A day in the life of an Administrative Assistant!!

[tatertot15]

Ok so I am having one of those days and need to vent!! Ok so if you didnt figure it out from the title I am an Admin. Assistant. Yes I work the front desk and no I'm not just a receptionist....I am the assistant to our Director. Which basically sums up that I am the grunt worker. I get hardly any respect, just because I am the low man on the totem pole!! I do a little bit of everyone's jobs. If anyone needs anything I'm the "go-to" person for the job. I do all kinds of stuff, thats why my manual on my job is over 200 pages. It tells all the job duties I have to do. And that doesnt even have all the odd jobs I do for people in it. I am sick of people throwing things at me and just expecting me to do everything for them. Ok an example I take care of two full kitchens (we have two suites in a building, so two kitchens) and I make sure everything is stocked at all times and take an inventory every night....well one day somebody wrote me and said that we were out of soap....I told them that there should be some under the sink....well without a pause they wrote back and said they didnt see any so I walk all the way to the other side of the building and look under the sink and there it is so I fill it up. It happens all the time with all kinds of items, people say we are out of something when its just that they are too lazy to open a cabinet and look to see if there is any overstock stored away. And some days I'll get an e-mail from my boss (that somedays hates me and others loves me) and she'll tell me that people are complaining saying we are running out of things...well I have tried to explain to her what is happening and she doesnt believe me!! OOOHHHH it makes me so mad....I am 23 almost 24 and I am sick of being treated this way. OOOH another good one....we have a coffee machine in each kitchen that has 3 burners on it....well one day someone walks to my desk and asks "did you see the mess in the kitchen?" I said no and I went to check it out and someone had taken the time to put a filter in the holder and put coffee in it and turn it on BUT they forgot the most important detail THE COFFEE POT!! can you believe that?? Then they all expected me to clean it up!! And to this day we still dont know who it was!! Needless to say I didnt touch that mess....I am not the cleaning crew....these people are all grown adults....and they make quite a bit of money but my god....shouldnt they clean up after themselves...even a little bit?? GRRRR

Ok so I wanted to throw some of this out there just in case you have somebody like me working in your office....just remember if you want that person to do something for you....do something nice for them....and at least say thank you and mean it because people dont much do that for me and it makes my job better when the people do recognize what I do for them. Oh and by the way I have been working here for almost 2 years so they aren't doing this to me because I am new lol. Thanks for letting me vent!! Anyone else have these type problems?!?!

[linz06]

I am friends with the admin assistant at my job and she vents to me ALL the time about this type of stuff! The manager's office is right by the front desk and all day we can hear him throughout the office saying "Amaaandaaa! I need a pen!" "Amaaandaaa! Give me this phone number!" "Amaaandaaa! Did you send out the reports?" and on and on and on... I don't know how she doesn't go crazy! When our manager is in a bad mood, she always gets the worst of it. She's right there for him to yell at and blame things on!
She has also vented to me a lot about the kitchen cleaning situations too! Luckily I don't eat lunch here, and if I do I bring my own utensils But the people who don't just leave everything in the sink and complain when it's not clean the next day.
Sometimes I feel so bad for her, I feel guilty when I ask her to do something for me. I'm like "I'm sorry, but when you get some spare time do you think you could maybe order some ink for me? No rush!!" lol but she's really good about it and handles the job very well.
I have a lot of respect for admin assistants!

[Tiggerwit]

Girl... been there, done that, living the nightmare!!! Trust me, I'd like to see just how far these folks get without their admin. I once had a guy track me down at lunch because the fax machine wasn't working. hmmm... open drawer, add paper.... freak.

Come on by, the first round will be on me.

[red98vett]

People should treat others with respect NO MATTER WHAT POSITION they hold.

[MyPeanutAbbyGra]

Bless your heart. I hope things start looking up.

[veguroev]

I always say that I love my job. I really do. I just don't like the people I work with.
I know where you are coming from girlfriend!

[Erin]

I can sympathize!!! I love it when they jam the copier and just leave and then the next person finds it like that and comes to get me to unjam it because they didn't do it - well you know what??? NEITHER DID I!!! They all act like they don't know how to use the copier, postage machine, fax machine ("Is it face up for face down?" all day long... and these people use it every day!)

Ugh I have so many stories I could write a book. One more month............ the person who replaces me is in for some fun.

[Potter]

Admin Assistant is an enjoyable only if people don't take you for granted too much and treat you like an office maid. I have been an Admin Assistant for a few companies and the experiences differ. In one company, the CEO treats me very well and my job is easier. I still do things for everyone but I can draw the line when people gets too much. In another company, the boss doesn't respect me so naturally, everyone else doesn't too and it got really hard. The job can be very difficult as when there are too many people in the company with one Admin Assistant and everyone expects you to run errands especially personal ones, things can get too much. Good thing we had a receptionist and a cleaner so we work as a team. It also help to build work relationship with people so that they will take you into consideration each time they spill a coffee or something and some of them will be nice enough to help you out.

[tatertot15]

Well at least I know i'm not alone in all this!! I have been laughing reading these reply's. I'm laughing because I live these stories everyday!! I know what you mean about the copier and fax machines....everyday its the same thing...."face up or face down??" and "Can you get this paper jam out??" They say they dont know how to open the copier or printer...well I didnt know until I looked at the thing and read where it says "open here"!! Duh!! I know you can read!! You have a college degree!!!! It really makes no sense!! I am a beauty school drop out lol and I have more sense than some of these people!! It just kills me!! I am the only admin to an office of 130 people. So basically I babysit 130 people a day for 9 hours....it would be 8 but since they call my cell phone sometimes on my lunches to ask me "since your on lunch, can you get us a milkshake from UDF??" Are you kidding me?? I'm hourly!! Not salary like you all....so when I do stuff on my lunch I'm not even getting paid....I started saving people's numbers in my phone so I can ignore the call....its my time....but some have figured out that I have text messaging and I just ignore it or say sorry i'm already back in the parking lot lol. It's rediculous!! Phew it feels good to get this out lol!!

[tatertot15]

Originally Posted by red98vett

People should treat others with respect NO MATTER WHAT POSITION they hold.

I wish this is how it really was....I have one person at my work that treats me like crap everytime he see's me. I've already discussed him with my husband and if he does one more thing that makes me mad I am going to my boss about harrassment....thats how bad it is. He basically tells me that I am nothing and he treats me like I am an idiot just because I dont have a college degree like him. He's one of those people that thinks they are right no matter what they say, he could say "there is no sun, its an optical illusion" and he'll swear he is right....and no matter what anyone says he still believe's he is right. I cant stand people like that.

[chattiesmom]

I agree 100% with Villette. If everyone showed respect and common courtesy to ALL others, then our world would be a better place to live.

I am very sorry you had a bad day. It is frustrating when you don't feel appreciated.

[SANDYSAND]

It's not hard to understand why many administrative assistants feel under-appreciated.Time is a factor in any workplace. Administrative assistants often feel pressured to accomplish the seemingly impossible within the confines of a normal workday. The result is that workload complaints are the most common administrative grievance in most small businesses. You should let them know that they all have two hands, every little bit helps!

[BamaFan121s]

Oh I completely feel your pain! I have been there, done that. One of my previous jobs was as an Office Coordinator...fancy name for Admin Assist, fancy name for grunt.

And I LOATHED my boss and she felt the same way about me. It became obvious after a while that I was only there to entertain her and her in office buddies. I had tons of work that actually NEEDED to be done, but she'd always keep me hoppin' with something else. You can't imagine.

I remember the straw that broke the camel's back was when I was really sick, but at work anyway and she sent me on an 'emergecy' trip to Sam's in the middle of the day, in 100+ heat to pick up something--I got there and found out it was a fake office plant! Got back to the office and she put it on her office shelf and said that she'd wanted it for decoration!

And the owner of the company was just as bad. He was having a mid-life crisis and would come up with bizarre requests--once he said, "find me an air purifyer that smells like the highways in California" Huh? And once it was, find me a mural of the stars for my office ceiling and a chair that will mount to the wall so I can recline and look at them while I work. And he was dead serious about this stuff!?

I let it get to me at first, but then figured out it was more fun to make her miserable by killing her with kindness...hey, the job paid well! I knew they were downsizing and they'd been upfront w/ me 6 months in advance and told me my job would be eliminated. I had plenty of time to get my affairs strait, another job lined up and just had to sit back, drive her nuts and wait for them to make the cut so I would get a nice Severant's pkg. If I'd let her get to me I know the $$ would have gone in her pocket and I'd have gotten nothing (which is probably what she was hoping would happen.)

[Yorkieforme]

OMG...I sure can Identify!!! Being an Admin. Assistant can be very trying at times to say the least! The best advise I can offer you is to educate yourself now while you are young. I started as a Receptionist for a small company and while I worked there, I went to night and weekend school at College. Get your Admin Asst papers, even Executive level...this will offer you the opportunity to apply to better companies, where they are more professional and treat their Admins with greater respect! I now have a wonderful job as an Admin Assist. with a great company and while of course there is always someone who will be difficult, I am very happy with this job.
I learned early that we teach people how to treat us...you have to set barriers and stick to them!!
Good luck!

[Yorkieforme]

Originally Posted by BamaFan121s

Oh I completely feel your pain! I have been there, done that. One of my previous jobs was as an Office Coordinator...fancy name for Admin Assist, fancy name for grunt.

And I LOATHED my boss and she felt the same way about me. It became obvious after a while that I was only there to entertain her and her in office buddies. I had tons of work that actually NEEDED to be done, but she'd always keep me hoppin' with something else. You can't imagine.

I remember the straw that broke the camel's back was when I was really sick, but at work anyway and she sent me on an 'emergecy' trip to Sam's in the middle of the day, in 100+ heat to pick up something--I got there and found out it was a fake office plant! Got back to the office and she put it on her office shelf and said that she'd wanted it for decoration!

And the owner of the company was just as bad. He was having a mid-life crisis and would come up with bizarre requests--once he said, "find me an air purifyer that smells like the highways in California" Huh? And once it was, find me a mural of the stars for my office ceiling and a chair that will mount to the wall so I can recline and look at them while I work. And he was dead serious about this stuff!?

I let it get to me at first, but then figured out it was more fun to make her miserable by killing her with kindness...hey, the job paid well! I knew they were downsizing and they'd been upfront w/ me 6 months in advance and told me my job would be eliminated. I had plenty of time to get my affairs strait, another job lined up and just had to sit back, drive her nuts and wait for them to make the cut so I would get a nice Severant's pkg. If I'd let her get to me I know the $$ would have gone in her pocket and I'd have gotten nothing (which is probably what she was hoping would happen.)

You are made of strong stuff!! Patience is truly an Admins biggest asset!