Rude Admins at Federal Agencies

[Anonymous]

Does anyone work with an admin at a federal agency that is not rude and somewhat lazy? I only need to deal with ours for limited tasks, but she acts as if everything she is asked to do is a huge burden. It's getting hard to deal with the lack of professionalism.

[Anonymous]

Does she never respond to emails or pick up her phone (or even have voice-mail set up)? That's what ours are like

[Anonymous]

The Admins at my agency are very helpful and responsive. This is my first job in government. I was pleasantly surprised since I had heard so many horror stories...

[Anonymous]

Some are good, some are bad. Like employees everywhere.

If every single admin is rude to you, you need to ask yourself what YOU are doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some are good, some are bad. Like employees everywhere.

If every single admin is rude to you, you need to ask yourself what YOU are doing.

OP here. It's just one admin - I've never had an issue with any others. It's refusing to respond to emails, being rude whenever you ask her for anything, spending most of her day chatting, etc. I'm a supervisor and haven't had ink for the printer in my office for close to a year because she is "too busy" to order supplies. It means I have had to print performance appraisals and other confidential documents on a shared printer and then run down the hall to get them before someone sees them. We have another admin who is very helpful, but she's a contractor, and has to get approval from most things from the federal admin. It's just frustrating to see how much negativity an employee who contributes so little can bring to an environment.

[Anonymous]

The admin at my husband's (federal agency) office is superb. She goes above and beyond in all situations and is a real pleasure to be around. I recognize that is not the norm for most employees, admin or not!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some are good, some are bad. Like employees everywhere.

If every single admin is rude to you, you need to ask yourself what YOU are doing.

OP here. It's just one admin - I've never had an issue with any others. It's refusing to respond to emails, being rude whenever you ask her for anything, spending most of her day chatting, etc. I'm a supervisor and haven't had ink for the printer in my office for close to a year because she is "too busy" to order supplies. It means I have had to print performance appraisals and other confidential documents on a shared printer and then run down the hall to get them before someone sees them. We have another admin who is very helpful, but she's a contractor, and has to get approval from most things from the federal admin. It's just frustrating to see how much negativity an employee who contributes so little can bring to an environment.

Is it too difficult to get rid of her? She sounds awful

[Anonymous]

I wish I had advice, but it's something I've just come to accept. Hopefully she'll get reassigned and you'll win the admin lottery.

When I was young and dumb and had transitioned to govt from a firm I would be harsh with the admins because that's what you did at my firm - the attitude was that they worked for you. Ha ha. You can't do that in government. Once in awhile you'll get a unicorn and be in awe of her competence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some are good, some are bad. Like employees everywhere.

If every single admin is rude to you, you need to ask yourself what YOU are doing.

OP here. It's just one admin - I've never had an issue with any others. It's refusing to respond to emails, being rude whenever you ask her for anything, spending most of her day chatting, etc. I'm a supervisor and haven't had ink for the printer in my office for close to a year because she is "too busy" to order supplies. It means I have had to print performance appraisals and other confidential documents on a shared printer and then run down the hall to get them before someone sees them. We have another admin who is very helpful, but she's a contractor, and has to get approval from most things from the federal admin. It's just frustrating to see how much negativity an employee who contributes so little can bring to an environment.

Is it too difficult to get rid of her? She sounds awful

You haven't been able to figure out in a year how to get ink for your printer without going through the terrible admin?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone work with an admin at a federal agency that is not rude and somewhat lazy? I only need to deal with ours for limited tasks, but she acts as if everything she is asked to do is a huge burden. It's getting hard to deal with the lack of professionalism.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. It's just one admin - I've never had an issue with any others. It's refusing to respond to emails, being rude whenever you ask her for anything, spending most of her day chatting, etc. I'm a supervisor and haven't had ink for the printer in my office for close to a year because she is "too busy" to order supplies. It means I have had to print performance appraisals and other confidential documents on a shared printer and then run down the hall to get them before someone sees them. We have another admin who is very helpful, but she's a contractor, and has to get approval from most things from the federal admin. It's just frustrating to see how much negativity an employee who contributes so little can bring to an environment.

I've had good and bad admins in every single job - firm, local gov, state gov. Yours sounds awful, but there is no need to perpetuate a stereotype that they are all bad. In fact, by your own admission, most are just fine. Stop with the hyperbole!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone work with an admin at a federal agency that is not rude and somewhat lazy? I only need to deal with ours for limited tasks, but she acts as if everything she is asked to do is a huge burden. It's getting hard to deal with the lack of professionalism.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. It's just one admin - I've never had an issue with any others. It's refusing to respond to emails, being rude whenever you ask her for anything, spending most of her day chatting, etc. I'm a supervisor and haven't had ink for the printer in my office for close to a year because she is "too busy" to order supplies. It means I have had to print performance appraisals and other confidential documents on a shared printer and then run down the hall to get them before someone sees them. We have another admin who is very helpful, but she's a contractor, and has to get approval from most things from the federal admin. It's just frustrating to see how much negativity an employee who contributes so little can bring to an environment.

I've had good and bad admins in every single job - firm, local gov, state gov. Yours sounds awful, but there is no need to perpetuate a stereotype that they are all bad. In fact, by your own admission, most are just fine. Stop with the hyperbole!

+1000

[Anonymous]

Why mention federal agencies at all if it's just one person?

[Anonymous]

Count your lucky stars that you still HAVE an admin. There might be one per 300 people in our offices. In my agency, the younger women just get stuck with tasks like filing and purchasing in addition to their normal tasks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why mention federal agencies at all if it's just one person?

NP - my guess is because Fed employees are especially difficult to fire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone work with an admin at a federal agency that is not rude and somewhat lazy? I only need to deal with ours for limited tasks, but she acts as if everything she is asked to do is a huge burden. It's getting hard to deal with the lack of professionalism.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. It's just one admin - I've never had an issue with any others. It's refusing to respond to emails, being rude whenever you ask her for anything, spending most of her day chatting, etc. I'm a supervisor and haven't had ink for the printer in my office for close to a year because she is "too busy" to order supplies. It means I have had to print performance appraisals and other confidential documents on a shared printer and then run down the hall to get them before someone sees them. We have another admin who is very helpful, but she's a contractor, and has to get approval from most things from the federal admin. It's just frustrating to see how much negativity an employee who contributes so little can bring to an environment.

I've had good and bad admins in every single job - firm, local gov, state gov. Yours sounds awful, but there is no need to perpetuate a stereotype that they are all bad. In fact, by your own admission, most are just fine. Stop with the hyperbole!

+1000

Agree. People use this same logic to paint all federal employees as awful. One bad apple must mean they all suck.

I work at a large multinational corporation. Some of our admins are great, most are really good fine, and 2 are freaking horrible. Like put them on a desert island by themselves so I don't have to deal with them anymore, lazy as hell horrible. When people ask me my opinion of the admins, I'm honest - with few exceptions, they're incredibly helpful and we couldn't function without them. I don't say they all suck just because of the two doofuses that can't do their jobs correctly to save their lives.