Do not understand what an admin does. Let me spell it out for those who are confused. EVERYTHING! We are project managers, event corrdinators, I.T tech trouble shooters, travel agents, accountants and expense managers, catering, calendar management, document preparers, business analysts and more.
Like I said, we do EVERYTHING based on our area and team. No two admins are alike.
Gotta love auto correct on the iPhone good lord
I hate to say it but I worked at Thomson West back before the name changed and Wells Fargo along with Regis in those Same roles, I too was in both a project manager roll and an EA roll and saw no difference. I even had other admins reporting into me just as I was a project lead.
99163 the 2 companies you mentioned says it all, one went through the reorg other going through it now. There is hidden message for you right there, both the org. Were poorly managed with respect to roles. I worked across twin cities in almost all of the top companies, from my experience I could certainly say this, target is one place where you have the flexibility to do anything you want, from sweeper to a PM and get paid the same... No wonder why all the EAs feel they can do everything.
Wow people surveyed sensitive about their roles around here. Well let me tell you this, all you sensitive blokes. I was a project manager who became an executive assistant and then went back to project management work, at both Target and best buy ant truth be told, the only difference in these roles is pay and the additional responsibilities beyond the basic B.S. Stops being so effing sedative about your jobs.
98624 well said, had the OP just vented by stating he/she is felt bad that he is a good resource and let go, people would have empathized with him/her, the way OP came out saying he/she does work of a PM BA IT analyst and what not, people got carried away... Target is not the world .....better things are out there Good Luck to you.
I will just say (as a former AA) that some of the posts here were just people venting after one of the worst days of their lives. Don't get carried away with thinking people have some sort of delusion of grandeur. When you work in a very hierarchal setting, it is easy to become defensive after years of being in that role. I wish all of the laid-off AA's all of the best. There are much better places that you will be appreciated. Never settle for less.
I knew entitlement ran high when I saw the bathrooms had those sanitary toilet seat covers. Surely we do not want the royal asses touching seats the peasants have shat on.
While Target has some good PM's, the majority are pretty awful. Some of those that were awful now claim they are scrum masters.
98060 when I said find a role that is a PM or BA i meant not at Target. I am former Target and I realize that they don't want you to switch from exempt to non-exempt. But if you truly have PM skills go take the PMP and get a job for double the money anywhere else. There is a shortage of good IT PMs in the mn market.
There You have it admins. Enjoy working at a company where people think you're worthless. Keep helping those kiddies who have grown up in a society where they feel a sense of entitlement and look down upon you as though you're a mear servant meant to do their bidding. Enjoy your new found roles of nothingness
The Admin is now a position to get status to the supervisor. If you cannot manage lunch on your own, you should not have a VP title.
Let me put it this way, OP. You have ZERO idea on what a Project Manager does. ZERO.
Well, OP if you really did what you wrote, then you don't have to worry about your future, you are a pm, ba, it tech, admin all in one, you have multiple opportunities to tackle, what I was wondering is that why in the world you accepted admin salary and did all you mentioned.
Anonymous98226
Perhaps they wouldn't over inflate things if they didn't have to defend themselves to people who only think they order catering, get the boss lunch, and manage calendars. I think the OP's point was that they are responsible for a whole lot more than the 1950's secretary. Maybe they wouldn't over inflate if they didn't have to defend.
I'm not trying to devalue anyone's job. I said it's an important role. To say that you do EVERYTHING and a bunch of other random type tasks for someone, when many other TMs still do those same random tasks makes it seem as if you are over-inflating what you do. I'm not saying they don't do a lot, but many of the posters need to come back down from their perch which seems to border arrogance. There's a few bad eggs spoiling what is a valid point being made.
What isn't everyone getting, no one's role at target is valued except C- suiters. Get over yourselves.
Anonymous98181 I'm not sure I follow you. I don't see anyone with an over inflated ego. What I see is a group of people feeling the need to defend themselves against another group who is devaluing them. Everyone at Target is just as important as the next. To devalue someone's role is not cool.
I feel for those that lost their jobs, but there are a bunch of over-inflated egos on this board. I've done all the things 97970 listed even though they aren't my direct responsibilities and still had my normal FT job. Yes, those jobs are important but the overwhelming sense of entitlement is mind blowing. If you're wanting to make the jump from NE to exempt and having trouble, I'm guessing it's because of attitudes like this. There's plenty of other TMs who were highly valued and did great jobs but were cut, none of you were singled out. Be glad they waited on deciding what to do with your roles, you probably got a much fairer shake than the big round because they were only evaluating a small piece of the pie.
The KMG my team reports up through lost her Admin in March. I agree with the poster that said that Admins are the glue that hold things together. While many people have stepped up (for now) to try to cover random pieces of the work that this young lady executed so gracefully over the years, this spirit of cooperation will not last forever. The tide will turn and the managers will be pulling their hair out, trying to get everything done, the bitching will make it's way to the top and the Admin positions will be reopened. We were lucky to have such an All Star admin on our floor - she softened the bluntness of her prickly boss, and the more contact the rest of us wind up having with the KM, the worse off we'll all be - we've been missing her since the day she left and I hope she's doing well, post-Target.
Admins have been the best candidates to try to source for project management roles. I highly recommend everybody here snatch them up quickly.
Admins make everything look easy and work their behinds off to make everything as seamless and smooth. So sorry to hear you were laid off - no matter what your job is, getting laid off feels awful. I was laid off in March, I know firsthand. OP hang in there, know that you were, and STILL are valuable. Now somebody else will win the jackpot and have you become their admin.
"If you have BA and Project Management skills you should get a job in those roles. The pay is double what an admin makes. Sounds like being let go will be a blessing in disguise."
You either haven't worked at Target HQ or are clueless to the glass ceiling that exists between NE and EX roles.
Thank you 98051! That means a lot to me and my friends that lost their job today
If you have BA and Project Management skills you should get a job in those roles. The pay is double what an admin makes. Sounds like being let go will be a blessing in disguise.
we do a lot more than coffee and such...all of the people that think that's all it is can seriously can %^$%^%$ !!! I was the right hand of my manger, making choices on her behalf and helping her 100% of the way. The secretary of the 1950s has died, not that she wasn't needed. If any of you knuckle draggers ever excel your career to a VP or above in an Fortune 500 company, than you better warm up to a sidekick partner - AKA Admin Assistant!
Wow. I really can't believe the disrespect and negativity towards our Admins (both those still with us and those who were let go today). For those of us who have worked in a corporate setting more than 5 years (I have 30 years in), we know that our admins are the glue that holds everything together. Think about how many times a day they get interrupted while they are trying to do a project and yet they willingly help you out with whatever problem you bring them. I was actually taught by one of my professors in college that these are the people you treat better than the Sr Mgmt because they know how to get things done! Don't forget the trust involved with the admins as they are in many meetings with the management and are trusted to keep things to themselves. Grow up people, they were and are just as important to the success of Target as you or I.
I meant ONE not WON...sorry ;-(
Thank you for your services all admins.
Thank you for the folks who have posted warm comments, you show yourselves in spirit and that means a lot...this has been won of the hardest days of my life. To people that don't get it, you will never understand.. either you never worked as a senior manager in a progressive company or you are simply a knuckle dragger. To my administrative assistant friends, hold your head up HIGH and don't let any of these neanderthals drag you down...
Guess that is why there are fewer directors, VPs , and now admins than before.
To all you haters....bet your own director/vp/svp has used his/her admin as a door bouncer to keep you out of their office more than once.
97983....we'll said as a high level exec with nothing really to do.
People on here are all salty because they want to piss people off. Thank you Admins, for all that you do. And f*** the people who don't see how hard your job is. I can't imagine a high-level exec even has time to manage all of their day to day let alone the random stuff that blows through. Thanks for keeping it together. I'm sorry that a lot you were let go today. Hope you find greener pastures elsewhere.
97970....maybe they were just trying to keep you busy...sounds simple Simon to me.
Whatever Anonymous97941, you can manage the travel to India when your boss travels. You can manage the department expenses through CCO, you can manage the department events when they happen, united way and any other initiative that target gets involved with. You can manage the rogue projects that come through such as large team moves that include 50 plus people. You can manage the AV equipment for large vendor meetings. Yeah I guess your right. We don't do shit you ass.
I call BS on this OP....talk about over valuing what you do.
Why would any intelligent person want to do this type of work if this is how they are viewed. Wouldn't it be better if you all went into a different live of work where you are treated with a bit more respect?
I overheard an admin taking the lunch orders of an executive... Shall I wipe the royal behind as well?
OP, don't you think a typical admin is not supposed to do what you were doing, cutting the role makes the people who were supposed to do the things you were doing it for them. Well, you might question why not cut them and retain you, as you do all the work, to the new leadership you are a admin, they don't see all the work you do. in corporate every role is dispensable including the CEO role. Ta ke the high road and move on.
Uhh..and what person in 2015 can't do those things themselves. Fire them if they can't!