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Every Job is a Lesson Learned
Nov. 17th, 2022 10:08 pmI temped for a long time before landing full time office employment. As a temp I was frequently just a bridge between one employee leaving and another employee arriving. I was never that arriving employee because even though I demonstrably could do the job (I was at one place for over a year), and generally wound up training the new hire, I didn't have a college degree and general basic office work often REQUIRES a college degree no matter how much experience you have or how well you've shown that you can do your job.
Part of welcoming new hires is making sure they can settle into the job and take off running. They need pens and notepads and paper clips and stuff.
At my last position we had a lot of churn, a lot of turnover. I had to welcome new employees roughly once every month or two. I developed a set list of stuff they'd need to start - stapler, staplers, staple remover, big black markers and dryline tape whiteout (for redacting documents), notepads, etc. I'd fit it all in a box that file folders came in, and hand it over along with the blank case files (file folder filled with forms) that I'd put together... I had both English and Spanish.
At some locations employees not only had to assemble their own blank case files... they had to photocopy their own forms. Their forms looked like shit.
I kept a supply of blank case files, extra documents, and handouts organized by type and language. This was all apparently unusual! Nobody else did this! There were two other people in my position who supported different teams and their employees would come and take my blank case files, which I didn't realize at first but when I did it explained why I was running out so fast!
Basically part of my job is to anticipate basic needs and try to meet them before they arise.
So when we heard that we had a new hire I immediately began assembling a set of office supplies for her, pushed hard to get some storage boxes moved out of her work area, scavenged letter trays, and printed out a map of the building, phone lists, calendars, and forms... I filled out sample forms, even.
I also passed on the 30 or so page document I'm creating (it's a living document) that spells out what we do and how to do it.
For instance, we have to answer phone calls. I don't just have a quick explanation of group X vs group Y that we send most of our calls to. No. I have the numbers to several of the departments or agencies we direct calls to, and also a list of very specific questions that we get and who to direct those calls to. I keep the document open during the day and add to it as new things arise. I also included explicit directions on how to check voicemail.
Someone multiple levels higher than me stopped into the office to say hi and noticed the office supplies on her desk and tried to grab something. I said no, that's not random supplies, that's for the new hire who hasn't arrived yet. THIS STOPPED HIM IN HIS TRACKS. (Also I gave him what he needed from our supply shelves.) NOBODY was doing this! Basically new hires are just shown to an empty desk and can pick through whatever pens previous employees left behind. THIS. IS. HORRIBLE.
He asked me to send him a list of what I normally put together, and I sent him a list of very basic things along with things that we office associates specifically need but that someone in a higher position probably wouldn't. A two hole punch, for instance. Most likely somebody ELSE would be assembling files.
He says very positive things about me, talks about how impressed with me he is - a LOT of people I work with do the same. I'm not saying this to brag... I'm good at my job and people recognize that and it's gratifying. It's just a fact. The problem, though, is that people expect me to move on to being an office coordinator or personal assistant or executive assistant and no. I've seen the extra responsibilities and I've seen the pay increase and let me tell you the money isn't good enough to cover the extra responsibilities. I absolutely don't want to be in a supervisory position over someone. But people keep pushing me to apply for higher positions! Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
"But Brigid, isn't assembling office supplies like that something an office coordinator might do?"
No, but they might direct someone in my position to do so.
"But Brigid, isn't assembling a training document something an office coordinator might do?"
Yes, but bear with me.
If I assemble the training documents then I assure that people DO THINGS MY WAY.
I'm just a bossy controlling jerk, basically, and I want my life to be as easy as possible.
Getting everyone to do the same jobs the same way makes my life easier (makes theirs easier as well) so I take the extra time to fine tune the document... but it's also a document I use!
Sometimes putting in more work early means less work later and it's absolutely worth it.
But I don't want to discipline anyone. I'm very happy right now going up the chain of command to my supervisor who then talks to the other person's supervisor, who then talks to the person. I dislike conflict, but I love being in control.
Part of welcoming new hires is making sure they can settle into the job and take off running. They need pens and notepads and paper clips and stuff.
At my last position we had a lot of churn, a lot of turnover. I had to welcome new employees roughly once every month or two. I developed a set list of stuff they'd need to start - stapler, staplers, staple remover, big black markers and dryline tape whiteout (for redacting documents), notepads, etc. I'd fit it all in a box that file folders came in, and hand it over along with the blank case files (file folder filled with forms) that I'd put together... I had both English and Spanish.
At some locations employees not only had to assemble their own blank case files... they had to photocopy their own forms. Their forms looked like shit.
I kept a supply of blank case files, extra documents, and handouts organized by type and language. This was all apparently unusual! Nobody else did this! There were two other people in my position who supported different teams and their employees would come and take my blank case files, which I didn't realize at first but when I did it explained why I was running out so fast!
Basically part of my job is to anticipate basic needs and try to meet them before they arise.
So when we heard that we had a new hire I immediately began assembling a set of office supplies for her, pushed hard to get some storage boxes moved out of her work area, scavenged letter trays, and printed out a map of the building, phone lists, calendars, and forms... I filled out sample forms, even.
I also passed on the 30 or so page document I'm creating (it's a living document) that spells out what we do and how to do it.
For instance, we have to answer phone calls. I don't just have a quick explanation of group X vs group Y that we send most of our calls to. No. I have the numbers to several of the departments or agencies we direct calls to, and also a list of very specific questions that we get and who to direct those calls to. I keep the document open during the day and add to it as new things arise. I also included explicit directions on how to check voicemail.
Someone multiple levels higher than me stopped into the office to say hi and noticed the office supplies on her desk and tried to grab something. I said no, that's not random supplies, that's for the new hire who hasn't arrived yet. THIS STOPPED HIM IN HIS TRACKS. (Also I gave him what he needed from our supply shelves.) NOBODY was doing this! Basically new hires are just shown to an empty desk and can pick through whatever pens previous employees left behind. THIS. IS. HORRIBLE.
He asked me to send him a list of what I normally put together, and I sent him a list of very basic things along with things that we office associates specifically need but that someone in a higher position probably wouldn't. A two hole punch, for instance. Most likely somebody ELSE would be assembling files.
He says very positive things about me, talks about how impressed with me he is - a LOT of people I work with do the same. I'm not saying this to brag... I'm good at my job and people recognize that and it's gratifying. It's just a fact. The problem, though, is that people expect me to move on to being an office coordinator or personal assistant or executive assistant and no. I've seen the extra responsibilities and I've seen the pay increase and let me tell you the money isn't good enough to cover the extra responsibilities. I absolutely don't want to be in a supervisory position over someone. But people keep pushing me to apply for higher positions! Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
"But Brigid, isn't assembling office supplies like that something an office coordinator might do?"
No, but they might direct someone in my position to do so.
"But Brigid, isn't assembling a training document something an office coordinator might do?"
Yes, but bear with me.
If I assemble the training documents then I assure that people DO THINGS MY WAY.
I'm just a bossy controlling jerk, basically, and I want my life to be as easy as possible.
Getting everyone to do the same jobs the same way makes my life easier (makes theirs easier as well) so I take the extra time to fine tune the document... but it's also a document I use!
Sometimes putting in more work early means less work later and it's absolutely worth it.
But I don't want to discipline anyone. I'm very happy right now going up the chain of command to my supervisor who then talks to the other person's supervisor, who then talks to the person. I dislike conflict, but I love being in control.
