Receptionist

Former Member

No matter what I do at my job or who I talk to about my problems, I will always be "just the receptionist" Even if a dozen people give me their work to do because "they are too busy" and I can't get anythign done becasue I have a dozen people's work to do. Or that they couldn't even give me a whole quarter (25 cents) for doing other peoples work, taking the blame when people go out for an hour and a half lunch 20 minutes before they have an interview waiting. That I am the office buyer and filer. I change toners for the idiots that can't read the directions or figure it out. I help people with excel or word, sometimes something so easy as outlining a box... and those are the people making 90k a year... I run reports and I write reports. I'll get a phone call telling me to call someone and then put them on hold for 15 minutes until the person wanting to talk to them can get to them. People come and tell me that the fridge stinks or the toilet is plugged or a phone isn't working like I"m supposed to do something about that. The power went out and oh, Amanda... the power is out, what should I do? I need a key made for this desk... go to amanda.

I think the turning point was when I called in with a migraine. I was in emense pain and it was tough enough just to call and say I was in so much pain I wouldn't be at work. After I said something, the person on the other line goes, ok, but before you go, the keypad on the door doesn't work, what should I do? Go fuck yourself, thats what you do. Needless to say, I just hung u the phone.

So obviously, I am looking for a new job, but I've also made a decision. If they are going to treat me like crap and make sure that I know that I am "just the receptionist" and give me a kick in the throat raise then I am going to be just that...

So having ranted there, I would like some input from anybody who has been a receptionist. What are the main tasks you do in a day? What things do you do and what things don't you do? I am not going to do any work that I shouldn't be doing, only I need help knowing what that is. (In this bootleg company, a job description does not exist... I've looked)

Former Member

I've worked as a receptionist in two very different companies and done two very very different jobs.

Job One:

Run the diaries of everyone I was the receptionist for
Organise their leave
Manage their expenses
Arrange meetings, food for meetings
Arrange travel and hotel bookings, passports, visas
All the maintenance requests for our bit of the office (or anything that affected us ie. the swipe card points)
Fix their computers or arrange for someone else to
Look up the answers to pretty much any question they had
Photocopying and filing
Ordering
Answer the phones, and a lot of routine email stuff
Type letters
Deal with all the post.

That covers a lot of it, sure there was more.

Job Two:

Answer the phone
Book people onto courses
Answer questions about the timetable
Dial 999 in case of emergency
Sign for the post.
Take entry money
Cash up at the end of the day.

Former Member

I was a receptionist in a gym for the summer. My actual duties were rather simple:

-Sit and drink one of the energy drinks we supply (blatant free adveritsing)
- Answer the phone
- Order stock in
- Take money/check memberhsip cards and sign people in
- Issue new memberships
- Make the suppliment milkshakes (when someone was dim enough to pay £4 for one)
- Keep the place tidy.

It was such an easy job though (I was the only girl in the whole damn place) that I got it done quickily (I'm over organised at times) and I ended up doing some cleaning, or helping people with the machines. Other than that, I was bored out of my mind. I never had anyhting to do and I'm not the kind of person who can sit at a desk all day.