Question: “I am in that no-man's land where my boss likes my work so much that he treats me as his administrative assistant even though I am not his assistant. Are administrative assistants supposed to clean their bosses' desks? I personally don't want to do this. He is a messy person and his desk is always a mess. I don't know what to do with most of the paperwork on his desk other than to move it to a cabinet. What are the official nonbusiness duties that an administrative assistant should do for a boss? Should I get his coffee? I do get it occasionally, but he asks politely.” — Beatrice
See Comments Below
Like what you've read? ...Republish it and share great business tips!
Attention: Readers, Publishers, Editors, Bloggers, Media, Webmasters and more...
We believe great content should be read and passed around. After all, knowledge IS power. And good business can become great with the right information at their fingertips. If you'd like to share any of the insightful articles on BusinessManagementDaily.com, you may republish or syndicate it without charge.
The only thing we ask is that you keep the article exactly as it was written and formatted. You also need to include an attribution statement and link to the article.
" This information is proudly provided by Business Management Daily.com: http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/15574/when-is-an-admin-not-an-admin "
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Not sure if my response is too late or not. After reading everyone’s input, I had to go back and re-read the question. I concur with what others wrote in regards to clarifying the duties for your job title. If I were the Administrative Assistant for your boss, I would personally feel resentful if someone else did things for him/her that falls under my responsibilities. I think it’s wise to be up front with your boss and I have the same question: Does he already have an administrative assistant or executive secretary that should be handling these duties? I also concur that depending on the boss and organization, the job duties of an administrative assistant varies from job to job. Right now I work in an organization where everyone is so self-sufficient that they even do my job for me and it can be quite frustrating. Sometimes I wonder, why do you employ me if you’re going to do my job for me. However, I don’t want to be ungrateful. I’m thankful I have a job and I’m having to learn to be very flexible and to let go. I’m here for whatever my boss needs and wants and when asked, I carry out the request to the best of my ability–even if it’s getting a cup of coffee which is rare. In regards to getting coffee, water or other beverages, it has been my experience that it really depends on who I am working for as to whether this becomes part of my job description. Fortunately, I’ve been working for people who prefer to get their own food and drinks but I don’t mind doing this if asked and I do offer on occasions and they decline my offer so I finally quite asking.
The following person is VERY RUDE! That’s my comment!
Denise (Author/Admin)
said this on 23 Jul 2010 1:32:14 PM EDT
Oh, please. Should is a word I avoid like the plague. If you are not his assistant why do you want to find out how to act like one? Mind your own business, and let his assistant take care of the customary duties. Concern yourself with your job not someone elses.
If your boss wants to pay you to clean his desk and you have the time to do it, have him work with you. Ask that he take the paperwork and make two piles: 1) get rid of it or 2) file it. With the “file it,” he should use Post-it notes to name the file. Then file them or make a new folder. Make sure it is an easy to find later name. If you don’t have the time, let him know that it will be quite a while before you can do it since you have too many other projects for now.
I am not a coffee drinker and people who have asked have since learned not to because apparently I make a horrible cup of coffee. My boss asked me once and that was the last time. I did however suggest having a coffee machine for the Executive Office and now each morning fresh coffee is made by the Receptionist and it is only a few steps for any of the Executives to get themselves a coffee. If we are having an all-day meeting, I will order a coffee carafe in the room.
If my boss is in back-to-back meetings, I will offer to run down and get him something to eat because I know he just doesn’t have time or if it is a meeting I ask if I should order lunch because I see the meeting will possibly run into the lunch hour. This is something he relies on me to think of as all he is thinking about is the business of the company and sometimes a little thing like lunch slips his mind.
I wouldn’t outright say no to cleaning someone’s desk, but I would offer suggestions. A lawyer I once worked for was overwhelmed by the pile of papers and files on his desk and asked me to help him clean it. I told him that I was not comfortable doing that because I wouldn’t know what was important and might throw something out he really needed. I suggested that he go through everything and have a box on the floor for junk and put anything that was for filing in his Out Tray and I would take care of it. It worked for us and he was thankful I suggested it because he found some important papers he had been looking for.
For my current boss, when I first started I noted he did not have an In or an Out Tray so that was the first order of business. It is amazing how such a simple system can make their work life much, much easier. And I make sure to check it frequently during the day. I also get whatever he needs for the next day and put it in a folder with a copy of his calendar so he will know why he has it. When he is done he just puts the folder in the Out Tray for me to deal with. Sometimes he has notes on it to bring it forward again for him, to pass along to someone else in the company or to file it.
I think it would be unwise to insist you won’t make the coffee, or clean the desk, or get someone’s lunch, because sometimes it just makes sense to do it. You have to look at each situation and determine if it is a must-have, a nice-to-have or a need-to-have and then act accordingly.
I wrote an article on my blog about the coffee situation called “Will that be one sugar or two?” http://secretaryhelpline.blogspot.com/2008/04/will-that-be-one-sugar-or-two.html
You might find it interesting.
On the other hand, are you are being paid an hourly rate or a salary? Regardless, if you are being paid to “work” for 8 hours a day, what does it matter what you are asked to do? If my boss is willing to pay me my current rate of pay to clean a desk, fetch coffee, sweep a floor, so be it. Having been on both sides (employer and employee), I will say that as an employer, I would not think of asking, but as an employee, well . . . it’s the boss’s money and I get paid whatever job I do.
A lot of the other comments are assuming that the boss has actually ASKED you to clean up his desk. The initial post doesn’t say either way.
Regardless if Mr. Boss has asked or not, if you are not his assistant by title and duty, I would politely decline with something like, “I’m not comfortable doing that because I don’t know the intricacies of your paperwork and would be afraid of misfiling or throwing away something critical.” That way, you’re avoiding the whole, “I’m not your assistant or maid. It’s not my job.” quagmire.
As far as the coffee goes, if you’re headed that way, what’s the big deal of pouring a cup for the boss. When he asks, you still have the option to say no – “I’m right in the middle of something. Can it wait X minutes?” I do like the previous suggestion of using the coffee pot run as an opportunity to walk-and-talk. It does provide an opportunity to have the boss’s undivided attention, even if only for a minute.
I *am* an assistant and I make trips to the coffee pot for my boss and don’t even drink it myself. I also stick my head in and ask if she wants me to pick up anything to eat if I’m going out to grab something for myself. But then, I ask everyone in our office (of 5 people). It’s just polite.
If you are not his assistant, why are you even asking this question? What is your title? Does your job description need to be revisited? Also, most HR departments and unions (if you have one) will stretch the “other duties as assigned” portion of your job as far as YOU allow them to. It it is NOT in your job description but IS in someone else’s, then it is not under the “other duties as assigned” umbrella.
I work for a small, non-profit where we are often asked to “pinch hit” for employees on family leave or vacation. I just add it to my list of accomplishments for my year-end evaluation and mention every extra job I took on that year, no matter how menial I felt it was at the time! I have always gotten a bonus at the end of each year, and therefore think it is worthwhile to be more willing than not to help out the organization as a whole during lean times.
After 30+ years what I’ve learned is that if they are disorganized and expect you to clean up after them, they need to be living at home with “Mom.” This is 2010. We’re ALL busy. I have certainly gotten a glass of water for my boss in the past, but it’s when his candle is burning at both ends and he looks like someone drug him into work behind their car. I have accepted positions before where they were looking for someone to get the executive organized. That ONLY works if they work whatever process or system you put into place. Otherwise, you’re cleaning their office every week and by Wednesday it is back to the way it was. I went to one woman’s house and her home looked just like her office….a path from the door to the chair…to the kitchen…with mounds of mess everywhere! The days of being the hired help are over. I don’t clean up after my bosses and they don’t blame me when they can’t find something.
I guess I am a little confused, are you working for him? What are your job duties? Is this assignment falling under the “other duties as assigned” category. Where is his assistant? Does he have an assistant? If not, do you feel as if cleaning his desk, getting coffee etc., beneath your pay grade or actual title? If there are men in the office with the same title as you is he asking them to do things not on their job description is there unfair labor practices going on?
If you don’t wear a tag that reads “waitress” don’t get the coffee and if you don’t have a tag that reads “housekeeping” don’t clean his desk. And most important, if you don’t have the title “assistant to whatever his name is” then don’t do his admin work.
If you are his assistant, then the desk cleaning and coffee are up to you. The organizing is part of the job and being an assistant, you should know at a certain point how to do this. If you are a personal assistant, then all of the above apply and so should the salary.
Do you want to be his assistant? If so, sit down and have a chat with him about how you think your job duties are changing and see if he was thinking the same thing.
If you aren’t his assistant, and you don’t want to be, then politely tell him that you don’t feel comfortable taking on this role when it is convenient for him.
Whether or not I clean up the boss’s desk depends on the boss. I’ve had a couple of bosses that wanted and needed for me to do so. For them I gladly did it. Other bosses didn’t want me to touch their desks…so I didn’t. If your boss is disorganized and wants help keeping his desk organized, then that you be part of your duties as an assistant. And, yes, I get coffee, lunch, or anything else they ask me. To me, my job is to maximize their time. If my getting them coffee helps them work better, then it’s part of my job.
Of course, you’re not his assistant, so that may change things. I agree with others who are asking if he has an assistant and what she’d doing. It can cause a lot of ill-will in the workplace if you are perceived to be taking over her job.
If he is your boss and asks for your help, I think you should do it. I have ‘cleaned’ my bosses desks before when I know they are meeting with an important client and they have been tied up in meetings all day. They just do not always have those few spare minutes in their day to ‘tidy up’ their desks. As far as coffee goes, my boss and I regularly offer to get coffee for each other. Sometimes, I will even offer to go with him so that I can have a chance to speak to him on the way! You can always share with him/her that you don’t really know where to put everything when he/she asks you to clean his desk. Perhaps you will get some clarification that way and the task won’t be so difficult.
You’ve left a lot unsaid here. What are your job duties? Does he have an assistant? Is he needing an assistant? Does he have the authority and desire to change your job description? Do you want to become his assistant? If not, you need to clear that up. If so, you have some things to work out.
The role of Assistant can mean different things to different people. Assistants can be low-tech or high-tech. The list of things assistants are expected to do is almost limitless. What would you want out of this? I certainly wouldn’t clean off his desk unless you both had a very clear understanding of how to do that. I don’t bring coffee to any of my bosses, but they don’t ask so that’s not an issue for me. They count on me to make their reports look great, to catch editing mistakes & typos, to create tables and documents, etc. I like “assisting”, whether it’s for the firm partners or any other staff member. But I prefer assisting with, and being appreciated for, doing work that no one else does quite as well. That makes me a valuable asset and my work is truly appreciated.
Whatever you decide to do, do it better than anyone else.
I have a really good working relationship with my boss and it makes all the difference in the world. I clean his desk but at the same time it disorganizes his little mess of a system so I just straighten up the piles. You refer to him as “your boss” so I don’t think there are boundaries between you and the admin asst as far as he’s concerned. If you are not clear any more on what you are supposed to be doing then it is time for you to approach him in a courteous professional manner. Mention that your responsiblities seem to have changed and you just want a clearer understanding of what he’d like to expect of you and his admin asst so that you can both work cohesively as a smooth running unit. Let him know you’re uncomfortable straightening his desk being that you are not familiar with what’s on there and therefore you don’t feel you’re the right person to do this or to give you guidance on how he’d like it handled. Coffee is tricky and I have seen it now written in job descriptions. If you make a bad pot of coffee he might stop asking you to get it. He doesn’t sound like he’s mistreating you. You’re saying you “personally” don’t want to do this. Don’t take any of this personal and look at it all as a learning experience that you can get a grip on there or take with you somewhere else. Maybe you’ll end up with more responsibilities that will add up to a title change and a raise. It’s easier to find ways to go with the flow than against the grain. It’s not easy to find another job right now so if he’s not that bad hopefully you can make the best of it and turn things to work in your favor. Good luck.
Are you his assistant? If not, I’d say to him that I really dont feel comfortable stepping into (name of assistant here)’s area. Perhaps you might explain what you need to them, sir.
There has always been that “other duties as assigned” area………….sometimes we can be too picky about getting coffee for someone. Is it really a big deal? If so, handle it; dont be available when its that time of day to “get coffee”…………or go out and tell his assistant that he needs coffee. Sounds like you might be too available to this person? Be busy.
I wouldn’t clean his desk either. Like the others said, we’re not mind readers. Getting his coffee… only if you happen to be getting one for yourself. I think you and your boss need to reevaluate what your job duties are since you “are not but are” his assistant.
Oh, please. Should is a word I avoid like the plague. If you are not his assistant why do you want to find out how to act like one? Mind your own business, and let his assistant take care of the customary duties. Concern yourself with your job not someone elses.
If you’re not his assistant you shouldn’t be cleaning his office. Some bosses are very needy and yes some need help cleaning their office to help them get organized. It sounds like he needs a little help learning how to organize as he goes. We are not mind readers!
I have a good relationship with my boss and I don’t touch his desk. I would not know where to begin and he actually would rather me not touch anything as his “filing system” the mess that it is, is understandable to him. It is not a good thing for you to clean his desk if you don’t know what stuff is or where to put it. I would be afraid to displace something he needs and then you will have to answer for it. As far as coffee goes, that is your call. No one has to serve anyone coffee if they choose not to. He can get his own. I personally would not mind bringing my boss coffee. Not a big deal to me. My final thought is, if your boss has an administrative assistant and it is not you, what is “she” doing??