How does your company handle "relief" coverage for the front desk/receptionist position. for lunches, vacations,etc.
|
We have a backup admin, and our other managers are trained to answer the phone in a pinch.
|
Kathleen Newton on
8/25/2008 9:07:58 AM
|
|
Our company hires contractor’s for all of our receptionist needs. The relief people are the mail room employees who are also contractors. They relieve for breaks, lunch, and illness.
|
Anonymous on
8/25/2008 6:58:46 AM
|
|
Oops, didn't put my response here. Actually our company has about 30 EA's and we are all asked to assist in reception duty if our receptionist is out. She just sends out a volunteer e-mail with a list of timeslots and then everyone just replies to it and then she posts the final schedule up at the reception desk so you can contact another EA if they forgot about their timeslot. It seems to work out just fine. And frankly it is a nice break during the day! Good luck
|
Marti Smith on
8/22/2008 2:56:12 PM
|
|
Coverage for the front desk - lunch time an admin would cover, vacations - we always called a temp service.
|
Anonymous on
8/22/2008 1:13:21 PM
|
|
My company has a customer service department and 3 people in that department are trained at the reception desk, including opening and sorting mail. It seems to work for us!
|
Anonymous on
8/22/2008 1:12:42 PM
|
|
There are five employees trained on the reception desk from various departments. At lunch we each take one day a week on the switchboard from 12:00 to 1:00 pm and that day our lunch hour is from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. For vacations we split the day up with each of us having to cover for one to two hours each day. We did just recently hire a "floater" and she will be covering reception desk vacations in the future but lunch hour coverage will remain the same.
|
Anonymous on
8/22/2008 11:40:13 AM
|
|
Our company has two part-time receptionists. One works in the morning, and one in the afternoon. By using two part timers, there is no need for anyone to relieve them for the lunch hour. However, they do need to be relieved at 10:00 a.m. and at 3:00 p.m. Also, at times if one employee works all day, then she will need to be relieved for her lunch hour. Our company has approximately 12 administrative assistants or secretaries. A schedule is prepared by our Human Resources department, who is responsible for the receptionist area, for coverage and switchboard relief. These secretaries are broken into four groups of three. Each group is then assigned two months in the year that they need to cover for breaks and lunch, if necessary. Each group then plans the days each person can provide coverage and submits the calendar to the receptionists so they know who is covering for them.
This system has worked exceptionally well, although many of the administrative assistants and secretaries complain they are too busy. However, our company has downsized some positions and there is no alternative choice, such as hiring a relief switchboard operator.
When there is a need to cover for vacation, or extended sick time, either the other part-time receptionist covers for the whole day, or if that doesn't work out, we have two or three former retired employees who are called in to work for just that week.
Hope this helps.
|
Anonymous on
8/22/2008 11:39:32 AM
|
|
I work at a community center that has several programs with most staff totaling about 8 in each program. We have 10 programs running on a daily basis.
We post a schedule on the front board, and staff members from the programs volunteer one or two hours to cover the front desk/receptionist.
It works well because we are all familiar with the receptionist's routine and can carry on through the normal working hours, answering phones, making copies, signing in the mail, etc.
Maybe this will work for you as well.
Have a blessed day!
|
Jenny Penningston on
8/22/2008 11:34:09 AM
|
|
There are five administrative assistants at our location. We are all assigned a certain day (my day is Wednesday) to cover the receptionist's lunch hour. We trade with one another if we can't do it on our day and pay back the days if we are on vacation. The breaks are covered every day by another person in Human Resources (15 minutes morning and afternoon). When the receptionist is on vacation. we break up the days into two hours or whatever works best for us. Of course, our different managers are agreeable with this arrangement and the system has been working for many years.
|
Anonymous on
8/22/2008 11:29:21 AM
|
|
All of the Admins in our office take one day a week to relieve the receptionist for lunch. If the receptionist is out sick or on vacation, the Admins will take turns filling in with the Office Manager sitting up front for the bulk of the day. At one time we had two part-time receptionist where when one is on vacation, the other would fill in for her. Hope this helps
|
Yvonne Jackson on
8/22/2008 11:14:08 AM
|
|
Our company had crossed trained all the administrative assistants upon hiring the basic receptionist duties and then lunch break coverage is split between all of them on a rotating basis. In our office, you basically cover 2 days a month. We basically do the same thing for vacation, except the day is split into 2 to 3 hour shifts and everyone takes turns during a time slot so it isn't on just one person and no one is away from their desk-duties for too long. Usually, prior to the vacation time, people are given the option to choose a time slot so it works better for their schedule if they have something to do within a particular time (conference calls, meetings, etc). To cover for restroom or other breaks (and high call volumes), the phone system is set up on rollover system and the calls are sent to two other extensions after a certain number of rings at the reception desk.
|
Alysia on
8/22/2008 11:07:01 AM
|
|
We ended up hiring a part-time person from 9am - 3pm to cover lunches and breaks. We added another phone panel so that the PT person could answer the overflow calls that the primary Receptionist could not get in time. The PT person also helps on small projects from other departments which has been a blessing in itself.
Part Time positions are becoming more attractive to parents that need to work around school hours and other commitments, so the position was an easy fill.
We have also cross trained one other admin assistant to back up both should we need her.
|
DSK on
8/22/2008 10:56:34 AM
|
|
My company has an a.m. receptionist (8am to 1pm) and a p .m. receptionist (1pm - 6pm) which eliminates the need for lunch coverage. When one of them is on vacation, the other one will cover the entire day and the administrative professionals are cross trained to relieve for lunch.
|
SWW on
8/22/2008 10:52:55 AM
|
|
We have an "office services" employee. She handles setting up/clearing conference rooms, ordering supplies for the kitchen, making coffee, keeping the kitchens tidy and in order, etc. Part of her duties are to relieve the Switchboard for lunch, breaks, and vacation periods. Other individuals (2-3 overflow secretaries) know how to run the Switchboard as well. They are called for Swichboard relief when the need arises.
|
V.Dawn Brimer on
8/22/2008 10:52:28 AM
|
|
We have other people who are also trained to handle the reception desk. You just pick one or two people to cross train on the desk. Have a schedule made out so the primary receptionist has her lunches, breaks and vacations covered by the other people that are trained. Not only does this help out with lunches, vacations, etc., it will also be helpful in the event the primary receptionist gets promoted or leaves the company.
|
Patricia Donnellan on
8/22/2008 10:42:02 AM
|
|
We have four CSR's that rotate as back-up on the phones. They cover during lunch breaks and when the receptionist is out of the office for sick or vacation days.
|
Kathy Winters on
8/22/2008 10:41:54 AM
|
