HELP WANTED!

By Mary Helen Gillespie, 10/17/2005

Where have all the secretaries gone?

And the office clerks? And the receptionists?

It's pretty slim pickings out there. The downsizing demons have demolished so many support and administrative positions these days that many professionals spend hours gritting their teeth while trying to do things they really shouldn't. And not performing tasks that they really should, like analysis, strategy and execution.

How many MBAs does it take to replace a toner cartridge in a copy machine? At last count, I saw four huddled around this huge honking HP color printer with its guts hanging out and 14 PowerPoint presentations backed up. Very ugly.

Then there's the yipping and the yapping over the late expense accounts, the Outlook calendar that self-immolates and - the beast of all burdens - travel arrangements. AARGGGH.

Paperwork, schmaperwork. It's miserable, cruel and inhumane, and until the next Industrial Revolution, Internet bubble, or other engorgement of the business cycle, it's reality. There's no help out there. And it's costing organizations way more than they think.

This isn't about IQs or emotional intelligence or left-brain vs. right-brain. We're talking about core competencies across all skill sets and having the right resources in place to support teams of professionals with varying levels of expertise. But there seems to be this rigid mindset at certain top levels that investments in technology are more profitable in the long run than investments in human capital.

So that's why professionals get loaded down with electronic gear like the company laptop, the company cell phone, and the company Blackberry but never get the low down on how to use it all properly. And end up, literally, twiddling their thumbs trying to set up a conference call in three time zones for seven people.

Then they sigh as they think of the good old days when their executive assistant took care of such arrangements effortlessly, easily and economically.

Make that their own executive assistant. Not the one that they had to share with 87 others in the cube farm plus the satellite office in Miami. This was the one who could reschedule videoconferences in minutes, field frantic phone calls from clients with graceful courtesy, and cover for one of the other "girls" down the hall at the same time. (Note: I can say "girls" because I am one and we all know they all were.)

That would be the assistant who could file, type, and talk while fixing that broken printer with one hand thus allowing the non-assistant in this equation to do his or her own work, like make money, deals, or both.

If it's going to be a 60-hour work week, let it be about real work. One of the main complaints I hear from these abandoned professionals is an almost feral resentment of the amount of time that administrative tasks suck up. And what gets lost in this frenzy is the space for networking and for professional development - two key measurements of employee satisfaction that are crucial to retention of high-performing associates.

These are not just the regular workplace grumbles. These people are really angry, under-performing, and looking for the big "EXIT" sign. They feel stagnant, limited, and unfocused as they plod through level after level of tedious behavior.

Sound familiar? Start whining to the right audience.

Assess and compare the requirements that drag you away from the requirements on the check list on your quarterly performance review. Invite the bigwigs to see for themselves the benefits of extra resources. Even offer to share, if that's what it takes to get some in the door.

Or you can start job hunting, but make sure that in the first interview you define the workplace standards that you will need to succeed.

Like who changes the toner cartridge.

Mary Helen Gillespie is president of Gillespie Interactive, a strategic management consulting firm. E-mail Savvy Manager thoughts at maryhelen@bostonworks.com.