As I’ve mentioned before I am the Personal Assistant to the Senior Management Team of my company. I am also the Office Manager for the whole office. And the Official Office Geek. I have many roles.
At the moment our regular accounts manager is on maternity leave and we have a temp in. He’s an ass. A total unmitigated ass. He wouldn’t know how to be polite if you hit him with a polite stick. And, trust me on this, the last thing you want to do is piss off the PA/Office Manager of any office.
Do you know what happens when you do? You get no coffee. Or biscuits. You might not even get paid. You certainly won’t get the office supplies you think you so desperately need.
So many people think that Admin work is low brow or easy. It is neither. A good PA, and, to toot my own horn, I am a very very very good PA, can make the difference between an office that runs well and one that runs like crap. My office runs well. Very very very well. Because, as I just said (still tooting own horn over here) I am very very very good at my job.
I keep the SMT’s diaries in order. I keep the kitchen supplied with good coffee and tea. I keep the supply cupboards full. I keep the phones answered, the computers working, the filing done. I don’t do any of this alone, I work with a good team. I have an excellent receptionist, an excellent projects assistant and, usually, an excellent accounts manager. Us girls (as we are all women, whereas the SMT is all male) kick ass on a regular basis to keep a science park where 1200 people work ticking over.
We keep the lights on and the hot water coming. We pride ourselves, when we are asked for a file, to be able to put our hands on it without thinking about it. We are the Admin Team. Don’t mess with us. You won’t like what happens if you do.
So, if you have a PA or an AA or a Secretary, thank them. Thank them for putting up with the shit work you make them do (filing sucks, okay?). Thank them for the coffee they make and the phones they answer. A Please and a Thank You goes a long way. A happy Admin Team is a happy office. Always.