The Devil Wears Lululemon
I saw this article in the Daily Mail, and it gave me flashbacks.
One secretary, Jackie Roberts, 21, of St Albans, Hertfordshire, said: “My boss is pretty good really, but he does sometimes get me to do silly things.
“Last week he got me to valet his car and then he asked me to peel an apple for him because he doesn’t like the skin.”
Another secretary, from Canterbury, said: “My boss once got me to choose a new rap CD for his son - and another time I had to go on Google to find the best way to get red wine out of a carpet.”
An employment agency manager in the town said: “Some bosses seem to have a never-ending supply of stupid jobs that have nothing to do with the office.”
One in ten secretaries surveyed admitted their paid worktime had been spent fibbing to bosses’ spouses about their whereabouts.
Other tasks included organising a 16th birthday party for a boss’s daughter, surfing a dating website to look for a suitable partner and checking for a favourite team’s football score.
In my neck of the woods, it was buying long underwear for a ski trip, talking to the insurance company about medical problems while pretending to be my boss, finding not one but five different furnished apartments over the years, and helping her move. On a workday. Using company boxes. All this in addition to being an incredible on-the-job performer, and being taken entirely for granted.
This is why more and more companies will pay for “personal assistants” whose functions are to help busy senior execs with their personal lives and schedules. Probably a better idea than forcing personal chores on professional office support staff.
Comment by AS — April 28, 2008 @ 7:48 am
You know, I think a limited amount of this sort of thing is OK, especially in high-pressure situation - a business trip, preparing a bid, that sort of thing. If the executive is working 24/7, then, yeah, it make sense to send an underling out to buy his kid’s birthday present.
Of course, this sort of thing can be abused. And the secretary deserves full appreciation - which means invitations to celebratory lunches, or even outright money.
BTW, I worked as a temp secretary for a couple of months back in the eighties. Yes, everyone assumed I was gay. I think I won my evangelical boss some brownie points for his “tolerance”.
Comment by intellectual pariah — April 28, 2008 @ 2:16 pm
Great secretaries are hard to find. Mine of the last 18 years died suddenly of a massive heart attack ten days ago.
Aside from losing a good friend, I cannot even clean my desk. I have dozens of business corps for whom I do only annual meetings and reports. Hell, I haven’t even met some of those people for the last five years or so.
Comment by The Real Sporer — April 28, 2008 @ 7:59 pm
I’m sorry for your loss, Sporer. I once worked as a temp in a sudden death situation. From the next secretary’s position, can I just ask that you try not to be too obvious in comparing them?
Too bad you’re so far away… I’d be glad to help!
RG
Comment by Right Girl — April 28, 2008 @ 8:02 pm