How do I stop this cycle?

I work for a very senior manager and have been with her for 5 years. She takes very good care of me and is an excellent person to work for. I do many personal things for her as well as business. Mostly business though.

I also work for a more junior person who is an officer as well but nowhere near the rank of my big boss. She asks me to do personal things for her as well and she is not at all as busy as my big boss.

When I say no to getting her breakfast (too busy) lunch ( too busy.etc.) she goes to a junior admin in my group who is too scared to say no.

Today she asked me to get breakfast but I was too busy and I wasn't planning on running anywhere for my own breakfast. I bring my breakfast and lunch frequently. I don't mind going when I'm going for myself or possibly my big boss wants a meal but it's really not my job to do that in the first place. I do it as a courtesy if I'm going for my own meal. My big boss works non-stop 80 hours a week and doesn't even have time to pee.

Today really broke the straw for me. My colleague went to get her breakfast. She didn't ask her I had to. This has happened before. She won't even ask her herself..she asks me to ask her. It's awful. I need to put a stop to this. How do I break the cycle? The straw was that she brought her back a yogurt with pineapple..she asked for a yogurt with fruit. It turns out that she is allergic to pineapple and asked her to go down and exchange it!!!!! WHAT!!!!!!! Get your own freakin breakfast lady!

I had a talk with my colleague and told her we both have to stop this.

Last week I was on vacation and she took care of both my big boss and the other manager and this manager asked her to get breakfast and lunch most of the week. She had quadruple the workload while I was away and she still had the balls to ask her to do personal sh!t!

I really need to do something. But how?

Re: How do I stop this cycle?

How does this work in other departments of your company? In my office, there are a some managers/owners that have assistants ordering lunch for them and others that get their own meals.

Since it's interfering with getting work done, can you ask your big boss to intervene?

Re: How do I stop this cycle?

Most of the people I work with don't get their managers their meals. Some do. The ones on the executive floor do. They also have executive dining. All they have to do is have their managers order or a menu and they call it in. I have to go to the cafeteria or outside. I'm not on the executive floor but my boss works for top management. The other manager works for her.

Yes, everyone is busy. When I don't have phone coverage I say no. I tried to use that but I really don't want to bring it up to my big boss. She has enough crap to deal with and this other manager does a lot of work for her. I don't want to tell on her. That's how I feel it looks.

I'm really upset about this and I've asked others how to handle but they are stumped as well. I dug this hole by trying to be helpful. She sees me doing personal stuff for the big boss and I guess that's how she finds it acceptable.

Message edited 10/6/2009 12:30:29 PM.

Re: How do I stop this cycle?

Also this manager used to be a consultant and in the past hired an outside assistant to do pesonal stuff for her. That's how she sees an assistant. It's a big problem.

Re: How do I stop this cycle?

I was an Exec Asst and the only way I found to break that cycle is to continually say no because you're busy but MAKE sure you have the work to back it up.

You and the other admins just should just continually say, "I'd love to/I wish I could, but Im working on this for Bigger Exec

I highly doubt that the lower exec is going to complain to the bigger boss that you or anyone else is too busy to get her yogurt


good luck!

Re: How do I stop this cycle?

Re: How do I stop this cycle?

Re: How do I stop this cycle?