Admin Boundaries
I have been an admin for less than a year and I inherited a messy org. I have cleaned it up tremendously, but there are still funky things that go wrong every once in a while that seem to be due to policies (our manager has created incredibly complicated business processes over many years that have been intertwined with our org through bad automations that break easily and poor initial configuration that they're now so invested in they won't change i.e. weird mapping to third party apps etc). In addition to the general headache management causes, I am regularly asked to do tasks on an as-needed basis but to only spend 5 minutes on them (I guess my manager thinks that if they are not super easy fixes or analyses than they're not worth the time?). I usually spend much more than 5 minutes because I want to do my job well, but the ad hoc nature of requests doesn't allow for thoughtful collaboration or iteration (ie in running reports, in this case. Should be SO simple, but somehow it becomes a game of 20 questions that takes hours then I am insulted for not reading someone's mind). I have also regularly been asked to update the copy on word documents that I upload to Salesforce. I have regularly declined, but then no one will respond and get me the information that I need. I regularly try to have boundaries - I use an intake system, use agile framework that I learned at another job, and generally get feedback that I am very organized. However when I push back on a request or ask more information, I get attitude. I don't want to quit since it's been less than a year, but I am starting to feel like the messiness of not only the org but of the way the place is run is out of hand. Even though I am learning a lot and stacking certifications, I am frustrated. Are all jobs like this? Should I tough it out? What's a good length of time to spend at your first admin job? Thanks!
Posted Jan 3, 2023, 11:05 PM UTC