My boss likes to send me on personal errands at work, up to going to the market to buy food stuff, it has been getting to me lately, how do I handle this?
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My boss likes to send me on personal errands at work, up to going to the market to buy food stuff, it has been getting to me lately, how do I handle this?
At the very start of my career I was asked to do personal tasks such as pick up magazines, dry cleaning and birthday cards. Back at the office I was expected to make teas and coffee for my bosses whenever they required refreshments during the day. I had to get personal items for their kids birthdays and I spent hours queuing up at the post office to send their private packages. Honestly, looking back I hated every second of running around on non-related work tasks — even back then, when I was very junior.
When you start work you don’t know what to expect and what is allowed, so you do the things you are asked to do because you don’t know better. No one told me I had a right to refuse.What I know now, is that there are some people who will have you believe that this is all part of the job. I don’t believe this to be the case as not everyone is treated the same. Back then, I noticed it was always the women in the office who were put in this position of being asked to run personal errands. Unless you are a personal assistant and these types of errands are in your job description.
If you’re a person who just can’t say no, don’t fret. There are professional ways to solve the problem with your boss. It only requires good timing and preparation.
Timing Is Everything. Next time your boss tells you to run a personal errand, use the opportunity to raise the subject. But be prepared: Keep a list of the work you need to complete in the office and the amount of time each project will take you. Tell your boss: “I’d really like to help you out, because I know you have so much work to get done. I do as well. I need to finish that XYZ report you want by Friday.”
If this backfires and your boss tells you to hand the project off to a colleague, stand firm. Say that in order for the report to be finished properly, you must do it. The key is that you tagged your work deadline to a high-priority project your boss needs completed.