As an office administrator you are essentially running the office and on most cases chasing the Financial Advisors to make sure they stay on task and do what they are meant to do. The financial advisor is the 'head of the branch' but in most cases is sadly absent. They are out the office frequently and as administrator you are left making excuses. I hate liars but have been felt forced to fib on occasion in order to not irritate or face the wrath of a client who has tried multiple times to have a conversation with an absentee advisor.
And its not just vacation, but outside interests with no positive effect for the business, just hobbies. I'm a part of nationwide groups (and in a group there is a person from a Canadian branch) and this is common. The disconnect from home office is blaring. The staff, Client Team Service Members is the new title, are the heart of Edward Jones. They aren't appreciated to the extent they should be, especially in high ranked offices. The FA's get TAP trips that costs upward of $10000 of dollars. They get yearly regional events where the table decorations alone cost at minimum $50. Our yearly ENTIRE budget per office administrator is around $27. That's gift, decor and everything. It is such an overwhelming injustice I can't even fathom how they keep staff. Every year it gets harder for me to not quit. They talk so much about DEI but are hypocrites regarding inclusivity with non FA staff because they certainly don't treat regular office members the same as the advisors
