. If they were nice people would think they are a pushover and ignore them instead pestering the CEO.

'Have decided to start the job hunt when I get back. I’ve been in my current job far too long and while there’s opportunities to go up one more level it’s become patently obvious I’m not one of the ‘chosen ones’ '

This. It's 9 times out of 10 a shit job because 'just the secretary' never gets the chance of promotion.

I’ve worked at CEO level as an EA and never felt the need to be rude to other assistants. There is a real “queen bee” mentality amongst some assistants - glad to be out of it!

How did handing in your notice go, Stressed? Thinking of you. x

Not yet.

Nice boss was out of the office so I messaged him. He was a bit ?!%*!$#!!!!!! Told me to speak to the other director (my line manager) first.

I just felt so down today. Literally all I have done is set up meetings and print meeting packs.

that's bullshit crap bollocks Stressed. I'm a bit at "nice' boss for not seeing this coming. WTAF did he think was going to happen?

Don't be talked out of it. Actions speak louder than words.