4 ms·

Curious why do you think it's useful. What do you imagine happens in large organizations without full-time receptionists?

by diego 8y ago

pnutjam 8y ago
Wasting the time of people with other duties.
oconnore 8y ago
Total chaos. Even when we were 20 people in an office folks coming in for interviews or to fix the WiFi/Coffee machine/plumbing would either be totally lost, or the person sitting near the door would be significantly burdened with constant distraction and less able to perform their primary function. Furthermore no one would set up those maintenance tasks because they’re focused on the product not on making sure the office is functioning properly.
- bilbo0s 8y ago
  >Furthermore no one would set up those maintenance tasks because they’re focused on the product not on making sure the office is functioning properly.... Hmm. Not trying to get in between you guys arguing, but I'm just throwing this out there because I thought possibly it might help. Maybe you guys aren't really disagreeing so much as using different language for different positions? Just from my point of view, it SOUNDS like what you are describing is more of an Office Manager. So maybe in some organizations Office Manager is the same as Receptionist in terms of job title? (I do hope you were PAYING that person at the level of an Office Manager though, and not a simple receptionist. That's kind of shady if you weren't, because that person was doing a great deal of work.)
  - close04 8y ago
    Imagine you work in a building of 5000+ people. What happens when dozens of interview candidates walks in? Or just dozens of visitors? Or when someone calls the company's contact phone? The actual tasks may vary depending on the company, and probably so will the job title or pay (for the very same tasks). But the job is very much real and someone will do it no matter what you call it. Some tasks may be more BS than others. But how many jobs would be considered BS in the author's vision that either they can be done by someone else or not at all because they involve addressing activities that should have been done perfect from the beginning? He's obviously aiming for controversy because controversy sells.
jackfrodo 8y ago
I've only worked in startup environments, but the office administrator just made life easier. She organized ordering catering, packages being sent and delivered, HR stuff, office errands. So not contributing to the product itself but ensuring people have the bandwidth to make the product.
close04 8y ago
A BS job is one where the tasks being performed make 0 difference to the overall situation and not doing them is hardly visible. The tasks a receptionist does are actually needed and you'd know when they are not performed. But I find other BS examples that the author used, like "airline desk staff who calm passengers whose bags don't arrive". There's no dedicated staff for this. They are simply staff who have to take the time to also do this. He sometimes mixes up "jobs" with "job tasks". Some tasks may be BS but the jobs definitely involve more than what he cherry picked as an example. Is "staff that asks you if you enjoyed the food at the restaurant" also on the list? Would he rather have airline employees just not give a shit when he has a problem? Or does he actually think airlines pay for employees that are there just to provide consolation? A "job" is the entire collection of tasks you get paid for or are expected of you by your employer. One BS portion does not make the job BS. In the same vein, is writing a list of BS jobs a BS job? He's definitely exaggerating with many examples for the purpose of making it a bit more controversial.
lb1lf 8y ago
If our experience is anything to go by - visitors hanging around in the lobby, desperate for someone to show them the way as the automagic visitor kiosk issuing passes and notifying whoever you were about to visit that you have arrived is broken. Again. Thieves helping themselves to computers, video projectors and the like as entrance security is a joke and noone monitors the lobby anymore. Calls doing the rounds from department to department as the corporate mega-switchboard does not know anything but employees' formal title and not what they actually do - unlike the receptionist, which also manned the local switchboard. &c. You can solve most of this by throwing more money at it - but a good receptionist is IMHO money very well spent...
michaelt 8y ago
1. People resenting being sat near the door/doorbell, as they take the brunt of the interruptions. 2. Important deliveries being sent back to the parcel depot because the door wasn't answered 3. Parcels sometimes going missing, with the parcel company claiming they were delivered but no employees knowing where they are (with the resulting recriminations) 4. Guests being let in without the sign-in procedure being followed 5. Job applicants showing up saying they're here for an interview with 'Dave' and the person who lets them in not knowing who that is, where they sit, or how to contact them. These things are done much better at organisations where it's someone's job to do them.

Curious why do you think it's useful. What do you imagine happens in large organizations without full-time receptionists?

by diego 8y ago

Curious why do you think it's useful. What do you imagine happens in large organizations without full-time receptionists?

pnutjam 8y ago

Wasting the time of people with other duties.

oconnore 8y ago

Total chaos. Even when we were 20 people in an office folks coming in for interviews or to fix the WiFi/Coffee machine/plumbing would either be totally lost, or the person sitting near the door would be significantly burdened with constant distraction and less able to perform their primary function. Furthermore no one would set up those maintenance tasks because they’re focused on the product not on making sure the office is functioning properly.

bilbo0s 8y ago
>Furthermore no one would set up those maintenance tasks because they’re focused on the product not on making sure the office is functioning properly.... Hmm. Not trying to get in between you guys arguing, but I'm just throwing this out there because I thought possibly it might help. Maybe you guys aren't really disagreeing so much as using different language for different positions? Just from my point of view, it SOUNDS like what you are describing is more of an Office Manager. So maybe in some organizations Office Manager is the same as Receptionist in terms of job title? (I do hope you were PAYING that person at the level of an Office Manager though, and not a simple receptionist. That's kind of shady if you weren't, because that person was doing a great deal of work.)
- close04 8y ago
  Imagine you work in a building of 5000+ people. What happens when dozens of interview candidates walks in? Or just dozens of visitors? Or when someone calls the company's contact phone? The actual tasks may vary depending on the company, and probably so will the job title or pay (for the very same tasks). But the job is very much real and someone will do it no matter what you call it. Some tasks may be more BS than others. But how many jobs would be considered BS in the author's vision that either they can be done by someone else or not at all because they involve addressing activities that should have been done perfect from the beginning? He's obviously aiming for controversy because controversy sells.

jackfrodo 8y ago

I've only worked in startup environments, but the office administrator just made life easier. She organized ordering catering, packages being sent and delivered, HR stuff, office errands. So not contributing to the product itself but ensuring people have the bandwidth to make the product.

close04 8y ago

A BS job is one where the tasks being performed make 0 difference to the overall situation and not doing them is hardly visible. The tasks a receptionist does are actually needed and you'd know when they are not performed. But I find other BS examples that the author used, like "airline desk staff who calm passengers whose bags don't arrive". There's no dedicated staff for this. They are simply staff who have to take the time to also do this. He sometimes mixes up "jobs" with "job tasks". Some tasks may be BS but the jobs definitely involve more than what he cherry picked as an example. Is "staff that asks you if you enjoyed the food at the restaurant" also on the list? Would he rather have airline employees just not give a shit when he has a problem? Or does he actually think airlines pay for employees that are there just to provide consolation? A "job" is the entire collection of tasks you get paid for or are expected of you by your employer. One BS portion does not make the job BS. In the same vein, is writing a list of BS jobs a BS job? He's definitely exaggerating with many examples for the purpose of making it a bit more controversial.

lb1lf 8y ago

If our experience is anything to go by - visitors hanging around in the lobby, desperate for someone to show them the way as the automagic visitor kiosk issuing passes and notifying whoever you were about to visit that you have arrived is broken. Again. Thieves helping themselves to computers, video projectors and the like as entrance security is a joke and noone monitors the lobby anymore. Calls doing the rounds from department to department as the corporate mega-switchboard does not know anything but employees' formal title and not what they actually do - unlike the receptionist, which also manned the local switchboard. &c. You can solve most of this by throwing more money at it - but a good receptionist is IMHO money very well spent...

michaelt 8y ago

1. People resenting being sat near the door/doorbell, as they take the brunt of the interruptions. 2. Important deliveries being sent back to the parcel depot because the door wasn't answered 3. Parcels sometimes going missing, with the parcel company claiming they were delivered but no employees knowing where they are (with the resulting recriminations) 4. Guests being let in without the sign-in procedure being followed 5. Job applicants showing up saying they're here for an interview with 'Dave' and the person who lets them in not knowing who that is, where they sit, or how to contact them. These things are done much better at organisations where it's someone's job to do them.