University of Oxford The Reluctant Receptionist Essay

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Read the texts from your friend Ginny below, and answer ONE of the questions.

Your Friend Ginny: Hey, I need your advice! Did I tell you that Superior Products Company hired me as their new HR assistant a few months ago? That BA in HR Management really paid off, right?!

You: Great news, congrats! Do you like it?

Ginny: Thanks! It’s good and bad. Mrs. Mills, the HR Director, said she was really glad to find someone who had a background in HRM because she was basically the entire HR department until I got there. She said I would be her second in command and that I’d primarily do recruiting, some interviewing and be responsible for maintaining employee records. Because Superior has ~300 employees, Mrs. Mills was too busy to give me an up-to-date job description (I think she just rewrote her own old job description). First warning sign!

You: Oh no! TGTBT?

Ginny: Well, it gets worse! Everything was great the first two weeks. Then about a month ago, Mrs. Mills tells me that there was another “minor” duty that she forgot about. She said that to get approval to hire me she had to agree that the new HR assistant would cover for the receptionist from 11:30 to 12:30 every day when the receptionist takes lunch. I wasn’t thrilled about that being sprung on me, but I agreed I’d try it for a while. That whole “other duties as assigned…” thing!

You: So is it working out? Why do you need my advice?

Ginny: (sigh) I am hating working the switchboard and front desk every day! Plus, the receptionist often comes back late, and I can’t leave the desk until she relieves me. Then I found out I’m also expected to cover when she’s sick or takes personal time (which already happened FOUR TIMES)! I’m considering quitting.

You: No way! Do you really hate it that badly?

Ginny: I don’t know…I really like the HR parts of the job and I know I’m doing well, but being a relief receptionist is taking up way too much of my time – and it’s definitely not what I spent 4 years in school to do! I mean, Mrs. Mills basically misrepresented the job to me, right? She never said anything about the receptionist duties until after I was hired. If she had, I probably wouldn’t have taken the job! What should I do?

Respond to the following:

What should Mrs. Mills have done to more accurately portray the position responsibilities? Was it enough that the job description included a “miscellaneous clause” (other duties as assigned)? Why or why not? What could Mrs. Mills do to alleviate some of Ginny’s stress (and better motivate her new employee)?