Huge issues

LegacyUser

I'll try to compact this as much as I can. (edit: well... that didn't work out)

I was hired as a receptionist 8 years back (perm contract), then my job description got changed to a facility coordinator to bring in orghanising the facilities end of things also. I've also been transferred out of the original company I work for, twice now and I am currently with the second outsourced company, who are a well known real estate conglomerate who also deal in Facility Management. My colleagues and managers are all abroad. I have been handed a lot in the past year including travelling to another office once a month to tick boxes for h&s matters and fill out building risk assessments and emergency evacuation plans and also look after their facility management. I had to handle a health and safety audit on my own, while still on reception, I think the auditor was in shock that I was doing this stuff as a one man band. All the while I still answer the phones and make the tea and just about every other donkey job going. I have to act when emergencies like machinery break downs happen, but get cost approval first, I am just waiting for something really bad to happen because the sh*t will hit the fan big time due to "due process" (an email sitting somewhere unactioned, more like) and lack of contact from my manager as I email her everything and she doesn't respond then answers with "call me if it's urgent" when asked what I am meant to do with the outstanding quotes for facility maintenance, of which there are several just sitting and piling up. Their culture seems to be tick boxes keep on top of kpi's and big on safety box ticking but not on actually delivering the service the client wants, at least not in any timely way.

It seems to me I am more or less managing without the title or the purse strings and I am just everyone's puppet but with absolutely no authority, support, or encouragement or appreciation for what I've done to help them transition the account to the new management. I know that they are flat out and it's not because they are lazy that they don't get back to me, there is one head of facilities I report to and they handle several countries. They have made some bad mistakes also lately regarding terminating service agreements, that have caused me so much stress as they relate directly to my site and my suppliers and things have been bad for me as a result.

They are very nice when they come here and help me get things done, but out of sight is then out of mind and I've also had to almost beg for stuff that is needed here to be done, there are 20 questions type scenarios for things that don't cost the earth, everything outside of the agreed maintenance programme has to be sent back up to the head of facilities on the client side to ok, something as low as under 200 Euros, which I feel is absolutely ridiculous. I feel that I have just been dumped with all of this without a pay review and no offer of a raise to reflect the extra responsibility I have taken on, when I was sent the letter about the title change it was all a big muddle as I was on maternity leave and I was so anxious I went to citizens info who told me I should have been made redundant because I was no longer a receptionist...but I couldn't bring myself to take on a fight with a company when I had a young baby and I thought just get on with it and see how it goes. But I feel anxious all of the time and I am crying a lot - I am beginning to have more bad days than good. I've never been fantastic at handling stress and then I blame myself for not being more resilient.

My problem hanging on is the benefits are too good and I know that I will never see them again. I also have a toddler and at the moment and it's hard enough raising one without further stress - so I am scared to move job in case it's worse somewhere else, there is a longer commute and I won't see my child, or I just come under worse pressure. I suffered post natal depression after my daughter and it's only recently I came off of medication for it. If I am sick there is no one to call, I organise cover myself from an agency but I know that they won't make it here until the afternoon then the client here gets annoyed, and I know it shouldn't be my problem but I'm not the type of person to shrug it off. I feel alone. I feel unsupported and unappreciated and all the while I am getting worse at being a nice receptionist as I used to be, because of all the other focus now on health and safety, filling out forms, asbestos awareness online training programmes, quality training, all while sitting on reception with a headset on and being interrupted (not their fault) if needed. I feel like I am going to explode and I don't know what to do. I don't even know what i am asking, I just needed to get this out. I am grumpy, irritable and worried all the time about stuff here. There is a lot more but I can't write forever. I know from experience that support roles like this always tend to get the sh*ttier end of the stick and that is part of the trapped feeling, I feel there is no point moving unless I train in something else and move to a better field of work as there will be no point walking into the fire from the frying pan. I also feel it's really unfair to try to do a facility manager's job while working as a receptionist. I don't even know what I am asking here I just needed to type this out and release it, I feel like damaging myself sometimes, I just wanted to bang my head off a wall last night, surely that can't be healthy. Sorry for taking so long and thank you if you read this, I don't even know what I am looking for here, I think I know I need to go for my sanity. I am so low right now.

LegacyUser

Hey OP, hope you're doing better, you sounded like you were in a bad way over this.

I would say try and talk to your manager (or higher up if needed) about this and tell them it's too much for you to take on at once, or maybe ask them if you can some proper dedicated training in facilities management instead of having to watch videos while working on reception.

If you're otherwise happy there then I would say maybe wait a while to see if things calm down first.

Also about being scared to quit your job, I think everyone is scared of quitting their jobs, because it can be scary to be fair, but if you can have another job lined up then go for it if it's what you want.

Best of luck anyway, hope things turn out well for you.

LegacyUser

Hi there, I hope you are feeling better. Your job spec changing while you were on mat leave, you must still have grounds. Get advice on that before time limits run out.
Maybe you could do lists of what you do now Vs what you were before mat leave, either for a raise or to pursue the redundancy they should have offered. Compare to a facility manager's job spec somewhere. Lists of what you need. You need them to give you schedules of what is coming up for renewal. List your options: Go - new job, legal fight; Stay - raise? Keep calm and practical.
Maybe you need to demand more and get used to asking. It's hard but stay calm but repeat yourself: what do you need. Do you have any bargaining chips? Don't be afraid of trying for a new job. What-if doesn't help if you use it to scare yourself. Keep it practical and realistic and small chunks, not the whole bite. Best of luck