Expectations of my role set by my predecessor

[GraceMarks]

This is probably a bit random and what I am really asking is about being more assertive at work, but I'll explain the situation for background info.

I am an administrator for a large team, based in an office where there are lots of other teams as well as my own; none of these have their own administrator, so I do bits and pieces for them as well. The things I can be asked to do are fairly varied, but I would not be asked, for example, to come into another team's meetings and take minutes, or to do a letter for someone. I might proofread a report for my own manager, though.

My issue is that my predecessor in the job treated it as a much more traditional secretarial/PA role, almost in a 1960s sort of way. She would do things like making tea for the managers (I'm happy to do a tea round but I don't see it as my job to "look after" my boss with hot drinks), setting up meeting rooms for other teams with water jugs and biscuits, organising social stuff for everyone, etc. She's still around, as she got promoted into a different role, but she does often ask me why I haven't done X task that she used to do which I don't consider to be part of my job. I would be able to handle this OK if it was just her doing the asking, but some of my other colleagues who were around when she was in the role also keep trying to give me jobs to do which are really not supposed to be in my remit.

I realise that this is probably making me look rather difficult and stroppy. I promise that I'm not - I am professional, and widely considered to be good at the job. I have no issues at all with doing the things that I'm supposed to do and helping out with other stuff when I have the capacity. But I am also not at all keen on being the little woman who runs around facilitating everyone else and acting as the tea monitor! Some of the older men are downright lazy with some of the things they ask me - it's just a habit that they come to me as a first resort instead of trying to do anything for themselves, and I feel like this has come about because they've got used to being coddled.

I know I need to set some boundaries but I just need some advice on how to do that without upsetting anyone. I still need to work with these people, including my predecessor, and I don't want to come across as implying that she was doing the job was wrong, just that my way is different.

Were any of these duties relayed to you at application, advert, interview, job description or induction?

None of those tasks seem out of the ordinary, sorry but it seems like yabu

grincheux not as described, no. There is always the sundry "other duties as required by your line manager", but it is not my line manager who is asking me to do them most of the time.

LuluBellaBlue I don't accept that, sorry. I posted in Employment Issues rather than AIBU because I am already confident that I am not being unreasonable, and I wanted advice on how to approach being more boundaried without upsetting anyone.

I really don't see the issues here. Every place sees administrative duties slightly differently. I don't think setting up meeting rooms or making coffee are particularly outwith the remit of the role

If its definitely not in your job description, is there someone else whose job it is to do this stuff? Or are the managers expected to do it themselves? Things like meeting room set-up would have been handled by receptionists or the administrators for that particular team in most of the offices I've worked in.

If there is someone else - then if you get asked to do something by another manager, always say first 'oh, is [your administrator/reception] not around?

Alternatively a slightly politer/sneakier way of turning down tasks is to say' I'm sorry, I'm right in the middle of [very urgent task] for [my manager] which I must get finished in the next hour (or day, whatever) - I can help you with that but not until tomorrow '

Often then they'll wander off and find someone else to do it. If they're asking you to make tea obviously you can leave the last part of the sentence off!

I would do the tasks occasionally though, just to show willing - and so you don't come across as not a team player, given that you're new. Also I would probably check some of this with my own manager - just say, 'Keith (or whoever) keeps asking me to make coffees for his team, is that part of my job? Only it means that it's taking me longer to do the tasks you set me so I just wanted to check'. Their answer to that should tell you a lot.

Perhaps a chat with your line manager might be the way to go here - ask them how they see your role and whether or not they think it should include the extra stuff that other people are expecting you to do.

I think you are right to set boundaries. Could you discuss with your immediate supervisor?

It might be time for some tweaking of the company culture. In my workplace, everyone gets their own coffee, including the CEO.

I understand what you are saying regarding not being the tea lady and I do know the type of older male you mean. However, your predecessor has set the tone and expectations for your role and so by working to contract you are going to look difficult and not a team player.

Our admin team are the backbone of our company and they are expected to do things like set up meeting rooms, get refreshments etc. My job is too make sure as much of my time as possible is chargeable to clients (it's my day off btw!) so I would get a stern talking too if I didn't ask the admin team to do things like this. I think you need to decide how much you would like a future in the role etc and how much you think kicking up a fuss would change things or whether this is not the role for you.

You are right to set boundaries. Ridiculous sexist comments from some of the initial posters on here.
monthofmay makes some good suggestions.
I would suggest you look over your actual job description again so you are super clear, and then decline anything that doesn't fit this - within reason and still showing willing to do extras as a team member some of the time.
When you next have a 1-1 meeting with your line manager I would mention this in a clear manner.

Oh I should say we do get our own drinks!

You need to discuss this with your manager and be really clear about what the expectations of you are, once you know this you can push back if people are being unreasonable.
If others are only asking you to do tasks your predecessor undertook I would be really clear you weren't also expected to do them.
We were pretty much all women including managers in our last team and it was part of admins role to set up meeting rooms, sort coffee and the like. Nothing about sexism just jobs.
You run the risk of not seeming very good at facilitating the smooth running of the office.

I work for a large financial company and team admin is always expected to organise everything (including the refreshments) for meetings, to the point where they can’t then things like minute taking will be taken away to ensure they have time for this.

Strongly suggest you get your act together otherwise you may lose the parts of the job that allow you to gain transferrable skills out of an admin role.

If you want to set boundaries that are different to those of your predecessors, and I understand why you would, you need to agree this with your manager. I think also being able to be clear about whether there are alternative sources of help is important.

@Teddybear45 - the last bit of your post is unnecessarily sneery and pompous!

You are not being unreasonable at all and are right to question some of these things.

I work in a very large global business as an SVP and I would never expect my PA to make the tea, set up a room etc etc....

It isn’t her role (or best use of her time) and everyone is quite capable of doing those things for themselves.

I would sit down with your line manager and map out what is in and out of scope for your role (go in with a ready prepared list) so you are empowered to say no should a request arise which is not in scope.

While I appreciate you are working within what you feel are the duties on the job description, the rest of the workforce will see you as someone who was hired to replace Xx and will therefore expect you to do the job she did.
If you don’t/won’t, the feedback to your line manager is going to be ‘she isn’t as good as Xx’

You really need to clarify the parameters of the role they’ve hired you for - is it to fulfil the job description or to do Xx’s old job?

As you’ve already said, the job description includes a caveat for it not being an exhaustive list, but thinking you’re too good for the jobs being asked for you is not a good enough reason to refuse to do them.

If you don’t have time to do your ‘core’ role because of the extra things being asked of you, then raise that and ask if you are correcting in interpreting the job spec as requiring you to prioritise the core role even if it means the other stuff doesn’t get done

I'm at risk of getting stroppy here, but yes, I am sure that these things are not in my job description. My post was not about whether or not I should be making tea for everyone as part of an admin role, but how I can reset the boundaries of the role after they've been pushed outwards by my predecessor - especially when that person is still around. I must say, I'm shocked that people still seem to think that all this stuff is just expected to be done by the lowest-paid employee as a matter of course.

However. Thank you to those who have made suggestions re talking to my manager. I do have a quarterly review coming up, so I can go through my objectives and point out that I am being asked to do things that don't fit any of them.

The general expectation is that people who don't have a team administrator will do their own meeting setups and typing. And nobody is responsible for making all the teas, you just get your own when you want one. I do offer to do a tea run on a quiet day when there aren't loads of people in, but it's not exclusively my territory.

I can go through my objectives and point out that I am being asked to do things that don't fit any of them.

Yikes that’s not the purpose of objectives!
You obviously need to work to fulfil them, but you don’t refuse to do work that doesn’t tick a box!

You’re in an organisation that appears to be supportive of progression and offers opportunities for promotion.
You’re on a one way ticket to staying doing that role at that salary for ever if you go into a meeting with your manager with that attitude.

That is the very definition of ‘career limiting conversation’

There are a couple of different things getting mushed into one here.
Routine drinks at desks would be a shared task in most offices now.
That is different to drinks at formal meetings and yes admin have always sorted these where I have worked. They have also set up the rooms before hand.
These sorts of things are going to be based on office culture to a certain extent you need to find out what your office expects.
I wouldn't go through your objectives, I would have a more relaxed conversation similar to the one you have had here.
It is going to be hard for you to be seen to be working as well as the person before you if you are perceived as being less helpful so make sure you have your managers support. If you are still helping them they may well not give two hoots about others in the office.

Teddy bear why do you think the op wants transferable skills out of an admin role?
My understanding is that op is happy to arrange coffees for a meeting but doesn't want to make coffees routinely for her boss (other than presumably as part of a round) which imo is perfectly reasonable. Of course if that does clash with the organisation culture (if you work in mad men) then you fall in line or leave.

OK, I'm bowing out now. I was asking for advice on being more assertive, and instead I've been variously told that my colleagues probably think I'm crap, that I should be doing these things anyway, and that I'm stuck up for thinking otherwise. I'm probably in the wrong job, then.

Whether these tasks are or should be part of your role is something to clarify (and I would suggest as soon as possible) with your line manager. Your predecessor’s view isn’t relevant!

OP you sound as though you think a lot of these jobs are beneath you and more senior members of staff should be doing them for themselves. I think you need to clarify with your line manager what they expect before you go in all guns blazing.
As many of us have pointed out what you are being asked to do is normal for your job title in lots of other offices. This includes female dominated ones so it’s not a sexist request, it’s simply a case of the higher paid and higher skilled members of staff using their time efficiently. My time at work is billed out to clients. If I’m setting up a meeting room I’m not billing anyone. I am very grateful to the people who do it for me and do not look down on them in the slightest. I do offer brews for everyone including work experience students when I’m having a tea break.

I think all you can do is clarify the position with your line manager and, if they agree that these tasks aren't your responsibility, come up with some kind of stock line you can use if requests come your way.

Something like "LM and I have agreed that it's no longer appropriate for me to do X task because of Y reason.".

I do think you need to accept that your approach (even if you have the support of the LM) is likely to have consequences on how you are viewed by your colleagues.