tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575777839312205471.post4507696262903875593..comments2023-04-13T08:17:24.935-04:00Comments on Laughing All the Way to Work: A Survival Blog for Today's Administrative Assistant: The Future of the Administrative Profession: Where do I Think We Are Headed?Patricia Robbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09077127934947422705noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575777839312205471.post-58661471603492974652008-08-31T15:34:00.000-04:002008-08-31T15:34:00.000-04:00Just to be accurate. Upper level executives also ...Just to be accurate. Upper level executives also have performance reviews and are accountable for the work they produce.Patricia Robbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09077127934947422705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575777839312205471.post-12309775428265324272008-08-31T15:26:00.000-04:002008-08-31T15:26:00.000-04:00I see where you are coming from and unfortunately ...I see where you are coming from and unfortunately that is the case sometimes. If you have a strong admin and a weak manager, they will tend to 'rely' on your services to make them look good, but you could end up doing all the work. <BR/><BR/>I have only worked in areas where my boss has been a professional, i.e. lawyer, doctor, engineer etc. so there is no way I could do their actual work, just the admin part and that is what I was referring to when I said to let them pursue their expertise.<BR/><BR/>I find the office dynamics can be different depending on where you work. In the many law firms I have worked in the lawyers, in a majority of cases, do not seem to see the admin as anything more than the 'help', but where I am working now, in a Not-for-Profit organization, I am looked at as a contributing member of the team and I find it refreshing.<BR/><BR/>I have never been taken advantage of by a manager, but I have normally worked for high-level executives and I think it would happen much less at that level, although I'm sure there are exceptions.<BR/><BR/>I have written an article today, August 31st, on the to-do list and as I suggested in that article, it might be worth your while to track your tasks on a to-do list so you will know what is on your plate and if you ever had to show someone what you were doing, you would have an easy reference to what you do all day. Sometimes your job and your manager's may overlap and you actually are doing most of the work. That should be picked up at your performance review. Most organizations have a meeting with your immediate supervisor, but also independently with the Human Resources Department. This would be the time to discuss being overworked and underappreciated and you would have your to-do list to show exactly what you were talking about.<BR/><BR/>Lower level managers also have performance reviews and will need to show what projects they have completed and what is on their plate. They are however expected to delegate the work and not to do it all themselves, but if the admin is too loaded down then there is something wrong with that picture.Patricia Robbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09077127934947422705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1575777839312205471.post-3368102982802111882008-08-31T14:53:00.000-04:002008-08-31T14:53:00.000-04:00How do you balance being the one who can "free up"...How do you balance being the one who can "free up" the manager's time to being the one everyone dumps all their work on so that they are "freed up" to focus on personal stuff,play and leave early?<BR/><BR/>I have been an admin in several different fields and types of organizations. I've also been a manager. It is very surprising and frustrating to experience just how many managers don't know how to work with an admin, and how they so often look down on those who "choose" to do admin work. It becomes difficult to remain professional and engaged in my work when they see that I can manage quite well, and leave me to it, even though they are paid handsomely to be the manager and make decisions that my position should not make.<BR/>Are there really organizations that respect administrative work and workers?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com