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.

It sounds like you aren't actually replacing x, but are succeeding her in parts of her role and not others?
In which case it's probably worth saying "I know x did coffees and so on, and it's not me being arsy, but my role is to do mi utes/admin like x did, but also..." whatever you need to spend time on.

And refer them to whoever should do such tasks now, or say 'I was told each team has to sort out drinks themselves now' - assuming you are sure that's the case and that your manager would back you up and say so too. If it turns out management haven't considered who will do such tasks if it's not you but expects them to magically happen, then you have a problem.

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.

Well... Yeah, tbh. The only thing on your list that looks out of line to me is the coffee rounds, and I'd suggest you mention that in your review in a neutral way.

I'd clarify if you're expected to do the work for the other teams. It may be that you are, or it may be that your line manager won't be happy about another team using their resources.

But setting up a meeting room, organising refreshments for a meeting etc are all pretty typical admin tasks ime. There's a time cost in doing those things, so of course it makes sense for them to be done by the more lower paid team members (assuming we're talking about more than a couple of seconds to open a door and put a light on).

Does your role have significant additional aspects that your predecessors did not?

I think it's important to address that otherwise, like it or not, you will be perceived as being less efficient and not achieving as much as she was

Firstly I'd meet with your line manager and clarify what is and is not expected of you in this role. Maybe make a list of all the things you think are not in your remit and go through them one by one. However you may find that things you think you shouldn't do, might actually be expected of you. You may not have been asked to do certain tasks in other companies, this workplace might be different.

Secondly, some of the behaviours you are describing are cultural and these can be tricky to change. In some offices Admin staff are expected to make teas and coffees. In other offices, everyone makes or gets their own. While I am not saying don't challenge it, I am saying challenge it carefully.

I work on a team that does not have a PA. I certainly wouldn't go to the PA of another team to ask them to set up a meeting. I would do it myself. I think that's the kind of thing that OP is concerned about.
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Isn't it normal for part of the admin role to be to set up meeting rooms?

Drinks during the day are different. My PA is lovely and insists but I get her drinks too.

”how I can reset the boundaries of the role after they've been pushed outwards by my predecessor”

Presumably your manager (if it’s the same manager) was comfortable with the boundaries of the role when your predecessor was doing it? These things aren’t just set by the individual doing the role, so it might not be the case that your predecessor had them in the ‘wrong’ place and you need to put them in the ‘right’ place.

Your manager may well agree with you that the role needs to be redefined and the boundaries moved, and if so, he/she should be happy to support you and agree how best to communicate the new arrangements to relevant colleagues.

But the default shouldn’t be to assume that your predecessor had been doing it wrong and you need to correct it.

Clarify expectations with your manager, that’s all you can do, and then if he/she does want the boundaries moved from where they were previously, ask for support in being assertive about that.

OP you've had mostly helpful replies here, don't let the handful of negative posts stop you coming back!

My advice would be to raise this with your manager ASAP, don't wait for the quarterly review. Even if it's just to give your manager a heads up that you want to talk about it. Your manager will not appreciate having a major issue like this sprung on them without warning.

Be aware your manager may well tell you to do all the additional tasks you're being asked to do, at which point, you might decide it's not the role for you. I say this having worked in admin and pushed back (successfully and not) on my fair share of tea making/lazy older staff bullshit.

I used to be a PA in the corporate world. Luckily, we have in-house catering so I had to order the refreshments but catering would do the work! I would only get coffee and lunch for my Director, nobody else.

I worked in a project role in the civil service. It seemed to be expected that I would do all stationery and printer nonsense and organise the Christmas party! I pushed back on that as I wasn’t a team administrator! In the end, they recruited a “business support to officer” to do admin. And there was no Christmas party!

It’s just typical for admin staff to get everything dumped on them.