Re: I have to vent...and a question about LIFE

Posted by melijane

Posted by Blu-ize

Posted by melijane

Posted by Beaver2be

Funny you should bring this up. Over the weekend I was talking to my friends father's girlfriend - she is president of a very popular PR Firm Downtown - amongst other things.

She was telling me how hard it is to find people that ACTUALLY work; that all these "kids" that come out of college expect to be treated as if they are better than typing a letter or getting a fax off the machine.

They tell her that "its not my job" - & they all want to make six figures without working for it.

She said she had enough and started firing people.

She told the last girl that said it "wasn't her job" - that if she wanted to make money and have the authority to tell people that it isn't my job - a year outside of college THAN she better wake up and smell reality...cause in her PR co you pick up the faxes...

I thought it was a great story...lol

See I am torn on this subject. In a way, I think it's great that the employee said that because it's true! Why should you bust your azz for 4 years in college and then take a job hiring you at a certain position if you are going to pick up faxes? IMO-the company should hire an admin who signs up for that sort of work rather than expecting degreed professionals to do admin work.

I probably have a skewed vision since I am in sales and work independently for the most part.

It's part of being a good corporate citizen. You do what you have to do. If the fax is there and you know who it belongs to..pick it up. Not all the time, but when you notice it needs it. It's the attitude. I work with plenty of very educated high ranking people that would never have this attitude. They are where they are because they have a good attitude and work ethic. It doesn't matter about the task. It's not your job...pppffttt! Right out of college knowing nothing...it's hysterical.

Well I am not right out of college(I am 33) and have done my share of working my way up. If I was asked to grab something out of a fax machine-I would probably do it. But in a "big picture" sort of way-I think this is just more of corporate bullsh!t. If I applied for a job that said: Account Executive:blah blah blah, admin...I would not take it. When I waitressed a couple of times we were asked to clean the bathrooms and I refused. Not my job-I get paid on tips and I get those at my tables not cleaning toilets.
So maybe I'm a b!tch, maybe I am not a good corporate citizen, but I have been gainfully employed since I left college with no major issues..

ETA: as far as picking up faxes for another employee-that is just good manners..I am more referring to jobs that are really NOT YOUR JOB being assigned to you. For example typing letters

Re: I have to vent...and a question about LIFE

Re: I have to vent...and a question about LIFE

Re: I have to vent...and a question about LIFE

I totally understand what you are saying. I just don't agree. My very senior in the firm boss types letters and does administrative things because she can if she has time. Of course, there are people to do this for her, but sometimes in order to get something done, you have to just do it. She never complains about it.








I can totally relate. In my industry, there's often no money in the budget to pay for secretaries and those kinds of "luxuries". It's a very fast-paced environment, and you do what you do to get the work done, and the services your client needs into place. Even if that means you need to juggle 80-different hats.

Re: I have to vent...and a question about LIFE

As someone who after graduating from law school, went on to a big firm making six figures - I can sympathize with many of these "kids". Yes, I was making s significant amount when I had little experience in the field but I think that no matter how much an employer pays me I still deserve to be treated like a human being who MAY want to have some semblance of a life outside the firm.

Often what happens is that they offer you these big salaries but when you divide it by the 90 hours a week you are working it comes out to not very much. So I never really felt like I was being "given" this money because they rode us like we were in a sweat shop.

I think what happens is people who paid their dues the hard way are upset when they see people squeak by without doing so. I don't think it is laziness but rather they learned to make the system work for them. Kudos to those who can get away with it. Why shouldn't people figure out how to have it all

Re: I have to vent...and a question about LIFE

My mother was recently talking about this... There was this GREAT article written about it and how young people feel 'entitled'

sadly, most companies are giving them what they want...for reasons I can't remember but I'll try to locate the article.

Re: I have to vent...and a question about LIFE

I agree that if you are working 80+++ hours a week, you should be compensated for it.

I also know that college and grad school costs have gone through the roof, and salaries necessarily haven't.

Many grads feel like they should be compensated for the amount of $$$$ they put into schooling, and I can understand that, especially when I think about my own student loan debt ;).

Re: I have to vent...and a question about LIFE

Re: I have to vent...and a question about LIFE