If there is one thing people know about me it is that I love a good cup of tea, I am English after all! I plan my tea breaks at work so that I get a chance to step away from my desk and, you know, load up on some caffeine while having a small amount of ‘me’ time. I worked at a few different places before I moved into an assistant role and I always made my own tea or coffee and because of this I never really made drinks for anyone else, call me selfish or fussy but that was the way it was. When I became an assistant I was very much aware that my job was to do, within reason, what my manager asked me to and this would include personal errands. This was fine and I quite often would get lunch for my manager when she was busy or in meetings. I remember once asking her if she wanted a hot drink because she had been in back to back meetings all day, her response was that I didn’t have to make her coffee but she appreciated the gesture. Skip forward a few jobs and I was working for another manager who would ask me to get drinks for him all the time, if I came back with a drink for myself he would make a remark about it and I would have to apologise for not thinking about his hot drink requirements… It was all very ‘Mad Men’!
This may seem like a trivial insight into my love of tea but it is a subject that comes up on a regular basis – should you get coffee for your boss? Having discussed the subject with other assistants it does seem to divide opinion; some of us are happy to it and others are adamant it is not part of their job. So what are the reasons for the differing attitudes – there must be more to it
Running errands
Getting a drink for the boss can really be the tip of the iceberg for some assistants. I have colleagues that will spend more time running personal errands for their manager than completing work for the company that actually employees them. I’m not saying this a bad thing because our role is to make our manager’s day easier so that they can concentrate on their job, but where do you draw a line?
Respect?
Does your manager value your skills? If you answer yes to that question, running personal errands and making coffee are probably not going to be an issue as you will know you have your boss’ respect. On the other hand, if you are treated as the office dog’s body then no wonder you are frustrated with the tasks you have to perform.
I think realistically we have to look at this type of task as something that is part of our job, in fact it could be seen as a fundamental part of being an assistant. I personally am not a big fan of making or getting drinks for other people, but if I can see my manager is rushed off their feet then I will - along with getting lunch, running to the dry cleaners and any other tasks that make them more productive. If running personal errands and working on basic tasks are all you are asked to do then refusing to get coffee won’t change your boss’ perception of you or the role of an assistant. If this is the case it is worth discussing your work load and the quality of the work with your manager. If you can demonstrate your abilities they may be less likely to ask you to do menial errands.
I think the most important thing for this question occurs long before the question comes up. When you’re accepting an assistant position of any kind, I think its super important to try to define clear lines with your boss about what exactly that means. I’m an Office Assistant, but about 10% of my job is defined as Personal Assistant. When we were discussing whether or not I’d be a good fit, my boss and the hiring manager made it clear that while he would not generally expect me to do things like get drinks or pick up dry cleaning, the time might come when those things WOULD be asked, and I needed to be prepared to do it. That sort of stuff happens very seldom for me, and I’m glad, but when it does, I’m happy to do it, because I understand that it is part of the job.
I think you’re right about the other aspect… I do a lot of important work and I know my boss respects me. So that makes it easier to deal with requests like that, too.
well said kimb
If there is one thing that I hate doing is serving my boss coffee, let me do the work that am suppose to do that is office work perfectly but not serving tea I just dont dont like especially if its not defined in my duties and responsibilities, let them get tea and other beverages by themselves not unless otherwise.
I usually make my Director’s coffee when she is in back to back meetings without her asking me however she is always very grateful and doesn’t expect it and will always ask me if I want a drink if she is getting one. I always ask those around me, Directors/PA’s as common courtesy, when you work in an open planned office I think its hard to get away with making just yourself a drink. Unless it is specified in your job description that this is what is expected of you along with othe personal errands and you agree to it, I don’t think it should be expected.
I work in an open plan office, and part of a small team with three others (including the CEO, my boss). Throughout the day we’ll take turns at making tea/coffee for each other, so I really don’t mind doing it. However I would take offense if I was the only one making tea and expected to do it all the time!
I’m lucky though, my boss will sometimes go out to buy himself a coffee and get me one too – perks of working for a great boss!