[flappergirlash]

How do I tactfully tell my boss during my upcoming annual review that I am bored, unchallenged, and that I finish my work within an hour or two of being in the office without sounding completely ungrateful, which I suppose I am?

I've been his assistant for a year and a couple of months, and admittedly there have been some things change in my life in the last few months which have changed my perspective on my job, but that doesn't change the fact that I don't have enough work to keep me occupied, but I fear that if I ask for more work, I'll be here 'til after midnight finishing everything, or that I won't be adequately compensated for the extra work.

Suggestions...anyone else suffering from the same problem? I might add that there's not really any other section of the company in which I'm terribly interested, so it's not like I can really "broaden my horizons."

[NicoleMiller]

Is there a project that your boss is working on that you'd like learn more about?

In the past, I took note of specific projects my boss was working on and asked if I could be a more active contributor. This gave me the ability to learn more as well as take on a larger workload.

[sugarbush]

If it's a job you still want, try to identify a need that you see, are interested in and that you could meet. Why not read around on the internet about the field and see what others are doing that you could do? Both you and your boss would benefit from you feeling challenged and excited to go to work. If you don't want the job, you still need a good review to get the next one. Maybe you need to plan a career move if advancing in this company does not interest you. Is there an HR department/rep you trust and can talk to confidentially to get advice before the review?

[lilysunshine]

Being proactive is definitely a great route, as sugarbush and Nicole mentioned! Take a few days and observe the office. The way people go about their work, who seems to be the busiest. Maybe ask them if you can help out before your review, you'll then be able to tell him you're doing that, and are looking to help out in other ways, too. Are there procedures that need cleaning up?

At a previous job, I found myself directly dealing with the compliance department without any idea as to what they were looking for each time I sent a mailing for review. There was also no tracking system to keep track of what had been and had not been approved, who had approved it, etc.

I developed the approval and tracking system there, one they still use. In my case it was need vs. looking for something to do, but I asked a lot of questions, took a lot of notes, and put a lot of thought into what would make things easier.

Just showing more interest in how things work around your office will likely get noticed by the right people. If the researching and poking around doesn't net you some projects of your own, it may wind up getting you some extra responsibility from higher up anyway.

[MrsHovey]

FlapperGirlAsh-
The advice offered above is really good. Most employers will appreciate the fact that you are not content to surf the net all day and would actually like to do more to help the company. If you can take in specific ideas about how you can help, like the others have mentioned, that may help you have more control over how much more work you are taking on. Your boss will also appreciate the fact that he does not have to look for things for you to do. It is also a good idea to make sure that you phrase your "complaints" in a way that he will not take to be directed at him (i.e. "You do not give me enough work," or "You don't seem to think I can handle any more work.")
This may also be a good time for you to see if this is a company you want to continue to work for. In my last position, I tried talking to my boss several times, and during the meetings I would think that I was actually going to be taken seriously. Within several days of the meetings, however, the ideas I had presented to him had been designated to other people (who were already feeling overworked!) After this happened several times, I took my cue and found a position where I could be challenged and where I was taken seriously. While this ended up being a great move for me, I certainly hope that your conversation goes much better!
-Kelly

[Eliz]

I think it comes with the territory, the higher your boss, the more responsibile each task is but the less work you have overall.

I agree with the messages above - identify a Need within your office environment or re-vamp the health & safety guidelines making them more user friendly with pictures etc.

Let us know what you come up with.

[lschmidt]

Dear FlapperGirlAsh,

You could also volunteer to help other work groups, or gain experience and build your portfolio in related ways to what you're doing. For example, if you are great with MS PowerPoint, but manager X from the group across the hall is not and he has a big presentation in a few days, why not offer to make his graphs and charts? Chances are he will appreciate the offer and even if he does not take you up on it immediately he will remember that you asked for when he truly is in a crunch.

Or, you could proofread documents that others prepare- we all know that it is easier to critique others' writing than our own and your peers will appreciate that you caught a typo before it went to the head honcho for review (even the most seasoned of writers will add extra spaces and misspell names and titles- how embarassing to have the CEO call you or your manager out that he or she is not the CEEO or that there is only one "S" in Davis... good thing you caught it before it went that far...).

If there is an internal publication or newsletter, why not offer to contribute a writing sample or conduct a survey? Not only will it give you something to do but it can go in your portfolio as work experience for jobs you may interview for in the future. You could volunteer to be the event photographer and take pictures of the company picnic for the employee intranet or whatever. Same goes for grant proposals, customer letters, memos, text for your company's website, etc.; someone has to write all that stuff! Might as well go in your portfolio. Just make sure that if you offer your help out that you do a top-notch job, otherwise you can bet that nobody will want to ask you again.

If you work for a large company you could volunteer for a committee. This way you are exposed to other departments and get to work on fun projects. You could be the one to arrange the company bowling for charity party! Once in a while you might suggest to your boss that you take a supplementary course- not only does this give you something to do, but you come out with refined skills that you can apply at any job you do, such as a time management or prioritizing seminar, or a networking session. You could also look for relevant webinars that discuss topics that may be of interest to your boss and pitch it as a way to keep tabs on what your competitors are doing. That way you don't even need to leave your desk (you can pitch this as a cost-saving measure if there is no travel involved).

Depending on your field you may consider joining a professional organization, such as SHRM (Society of Human Resource Managers) or PRSA (Public Relations Society of America). They offer seminars, webinars, classes, networking opportunities, conferences, retreats, etc. with a big plus- your company might pay for it since it makes you a more credible representative of the department. Again, this looks great on your resume and being actively involved in a professional organization might let your boss know that you're serious about pursuing the field you're in, thus leading to more significant assignments.

A good department to hit up for things to do is whoever is in charge of volunteer-type activities. A little philanthropy goes a long way. Nobody likes giving up their Saturdays, so the people who coordinate volunteer activities full-time always appreciate when another person offers to help stuff the goodie bags. This might not be the most fun, but it is for a good cause and again, helping with charitable initiatives looks great on a resume if you do decide on a career change.

I would say though, think carefully about who you volunteer to help out around the office. Once people find out how awesome you are EVERYONE will be asking you to help out and you don't want to get bogged down and have it affect your regular duties. But, pick up a few key projects and you'll have substantial evidence in your next performance review of just how valuable and proactive you are.

Hope this helps!

Lauren
Atlanta

[Ms. Bridgette Jones]

Not to sound negative but be very clear about which responsibilities you would like or would prefer. You need to be very clear about things/tasks you'd like to take on. I suggested to my boss that I'd like to take some on-line training courses to sharpen my skills in the office and he was fine with that. However, if you say you are bored...that's not a good thing. Maybe say you'd like to be more challenged or take on some new projects and specifically tell him which ones you are interested in or how you think you can make his life easier or how you can better assist him to free up more time for him personally. If you just leave it open, it's a double-edged sword. If you walk around saying you are bored, look bored, etc... then you are an open target for those in your office who may not want to do their own work. Just be careful what you wish for....

[Vega]

This is such a great topic. I have found that over the years, the admin role is becoming less & less understood (terribly underappreciated) and therefore admins find themselves having to learn other aspects of their company because bosses don’t know how to use admins anymore! Everyone is so darned self-sufficient these days. More & more, we are living in a world of “I can do it. I don’t need you.” I've worked as an admin in various businesses over the years: large companies, small companies, start ups, hospitality, wall street, etc... and while I have a wonderful working knowledge of different industries, I have also done myself a disservice by not learning well one particular industry - because I've jumped around. But I also believe that an admin/exec assistant is there to help the staff and not (necessarily) become the people they work for. Does that make sense?

Seems the whole aspect of teamwork has gone out the window. How can we bring it back? I am on the market myself because my job is simply not challenging enough. My boss thinks he’s doing me a favor by not asking me to do too much! I work for an internet technology/software development company. I’m not really interested in learning code. LOL. I’m interested in showing him how well I can organize his life. Is it a trust thing? Is it that the more my boss allows me into his life, the more personal information I am privy to and the more he's afraid of me knowing his business? The boss-admin relationship is like a husband & wife team in the office. There has to be a certain amount of trust or else it is not going to work.

[LisaOlsen]

One of the sessions I present at conferences and on-site training is called "Getting Unstuck - 5 Questions to Ask to Get You Pointed in the Right Direction." Although the complete presentation covers the questions in depth, I'd be happy to share them with you. They give admins the chance to dig deep and either reconnect with their current position, or realize it's time to move on.

Let me know and I will send them to you.