"The union is great, don't get me wrong, but one side effect of having it is that there are massive, sometimes arbitrary and annoyingly vague, lines around what I can and cannot do in my role. This wouldn't necessarily be a problem, if most of the time the things I'm not allowed to do are required to be done by managers. Managers who are overworked, undertrained, and underpaid, and so don't have the time or brain space to address things I bring to them."
"This constant shuffling, blocking, and ignoring of client concerns is noticeably affecting our productivity and client relationships and my ability to do the things that I actually am allowed to do, because what often happens is I can initiate steps 1-2 of solving a problem, but despite knowing what every subsequent step is, I'm not allowed to do them, and that irritates and stresses me out, especially when clients then badger me about wtf the needless holdup is."
An employee in a unionized secretarial role faces strict, vague boundaries about allowed tasks. Managers are expected to handle prohibited tasks but are consistently overworked, undertrained, and underpaid, leaving them unable to address items the employee escalates. Routine shuffling and ignoring of client concerns lowers productivity, harms client relationships, and prevents completion of assigned duties. The employee can start problem-solving but cannot complete subsequent steps, creating stress when clients complain about delays. Coworkers advise sticking strictly to job duties, but the employee reports that these limits directly impede work. Changing jobs or office arrangements is not currently feasible.
Read at Slate Magazine
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