How would you feel if you were asked to bring him a cup of coffee?

[Anonymous]

I was just asked this in an interview. I really wasn't interested at that point so I said I would feel like its 1950.

Do men really still expect their assistants to do this?!

[Anonymous]

I would feel fine to bring him a cup of coffee if I was going to get one for myself.

And I would think that he would bring me one too when he went to grab a cup for himself.

See? I can play nice.

- Female Junior Assistant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would feel fine to bring him a cup of coffee if I was going to get one for myself.

And I would think that he would bring me one too when he went to grab a cup for himself.

See? I can play nice.

- Female Junior Assistant.

This reminds me of Working Girl.

[Anonymous]

Eh it depends on what kind of industry. I have some friends who work as assistants and some do end up fetching coffee or lunch for their bosses because that's just part of the atmosphere there. Although all my friends are quite happy at their jobs because their bosses aren't jerks about it. More like "hey X, since you're going out for lunch today/running errands/whatever, do you mind picking me up some lunch on the way back? Here's some money. Get whatever you want to" or "hey X, next time you get some coffee, can you grab me some? Swamped here and I could use a caffeine jolt".

We've had extensive conversations about this since I'm in a male dominated field and although I'm at the same level as some of my colleagues, I've been treated like an assistant by some of the senior men. I was once talking to my assistant about how the day looked and needed to rearrange some stuff, and one of the most senior men came up to me and said "I'd love a tuna sandwich for lunch today. Can you take care of that for me sweetheart?"

[Anonymous]

Honestly, it would depend on how busy the place is and how senior the person is. Is that right? No, but it's the truth.

I was in a meeting with a very senior exec at a giant company (like, a household name). Prior to the start of our meeting, he asked his admin to run to the cafeteria and buy his lunch (so he could quickly eat after our meeting). FWIW, he was only 40ish and this was about 6 years ago. It sounds like a dick move, but every second of his day is scheduled and choreographed.

But most people simply aren't that busy.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't feel weird getting him coffee if, like a previous poster mentioned, I was on my way to get it for myself. But it is an odd question to raise at an interview. It would raise red-flags for me about what kind of work I would be doing there. Based on a question like that I wouldn't feel like I would be challenged or have any career advancement but would be a "gopher."

[Anonymous]

BS

You people watch too much tv. This doesn't happen in real life anymore.

[Anonymous]

I'm a legal secretary. I've been asked to get coffee. I've also been asked to get lunch. I've been asked to pick up dry cleaning. I've been asked to fax personal things related to my former boss's wife's delivery of their children, things related to their kids' school, vacation-related reservations, etc. At that time, I worked for a junior partner (male, age 42) and a senior associate (male, age 36).

That said, they also brought me coffee and lunch a fair amount, if they were going out, and they almost always apologized for things like the dry cleaning. It wasn't an every day thing, but it does happen, PP.

[Anonymous]

If the job is personal assistant or executive assistant to one of the senior execs (rather than office-wide secretary), then I would think it's a legit part of the job to some extent.

But if you're providing administrative support to the entire organization or an entire office, not just one exec, then waiting on one person hand & foot is a misuse of company resources, ie - your time, so in that case I think it's a no go.

[Anonymous]

13:58 here. If I was asked this in an interview, I would assume that the interviewer was trying to signal that the supervisor for the position I was interviewing with was very old fashioned, and would extrapolate from the coffee question that they probably were not very good with email, would break their blackberries a lot, would want many, many things printed out and might dictate anything from emails to 20 page memos.

If I had other options, I would pursue them, as that sort of thing is not what I enjoy, but there are people at my firm who really wish they could be the legal secretary of yesteryear, who are not comfortable being asked to do anything that is more than clerical, etc. who might be really excited about that position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BS

You people watch too much tv. This doesn't happen in real life anymore.

Depends what you mean. At my firm, admins routinely get lunch for their executives. Most execs have meetings throughout the day, including over lunch, so it's just part of the job. They bring the menu to them before, they pick whatever, and the admin will either go get it or just have it brought in.

[Anonymous]

If that's how you feel and it's what they do there, then you aren't a good fit, which is totally fine.

I've never seen it happen but I've worked in more relaxed environments (media, nonprofit).

[Anonymous]

Depends on the job. Asst to a high level executive in a private sector company? Yes, that's usually part of the job as the assistant to such a busy person.

Admin in a government office? Hell no.
Admin to a larger pool of employees in an office? Nope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would feel fine to bring him a cup of coffee if I was going to get one for myself.

And I would think that he would bring me one too when he went to grab a cup for himself.

See? I can play nice.

- Female Junior Assistant.

This reminds me of Working Girl.

Heh-heh.

My point is that if I have been hired to be a secretary and bring coffee from the coffee machine and this was told to me during the interview process - I would do it. If I am supposed to run personal errands as well and this is been told to me - I will do it, because that is in the Job Description. If my job is to set up meetings and the said meetings also need to have refreshments served - I will place the order to the catering company. However, if personal stuff was not part of the job description (and I would ask during the interview process) - I would use my own discretion to determine how I would respond. Admins have a lot of power. A great boss would get his coffee without it being in the job description.

I have a choice to reject the job, negotiate higher salary, accept the job etc., based on what I think is fair. If I have been unemployed and really need the job, I will take it - (and still continue my job search).

I do a lot of favors for my co-workers - both junior and senior people. That is the kind of person I am. If I see a person who has not had time to eat lunch, I will stop and offer to bring them some. I lend people books and umbrellas and people at my office know that they can eat my Lean Cuisine lunches that is stocked in my mini-refrigerator.

I am a different generation. I do not find it sexist because my boss could be female. I want equality in pay, flexibility in work scheduling, a work environment that is not hostile - I have been in worse job situations where a lot more was expected than having to bring coffee.

OP, I think your response was great and absolutely right for you. You will know because you can see and sense a lot more when you are in the situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BS

You people watch too much tv. This doesn't happen in real life anymore.

I've been a secretary in the private sector and getting coffee for the boss was definitely part of the job description. This was 2008 too, so not long ago.

I've also worked at other firms in which the CEO's assistant got coffee, lunch, scheduled personal appts - whatever the CEO needed/wanted to order to be able to dedicate more time to the company.