oh, and I appreciate the feedback.

it's a weird situation. And yes, I'm looking for another job.

The men are not answering the phone for a variety of reasons - largely because many of them think women are all secretaries (and none of them have wives that work) and because they think being in the military makes them better than answering the phone. That's why. One or two of them do help out, and it's much appreciated.

The people whose job it is to manage her performance don't because they just assume she's been here so long, what does it matter.

I guess the answer is just to stop answering the phone and if I get in trouble for the phone ringing, just point out that I'm doing other tasks that I would rather not stop doing because my coworker is on a personal call. I'm trying to make myself look moderately professional in how I handle this, but I guess it's wrong to think that any of them might agree that she should be talked to about this.

Does my age matter?

Buy Nice Girls Don't Get The Corner Office. Read it closely.

You are damaging your own career by acting like you share a job with the long term admin. You don't. The men are not answering the phone because they know this. It's not your job to manage this woman or to do her job so stop doing it.

Anonymous wrote:I agree. Stop answering the phone. For the next day or two. If it starts ringing and your coworker is on a personal call. Find an excuse to get away from your desk. make a copy, go to the bathroom, get a drink, pick up your phone to make a call.

One of 2 things will happen. Your coworker will look at you with a dirty look, but put her personal call on hold to answer or others in the office will start to notice she's not doing her job and get just as mad as you and then she'll have to change her behavior.

This just 100000 times. I really think that right now, this is the easiest and most simple thing to do. Honestly, if no one is taking note that she isn't doing her job, nothing will change. Try this for a couple of weeks and see what happens. OP, how old are you anyways?

Ok, good point(s). When I've done it, I've been asked to step up since the phones were ringing.

But one thing I could be doing is keeping a log of the situation more closely than just a mental log - "here is where I had to stop doing this project because she was on a personal call" or something like that.

she never puts her personal calls on hold - there have been work calls come in for her and she's had me take a message because she's on a personal call. This must be a very old school thing because everyone my age just emails!

but, I will try to do that and see what happens.

I agree. Stop answering the phone. For the next day or two. If it starts ringing and your coworker is on a personal call. Find an excuse to get away from your desk. make a copy, go to the bathroom, get a drink, pick up your phone to make a call.

One of 2 things will happen. Your coworker will look at you with a dirty look, but put her personal call on hold to answer or others in the office will start to notice she's not doing her job and get just as mad as you and then she'll have to change her behavior.

I think it's easy to consider this, "other duties as assigned". Everyone is supposed to help out with the phones, but don't. I am happy to HELP OUT with the phones, but is answering them for the hours a day she's making personal calls considering helping out?

I'm looking for a real answer? It seems it's not worth addressing by any real means. I don't think being passive aggressive makes me look good or professional. (I tried not answering for about 3 days an it just bothering me that the task wasn't getting done, so after 5 rings, I'd pick up)

If you stop answering the phone then someone will eventually take note that she is not doing her job. OTOH, I think you are hurting yourself by taking on this role. At your old office, the mentality was different, but in this new office, I think you are setting yourself up to be viewed as the receptionist/gopher of the office.

Unless, however, in part of your job description, you are supposed to be this person's back up to the phone.

stop answering the phone then

Basically - if the front office staff doesn't answer it, it COULD, technically, just ring and ring and ring...but, I don't mind helping out so I answer it. Perhaps that was a mistake to start doing it so she now thinks I've taken on this task?

Because the office is so small, everyone hears it ring so I'm very aware not to let it ring 4-6 times because it's annoying and not necessary. Of course, the men in the back could answer but....hell hasn't frozen over yet.

I'm guessing it's a situation where the co-worker should be answering the phone. If she is on the other line someone else has to grab it, right? I worked in an office where the receptionist was supposed to answer the phone. If she couldn't, the office assistant was to answer. Only if both of them were unavailable did I need to pick it up. If I was answering the phone every few minutes, I wouldn't have been able to do my job.

I have no real advise,OP. Just understanding. That would make me stabby.

If I don't answer the phone(s), then they generally go unanswered. I work in an environment where everyone else is "too good" to answer the phones (I'm intentionally trying to be vague, so I apologize, but they are all men and don't see that as their job).
I have no problem answering the phone - when I worked on the Hill, my boss's policy was "no one is too good to answer the phone", and he'd do it, too, when it was busy! However, it seems like the largest part of my job is picking up the phone because she's on hers making personal calls. [I've had headphones on, watching a congressional hearing, heard the phone ring multiple times and have had to say, "I'm watching a hearing, can you please answer the phone?" I feel like if you've been here for 40 years, you shouldn't have to be asked that question]

I can't sit elsewhere, unfortunately (tiny office), and it wouldn't help because everyone's phone rings when the main line is ringing.

the biggest issues are 1) it hurts my ability to do my job and 2) I don't think it's appropriate use of resources. I guess I can only really address #1?

I feel like my supervisors don't care - they don't want to get involved in what they'd probably consider civilian drama.

I'm confused --why do you have to answer the phone if she is not available?

Get some good ear plugs. I use those for my noisy cube neighbors

If she's been there 40 years, it'll be next to impossible for her to leave or change. Ask if you can sit somewhere else? Definitely talk to your supervisor about it but with a constructive plan in mind. (Can I sit over here?)

Key question: Do you get the sense that your supervisor has your back at all, and would help you make this situation bearable?

I have a coworker who makes personal calls all day, every day - if I rally paid attention, it would probably be 4+ hours a day on personal calls. I come in, she's on the phone so I don't know how long she does it before I get it. She sits next to me so I definitely notice. Now, I'm all for multi-tasking (I'm on lunch time now) and if you have to make a personal call, there are times it's necessary. But I'm talking 4-5 phone calls a day to her husband...a regular call to her mom...hours with church friends.

It bothers me largely because while I'm in the middle of a time sensitive task, or monitoring something on TV to cover for our boss, I have to stop what I'm doing or stop my train of thought to answer the phone(s) because she's always taking care of personal business. I'm not in an administrative position, so it compounds it being annoying because she is expecting me to automatically be in an administrative position.

She's been here forever - going on 40 years - so no one EVER corrects anything she does. So I'm sensitive to that fact, especially with our rotating supervisors. However, if I'm going to stay here for the foreseeable future, and if she isn't going to retire (I just hold out hope she will), how do I handle this? It's becoming an annoying behavior that hurts my own work load, and I also don't think it's very appropriate. I know that no one is perfect, but this is a difficult situation for me to handle.

If I should just ignore it, then perhaps I should talk to my supervisors about acknowledging that I have taken on extra administrative duties?