A Word of Advice

Sales people, when you call:

1. Do not claim to have called Admin Gal's boss when she is CLEARLY the person who answers the phone.
2. Do not claim to have had a prior conversation.
3. Do not cut Admin Gal off when she is trying to gather information to help you possibly get to the correct person.
4. Do not lie.

Last but not least, when Admin Gal calls you place of business to give pointers to you about how you might be more successful, DO NOT have your receptionist lie about your employment status there.  

If these simple, yet effective, suggestions can be followed you might have success in your business endeavors.

The Sin of 'Reply All'

We've all done it, hit 'Reply All' when we've only meant to send a pithy, semi-inappropriate reply to an email. And had grovel accordingly.

OR

In the case of one company, the ill-conceived notion, of starting a revolution on the matter of refurbishing the company fitness center.  After all, if 'YOU' are up in arms over the matter, surely others will follow your lead and charge up the hill with torches and pitchforks at the ready supporting you all the way.

NOT!

A few days ago a misguided soul hit 'Reply All' to a simple announcement that the fitness center would be closed on a Saturday.

Instead of a simple reply to the sender, the obliviot hit 'Reply All' and said, 'I hope it is closed for renovations! It needs it!'.  A fellow obliviot, joined in with their own spin, also sharing their remarks with the entire list.

Neither one of these individuals paid attention to the individuals on the list.  At least three Vice President, seven Directors, and each of their direct managers were party to their career suicide.

Too be fair, the fitness center director should have blind copy the entire list to avoid the entire debacle.  BUT, common sense should have prevailed.

Only use REPLY ALL in the most dire of circumstances.  Your job depends on it.

In Case of Emergency..

Admin Gal would like to remind you to walk, not run, down the stair case in case of emergency.

Just Because It's There...

doesn't mean you have to avail yourself of it.

Like most people, I have a sweet tooth.  So, I have a small candy bowl place for my convenience at my desk.  When I say convenience, I mean at the back of my desk where it is easy to reach for me.  If someone wants to partake of its contents, they seriously have to make an effort.  Which means generally tripping over me.

I don't mind the occasional, 'Ooo, do you mind?' I'm willing to share.

I DO mind the person who walks into my cubicle, climbs over my warm, working body and grabs a handful of whatever is in the bowl.  Leaving without a greet, glance or anything.

Were they raised by mutants?

I once worked in an office where the candy bowl was communal and once a week everyone contributed $3-5 and their preferred candy.  All was good in the universe.  But if the bowl is private, placed in an obviously difficult place, ask before you snatch.  It's only polite.

We are All Adults... Maybe

Didn't your mother teach you, when you take the last of anything you tell someone?

In the office environment, you tell the person who orders office supplies when you take the last of something.
Seriously?  How are they supposed to know.  By their super-dooper, psychic spidey sense attuned to the supply cabinet.

Or possibly the emergency office supply dog that will come bounding down the cubicle aisle like Lassie did to raise the alarm.

The admin goes to the supply cabinet once-a-week to do inventory.  If there is a run on an item and the last one is taken.  Courtesy should prevail.  Let. The. Admin. Know!

The Admin can only work so many miracles.  Reading minds is not among them.

Resource Management

When offices consolidate, space becomes premium. Old habits of squatting wherever you want are hard to break.

Admin Gal has been forced into the role of Space Police. If a conference room has not been booked by the inhabitants, Admin Gal has to play Bad Cop. This is not fun when the person out ranks you. Evicting a Director, Vice President, or President is a dicey situation. But when it is a consultant, Admin Gal has no issue.

Granted their assigned space is limited, but so is the actual working space of the working environment of the company. Courtesy says you do not just plop yourself down and claim squatter rights. Where most of the time possession is 9 tenths of the law, when it comes to resource management, not so much.

Admin Gal is happy to try and find space for people. But don’t act like a toddler if you don’t want to be treated like one.