General Etiquette > All In A Day's Work

Fed up, Gotta vent (Long)

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Lexophile:
OK here's the backstory - I worked for a small company as a word processor for a while because I got laid off from an editorial job. The editor at my new job quit, and I was given all editorial responsibilities with the promise that, if there was ever enough work to make a full-time editing job, the job would be mine. Owners of the smaller company refused to enforce the quality control plan, and project staff basically ignored the fact that I'm not just the best word processor the company had (my teammates were marginal at best), but I am also the company's ONLY editor. So I would get a rare editorial assignment (which I had to perform perfectly and within budget because I didn't want anyone to stop using me for that), but still have to deal with thousands of little interruptions because so-and-so needs some CDs burned or labels printed, or sandwiches fetched and the receptionist wants a smoke break, so someone has to watch the phones, or "I'm expecting an important visitor and need someone to meet them at the door could you please be waiting there when he arrives?" It was frustrating enough to begin with.

Fast forward now about 2 years and smaller company is purchased by huge company. Huge company puts out proportionately more deliverables, has a world-renowned reputation, no editor, and an opening on the admin team. I am offered opening. I accept opening because a) I would move to larger company's home office before anyone else at smaller company (thus getting me away from them for awhile) b) new boss is much better at listening than old boss, who sat around all day finding good radio stations to listen to c) bigger company is poised to be a huge presence in the field and will need some quality control to maintain reputation for quality. If I could make some powerful friends and show the value of my work, maybe bigger company will create editorial position and I will finally get my career back on track.

So I've been working hard ever since I came over her to make the friends, provide the service, market my skills, and show that I have far more to offer than coil binding reports and stuffing envelopes. It has worked. I have been told that, with the recent reorganization and my rapidly growing editorial workload, corporate has seen that this is a good idea and I am going to finally get the job I have been working towards for the past three years.

Everyone in now even bigger company (smaller company staff has since integrated and moved into home office as well) has been told several times to go to admin team leader for requests to format documents, print, bind, punch, order office supplies, etc. I was given a 150-page report to edit this morning and I have FOUR MORE coming in later today. I wasn't able to even start on the first one until 9 a.m. because staff from smaller company keep coming over to my desk and asking, "Hey, are you busy?" when I say yes, they ask me who else formats documents? Who else can I ask to go get my clients their lunches? These people have been told at least ten times now that those questions are to be directed to the admin team leader - not me!  I went straight to her after the third one and explained the situation - that I cannot fulfill my editorial duties if I am continuously interrupted like that. She sent out a reminder email to everyone telling them that we have an established procedure of written requests to her for that type of thing, but these people just aren't listening. I think I'll take the rest of it home this afternoon where the only one bothering me for piddly little stuff will be my DH.

Edited for typos.

ShadesOfGrey:

--- Quote from: Redleo12 on December 14, 2006, 12:02:04 PM ---
Everyone in now even bigger company (smaller company staff has since integrated and moved into home office as well) has been told several times to go to admin team leader for requests to format documents, print, bind, punch, order office supplies, etc. I was given a 150-page report to edit this morning and I have FOUR MORE coming in later today. I wasn't able to even start on the first one until 9 a.m. because staff from smaller company keep coming over to my desk and asking, "Hey, are you busy?" when I say yes, they ask me who else formats documents? Who else can I ask to go get my clients their lunches? These people have been told at least ten times now that those questions are to be directed to the admin team leader - not me!  I went straight to her after the third one and explained the situation - that I cannot fulfill my editorial duties if I am continuously interrupted like that. She sent out a reminder email to everyone telling them that we have an established procedure of written requests to her for that type of thing, but these people just aren't listening. I think I'll take the rest of it home this afternoon where the only one bothering me for piddly little stuff will be my DH.



--- End quote ---


first, congratulations on your promotion and hard work!

Second, this is a boundaries issue.  Simply do not answer.  Say to them "I am not sure of the answer to that, perhaps your manual/admin leader will let you know what the proper procedure is." or something else that you feel comfortable saying, that clearly lets them know that you are not the appropriate person to ask.  If you answer them, they will not stop asking you.  If they are particularly hard headed, walk them to the admin leader and say "XX has a question for you" and walk away immediately.

Put a sign up/close your door when you need some quiet time "editing, please do not disturb" if you want to take a more direct route. 

I had a similar situation where I took over for a woman and I kept getting "XXX used to do it like this" and finally I just said "You know, it's been my toughest battle to get people to realize that I am not XXX. Here is the current procedure, if it's confusing, I'd be happy to explain it further to you."

good luck.

kkl123:
"Talk to $admin-team-leader about that."
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Noise cancelling earphones can be added, if needed.

Lexophile:
Thanks. Yeah, I have the noise-cancellations headphones and I don't know what I would do without them. I'm in a cubicle, so I can't shut a door, but I do have a write-on board that my team leader told me to post, "Edit in progress. Do not disturb. Please fill out a request at team leader's desk for assistance with administrative work." It's a bit dicey right now just flat-out telling them no because my new job has not been finalized yet, so technically I am still an admin. I have the directive from management to make editing my first priority, but these people have been overaccomodated for so long, they just don't know when to quit.

At the smaller company, we had one central admin team and any project could request help from any of us. Here at bigger company, each project is assigned a specific admin to deal with all admin functions of that project. This has been explained to staff from the smaller company ad nauseum, but they refuse to acknowledge the way it's done here. One of the Project Managers from smaller company roped me into being the admin on one of her big projects, then assumed that meant I would pick up all of the admin work for all of her projects. When she sent me a request this morning to burn some CDs for her, I wrote back, copying team leader, saying, "PM - the admin team has established a standard procedure for requesting work on a project that has no assigned admin. Please fill out a request form at team leader's desk." I was hemming and hawing about sending it, as this person has the power to screw things up for me royally until I actually have the new job in hand, but you're right, I had to establish some boundaries. So I sent it. I got one back saying, "OK, I'll find someone else to burn the CDs, could you make some labels?"

Unbelievable.

kkl123:
Sounds like your team leader "gets it" and is supporting you -- always very helpful.  Any chance they can allocate you a different workspace in another part of the building?  Perhaps you need a small conference room indefinitely, because you "need" to spread one of your editing projects out?  Roll your phone number over to team-leader's phone when you're on a high priority project? 

Otherwise, the only thing you really can do is what you're doing -- refer all comers to the new procedure.  If the team leader is willing to back you up with a few carefully chosen nipped ankles, the behavior from the others will subside
eventually. 

A small bit from animal training that may or may not be comforting... when you're trying to "train out" an unwanted behavior that had been rewarded before, you often get a huge burst of the unwanted behavior -- repetitively -- just before the animal gives up on that behavior.  You may be seeing that
"extinction burst" from your colleagues now.

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