Death of the Receptionist

Receptionist Becoming a Thing of the Past

David Maida, Employment Today - August 2007

The role of receptionist is becoming increasingly hard to fill. It seems no one is interested in being isolated at the front desk. David Maida finds out what can be done to develop the role to make it more attractive.

THE RECEPTIONIST HAS LONG
been the linchpin of many organisations, often doing all the little tasks that no one else seems to have the time to do. But these days it's a job with few takers.

In May, there were nearly 400 receptionists vacancies posted on websites for the Auckland market alone.

Sarah Miller, business administration manager at Smith Uren Limited, is one employer who faced an all too familiar situation. Her receptionist took maternity leave and, when the baby arrived, she announced she wanted to remain home with her child.

Miller had been using temps to hold the position vacant, as required by law, and ended up going through four temps in just eight months.

"It's been pretty tough. Every time somebody leaves, even if you're given notice, it's impossible to recruit quickly given the current market," Miller says.

Generation-Y might be a logical place to look for temporary help, but Miller found giving them a job as they returned back from their OE was a mistake. "In terms of commitment, I still think they're in that holiday mode, footloose and fancy free," she says.

And Miller says when she gently raised a performance management issue with one twenty-something temp, she walked off the job. "She walked out at lunchtime. She didn't call me. I had to call her and leave messages. I was sent an e-mail in the end," Miller says.

Smith Uren has given up on the idea of having a receptionist and has changed the role to that of administrator, someone who will move forward within the organisation.

ISOLATED OUT FRONT
Jane Kennelly, director of Frog Recruitment, says it's a familiar story-no one is interested in becoming a receptionist these days. The very idea of seeking a friendly, bubbly, vivacious and social person only to put them into an isolated pen at the front of the office is absurd, she says.

"They should think about how to incorporate these people by having office design that actually encourages interaction so that isolation does not occur." Call centres are also competing for these same candidates.

"Call centres offer social interaction, stimulation, reward and recognition systems, huge training and development programmes and that feeling of momentum and movement," Kennelly says.

Often the job design for a receptionist is not very well thought out. Most organisations offer only a finite role with no real entry point into the organisation, yet expect everything.

"Employers are looking for the patience of Ghandi, the wisdom of God, the energy of Richard Branson and the teamwork of a foot soldier," she says.

The lack of applicants for a receptionist position might come down to how the ad is written. Putting a bunch of demanding statements in an advert such as "must be bright and bubbly" is one sure-fire way to receive a zero response rate.

Kennelly says that if employers expect someone who is beautifully spoken and who has hair in a perfect bob to man their front gates, they need to ask what it is the organisation can offer the candidate in return.

Developing the role to possibly involve some website content management or liaising with the marketing or sales department in some way is one way
of increasing the calibre of the applicants.

"The moment we start enrolling some quite gutsy tasks and building some relationships
internally into the role, we start to see greater interest by people. Job content should be really well thought out to stretch and expand the individual," Kennelly says.

MARKET RATES
Kennelly warns not to bother looking for a quality receptionist if you can't afford at least $40,000. "Salaries in some instances need to be moved by $5000 to $8000 to actually attract the right person."

To hold on to a good receptionist, you'll need to pay above market rates and probably have some recognition systems in place.

Other ways to fill this gap in the labour force include using mature workers, using job shares and leasing out the position. Older workers can sometimes be enticed with a health insurance programme but they also are aware of their value.

"Just because someone's older doesn't mean you can get them on the cheap:' Kennelly says. Job sharing might sound difficult but Kennelly says it works quite well to have different people sharing mornings and afternoons or working a few days a week.

"The success is in how they communicate together. It can meet lifestyle requirements and work as seamlessly as having one person. In fact, even more so because the coverage can be greater."

Butsome organisations choose to lease out the role entirely. Some employment agencies have pools of workers and guarantee you a receptionist every day. Having an
independent organisation manage the role means there won't be a gap if a temp decides to walk off the job.

However the role is filled, Kennelly says make sure you don't neglect your front of office. "These individuals really do make an impression about organisations to very important people called customers."

David Maida is an Aucklandbased freelance journalist.
EMPLOYMENT TODAY AUGUST 2007 page 36