Too much work

[bomalan]

I work 4 days a week.

Part of my role includes PA work. This is meant to be a small part of my job. It takes up more time than hoped because person is v indecisive. I plan whole trips abroad, and person then changes their mind on dates, travel, itinerary etc. so I have to undo all my work and do it all again quite often.

I'm not great at the other side of my job. I'm ok, but I'm not totally suited to it and I work with the most horrible woman who micromanages and focuses on your mistakes rather than anything you've done right.

I've complained about my workload previously and nothing was done.

Recently, the Director has asked for my help to PA with their travel and expenses etc because their current PA is off (unsure of return date). I agreed to help, because I thought great, this gets me out of working with that horrible cow. Everyone has agreed they are happy for me to take on this work, but I've still got horrible cow asking why I haven't completed work. My manager is fab and has said try and leave me to get on with PA stuff.

However, it's not really working out. I'm finding myself working non-stop when I'm in. Appreciate that's the point of work, but I'm stressing myself out over it.

Everyone is getting annoyed that I'm not carrying out their work to a high standard. I'm always slightly behind on everything because I'm trying to do too much.

I can see there isn't actually capacity within my small team for me to pass on my workload to the rest of my team. They are all busy too.

I'm tempted to just say I can't do the other PA work any more. If the team genuinely had capacity, and could let me get on with just the PA stuff then it would be fine, but I can't actually do 3 separate roles can I?! I'm 4 days a week and I earn around £1,800 a month. I mean surely that's not worth the stress of it?

Anyway, if I do that then I have to work with that horrible woman more arg.

Advice please? Maybe I'll just look for a new role and try and get a lateral move

So to clarify - you and micromanaging woman report to manager, and manager reports to director? You like the PA work, but it's only a small percentage of your work, or meant to be. Currently there's too much work because of covering another PA.

What do you want long term? It sounds like you prefer the PA work to your main role and are more suited to it. If this is the direction you want to go in line term,then I would focus on that, as your manager has said you should. This may leave your team in the lurch, but they must deal with people going on leave etc, and if you get another job, they'll have to deal with that.

Longer term, it may be worth looking at other roles in which case you need to consider which role gives you the best experience for that.

I would say to manager that two lots of PA plus normal role is too much. I would say you need to drop something and your preference is for normal role to become the minor part of what you do. Ask for that to be made clear to the rest of the team, so there needs to be a different solution for you not finishing pieces of work as quickly as usual. But ultimately, it's up to your manager to help you manage the workload. That's what they're there for, and if they've said you should be left to do the PA work, they should advise how all the rest of the work gets done, too.

You don't sound very assertive. You complained about too much work (nothing was done), then agreed to take on more work...

You need to have some difficult conversations.

No, I'm not particularly assertive until I need to be 🤣.

Perhaps should've mentioned, I agreed to take on the extra PA work because that's what I'd like to do long term. I thought it could help me out.
I also agreed to it on the basis that I would be given less of my day to day work.

I have a new line manager, who doesn't quite know how the team works yet. He was more than happy for me to focus on the PA stuff, but it turns out that everyone else is still expecting me to manage all of the work, even though they've been told otherwise (mainly horrible woman).

I can see now though that the team won't cope with me not helping as much. We work v closely as a team and our work all links together, and if I don't do one thing, they can't do the next etc. I just can't see how this can work, and if it's even worth the stress.

I sounds like you need to have another conversation with your manager and explain that this is not working out for you or the rest of the team.

And then problem-solve together. If you've identified that person X is an issue with indecision, maybe they need to not come to you until they are 100% fixed on dates. And they get ONE mistake/do-over. Make your manager identify the issue and they can have that conversation at the senior level.

The workload of the vast majority of PA jobs are far too high these days. Doing admin for multiple people or vast teams is an absolute ballache. No one has any insight into how much work you have on your plate or how long things take. It is very difficult to get yourself heard because all the people you work for have never done the job and don't understand.

If your manager won't help then just look for a new job. There is a reason why some companies have a high turnover of PAs.

Also, the indecisiveness and constantly changing travel schedule is part and parcel of the job. If you can't cope with that then PA work is not for you!

@ZippyDoodle I wouldn't overly mind the change of plans but it's annoying when I'm trying to do 2 other roles and I've spent loads of time on the journey.

I wouldn't mind so much if it was just planning trips in the UK, but I plan big trips overseas and it's a total faff changing flights, trains, car parking, accommodation, itineraries etc. I just know every time I book anything, that it's a waste of my time. Person cancels nearly every single trip.

I know. I was a PA for almost twenty years and that's the nature of the job. It was actually unusual if plans didn't change.

I once had a really horrid boss who was promoted and wanted to do five European city offices in one week. Said he didn't care in which order and it was up to me. I organised all the flights, hotels, meetings involving senior staff, clients, lunches, dinners. Hours and hours of work on my part and he took one look at it all and moved it all around. The backlash I got from the staff involved was unbelievable but when I mentioned it I was the unreasonable one. I left shortly after and he worked his way through several PAs until one finally stuck.

In your shoes, I would map out the travel and put flights and hotels on hold. Check in with him on a regular basis on planning. Senior people who travel a lot will have a fluid approach to diary management and a trip that is important one day is very often superseded by something else a few days later.

There are so few 1:1 PA roles these days, wearing several hats is the norm.

The key to being a good PA is not being bothered by changing or cancelling things for the umpteenth time because the job will drive you around the twist if not.

Sounds like someone I worked for and who insisted I book the cheapest options... which then couldn't be cancelled without a financial penalty and ended up costing so much more....