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Only the Administrator
I would place a hefty bet on anyone with a background in office work having heard this phrase.
I’ve heard it more than once, and honestly didn’t see the significance of it as a younger employee. It ranked up there with ‘only the new girl’, ‘only the trainee’, ‘only the clerk’. A throwaway, dismissive comment.
One day – upon my return to work following maternity leave – I was told a new position had been created and filled in my absence, and I now had a new line manager.
When I asked why the new position had been created and how it fit in the existing structure, why I should be expected to report to a line manager with no prior experience in my own role and therefore no point of reference to manage me effectively, and why the position hadn’t been advertised to allow me the opportunity to apply for it myself, I was told I didn’t need to know any of that because I was “only the administrator”.
So what is an administrator?
The dictionary defines an administrator as “someone whose job is to control the operation of a business, organisation, or plan”.
My role in this case had been given a variety of titles during my tenure but the fact remained my responsibilities hadn’t changed. It was my job to look after everything that came through the office from opening the post in the morning, to processing the payroll each month. I answered the phone, dealt with email enquiries, and was the first point of access for all centre users. I issued invoices and chased payments, created and printed endless letters and event programmes, arranged regular evacuation drills, and even took the minutes for the board meetings.
But apparently I was ‘only the administrator’.
When I originally took on the position it was following the sudden departure of the previous administrator. No-one had been looking after the office for some months and there were no systems in place. Only the most urgent tasks were being dealt with, which left much to fall by the wayside (if you’ve read my previous blog https://www.smallbizbod.com/post/what-on-earth-is-a-handover-specialist this may sound familiar 😉)
I put a heap of systems and processes into place that were carried forward, and created a set of SOPS and guides covering all aspects of the tasks that needed to be completed.
But apparently I was ‘only the administrator’.
Despite the necessity of the tasks I completed, and the qualifications and experience that led to me being offered the job in the first place some 5 years earlier, I was told quite categorically that I wasn’t important enough to even feature on their radar.
I was ‘only the administrator’.
Basic Admin
15 years down the line, and now self-employed, I find it disturbing that the role of an administrator is still considered somehow basic, or menial.
What’s worse is I’ve seen other Virtual Assistants in social media groups say this, even going as far as suggesting their idea of what a VA is should be paid more than someone who does “basic admin”.
I’d love to know why. Why should the ability to present a professional image on behalf of your clients be considered less important than scheduling a social media post? Why is an Instagram reel more important than correctly preparing a customer invoice? What’s basic about creating SOPs, or sending out a letter that’s grammatically correct, and uses the right version of ‘there’, ‘their’ or ‘they’re’?
Yes, I’m an Administrator!
I work with a variety of businesses, in a wide range of industries, and the one thing I’ve learned is that everyone involved has an important part to play in the success of that business.
As a VA I don’t offer social media as a service. It’s not my bag. I don’t enjoy it, and while I understand the benefits in today’s TikTok society it’s not ever going to be in my skillset.
I’ll even go as far as to say at least 50% of my clients have a limited internet presence outside of their email account, but those that do use social media regularly also have a dedicated staff member or outsource partner to look after them.
They also have me.
They have remote support to manage the paperwork side of their business – writing letters, creating document templates, completing health & safety documentation, and preparing reports.
They have an experienced bid specialist, ensuring tender documents are completed accurately and submitted by a given deadline.
They have a dedicated QMS co-ordinator, maintaining policies and procedures and undertaking regular audits to ensure compliance with their ISO9001 certification.
They have someone to clean up their emails and online storage, sorting their files and folders so messages and attachments don’t get lost among the masses of spam a phishing emails.
They have an Administrator; a qualified business administrator with over 30 years of experience advising, supporting, and completing those ‘basic admin’ tasks, allowing them to concentrate on their core activities.
So the next time you hear those words “only the administrator” remember the tasks you think are worth less are instrumental in managing a business.
I’m not only the administrator; I am The Administrator
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