How to handle being pushed into a new role

[WorkSad]

Keeping it short - very difficult man at work's PA quit in September. I as an administrator was asked temporarily to cover. Despite it being a technical step up (not for any more money, right now, mind you) I reluctantly agreed but was very clear I don't want to work with this man permanently. I have been there 7 years so I know him well. The job is stressful and horrible but I would happily do it for one of the other 4 directors.

Well, no new hire has showed up and boss wants "a chat" on Monday. I suspect this will be to tell me this is going to be long term/permanent.

In the meantime they have hired a 1 year contracted administrator who can do parts of my permanent job.

How do I handle this? I can only really think of expressing how unhappy I am about how this has been handled, asking what the alternative is if I say no and then, well, quitting. But I'd like to avoid this if possible. I feel between a rock and a hard place because I feel this will slam the door shut to progression but... I can tell exactly why the last PA quit!

Unfortunately I have no advice (except that it might be a good opportunity to ask for a raise!) but I’m in a similar situation so I’m hoping someone here can clarify it for you and that I can learn something from it as well.

The stress of working with management I dislike is sending me into a depression.

It's really hard! I absolutely would ask for a new job title and salary but y'know... that means saying I'll do it in the first place.

When you say no new hire has turned up, have they actively recruited? Did you know they were recruiting to cover part of your role? Do you have a job description for your original role. When you agreed to temporarily cover - for how long?

You probably have more power than you realise. Are you in a union? Bottom line, do you want to return to your original role or are you willing to do the new role; if so, what do you want in return?

They can't change your job that you are contracted to do without your agreement.

Is honest communication about the problems with difficult man a possibility? So often poor communication is at the hearty of all theses issues and tensions that build up.

They advertised, once. No decent applications. No agencies etc. used. I agreed to do it until a replacement was found.

I do have a job description and PA duties aren't within it. No union. I know they can't make me do it, but they could then just never offer me advancement again if I turn down this role. Maybe I am happy with that for now; not sure.

I don't want to do this job specifically for this one man. Unfortunately... Boss is his mum.

So difficult man is the son of the boss? Hmmm tricky!

I think it might be a question of setting some very clear and assertive boundaries in your dealings with him. Just stand up to him and be very 'difficult' in return from the outset. You can always ease off when you've reset his attitudes/behaviours. Think of him as a toddler!

After all, turning it around, it would be very hard for them to argue there was complete fairness and impartiality at an employment tribunal if you ended up walking out. You might have more leverage than you think.

This is very true! I suppose I don't know what the meeting is about yet. I think perhaps the best thing to do is whack in a couple of job applications to make myself feel like I'm a bit less helpless and see what they have to say.

You say you don't want to cut off other possibilities of promotion but realistically, how likely is that? You say that the boss of the company is this guy's mum which makes it sound like a not very large outfit. If you don't take this PA position,are there actually going to be other opportunities for you to progress? It sounds like you need to be looking outside of the company for new roles anyway.

Get ready for needing to find another job and resign.
Realistically, I do think your fears are true. Or you take this role or you will be stuck in your previous role. Both paths lead to "having to leave the company", eventually.
I would, actually, take the PA role if offered, with the corresponding title and payrise. Stick it up for a while and then find another job, with this new role now under my belt.

I assume you have a contract for your ACTUAL job. If so, they can't just force you into doing another job / role

Have you spoken to HR / a union?

They are abusing your goodwill if they do this. You could stand your ground and say your permanent job is x and that's what you will be doing come the end of this temporary secondment.

They could if course, then contrived a redundancy situation.

There is no HR. There's only 7 of us!
I'm not in a union but realistically, on paper, if they say they want me to be this guy's PA after a few months covering it they are just offering me a promotion, which I can say no to (which is the bit I'm unsure how to do).
The event where I would need external help would be if I were to be passed over when another similar role comes up.

I am pretty sure there's an "other duties as required by the business" in the contract which probably does cover me doing this, given it's instead of and not on top of my old duties.

It's a very isolated role so I think I need to lean into why that isn't for me. In the meantime I've sent off some applications!

@WorkSad ugh my contract has one of those as well - unfortunately it does seem like employers often use it to treat you like a ping pong ball, at least in my workplace.

Update - after a very, very bad day on Monday where I was overloaded with work, I overheard some scathing (and untrue) comments made about me by my boss. Next morning I resigned. The meeting was to ask me to do this for another 6 months until a former employee comes back from living in the US, and I just can't do it, so they're going to have to find someone else!

Well done!

@WorkSad well done on standing your (very reasonable) ground! I wonder how many PAs will have to quit before they realise the actual problem. Clowns.

You are well rid. Congratulations! Onwards and upwards!