How ridiculous has your boss been? The answers may be tame for some. As an assistant, you might have wilder, weirder, or deeper personal transgressions. Unfortunately, many of us endure demanding and micromanaging bosses at some point in our careers.
Jeremy Burrows asked executive assistants what the most ridiculous thing an executive asked them to do was. As the administrative assistant to the CEO of Capacity, author of “The Leader Assistant: Four Pillars of a Confident, Game-Changing Assistant,” he’s seen bosses treat assistants as tailors, cleaners, private investigators, and unwilling servants. Here are some of the weirdest requests assistants have received:
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The Boss Who Snapped Fingers
Her fingers snapped when she wanted something. She shouted FOOD from her office, meaning it was lunchtime. My admin career was just beginning. As painful as it was, it made me more sympathetic to admins facing tyrants. – anonymous executive assistant
Boss Asks Assistant To Dispose Of Dead
Bird
My boss had a bird fly into his car grill while driving to work – it didn’t survive. Once he got to the office, he used my ruler to wedge it out, asked me to get rid of it, and handed it back. – anonymous executive assistant
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The Boss Who Wanted A Personal Tailor
He wanted a hole sewn in his pocket while wearing them. He didn’t change. He just pulled out the pocket for me to sew! Anyone watching would have called HR! Gotta laugh! – anonymous executive assistant.