Too much for me

[TinaHere]

I work as an office administrator. It’s a role I enjoy and have been in for 3 years now. In the New Year they want our team to join up with another team. Our roles are different as they take minutes for safeguarding, and they want us to learn this role so that we can cover when one of their minute takers are off.

The thought of doing this makes me feel incredibly uncomfortable. I am on anti depressants for high anxiety and depression but whilst I’m ok still have an occasional wobble. I was so worried about doing them I spoke with the Team Support Officer who assured me training would be provided. I don’t want to do this and am worried it will just set me back.

Am I right in feeling this part of the job should be offered not thrust upon?
Has anyone been through similar that can offer any advice?

I had the same. Was administrator for two huge branches of nurseries from the same company. The expectations of me were INSANE and for utterly shit pay too, and they wouldn't ask but would just keep heaping responsibilities on me for no extra pay, no thanks etc. The straw that broke the camels back was getting abuse from one of the teenage nursery workers because a fellow admin colleague had made a small error, and I thought, no more of this shit.

I feel your pain. I hate it when companies do this.

Op, please try not to worry, you won't be thrown in at the deep end with minute taking. You'll probably shadow a few times first and then take your own minutes alongside the official minute taker with a view to comparing them at the end and the experienced minute taker will show you if they feel you are going wrong/left any detail out. If it's only covering then you probably won't have to do it that many time and there may be others in your team that put themselves forward for it as they would value the experience. In our team we get asked for volunteers before being forced to do something we aren't comfortable with. Obviously if there are no volunteers because it's a shit job then we just take turns.

@TinaHere Are you concerned about taking minutes or the content that you would be minuting? If it's the former then it's a skill you can learn; if it's the latter, I think you need to raise you concerns about that with your manager and how it may affect your mental health.

If it’s about the likely content of the safeguarding meetings I think it’s reasonable to raise this. You also have some additional protections given your anxiety and depression. If this will affect that then you could request a reasonable adjustment that you do not have to cover safeguarding meetings. However, they may be reasonable to ask you to trial it and go through training etc before agreeing that you can’t manage

Thanks for your replies. It’s more the content that I just don’t want to be privy too although I’m not keen on sitting in facing everyone either. I’m concerned that if I make too much a fuss then my colleagues will wonder why that is. I want to keep my business my business so I tell them I don’t feel minuting is my thing. I hope they don’t question me any further.

Would it be sufficient if I just told them I can’t manage it without any further details do you think?

If it's going to be part of your job, you just need to get on and do it. Nobody in the meeting will be sitting looking at you. If I was one of your colleagues on the current team, I wouldn't be impressed at all that you were trying to weasel out of this task, especially if you were giving bullshit excuses like minuting isn't your thing.