My boss asks me to do annoying admin tasks, please tell me if I need to get over this/what to do

[Anonymous]

I'm a fed in a professional position that requires degrees etc. My supervisor is one grade higher than me. We have a good relationship, but he is very poor with time management, and he often asks me to do administrative tasks for him because he has managed his time poorly. For example, we had a 10:30 am meeting with personnel from our front office. The purpose of the meeting is to de-conflict the master calendar and discuss upcoming events. He has to conduct an interview from 9-10 am, and he asks me to print out the master calendar (which is a PITA bc of how it is formatted) for the meeting. I have already printed out all of my materials for the meeting, including the calendar, and I am prepped and trying to get substantive projects done before the meeting, so it is annoying for him to ask this kind of stuff. Basically, I am prepping HIM for our meeting. Neither of us is particularly senior at our organization. He's a mid level director and I'm a mid level manager. So, it's not as if he is incredibly busy and important. I don't ask my staff to make copies of stuff for me. If it is in my inbox, I print it out and bring it to the meeting.

His poor time management has many negative consequences for me, and I find I often have to anticipate tasks because he will bring stuff to me at the last minute, so my frustration runs a bit deeper than having to print out a calendar.

How should I handle this?

[Anonymous]

Omg. Just print that stupid stuff. While not a fed I am an SVP and do Admin work all the time for my EVP. We are a team and this is how we are more efficient and function better.

[Anonymous]

If he is your supervisor, why is this even a question? All the other details are irrelevant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If he is your supervisor, why is this even a question? All the other details are irrelevant.

I think I'm going to be passive aggressive and just "forget" to do it. I don't have the guts to tell him to print his own stuff. He has to learn to take care of his own self.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If he is your supervisor, why is this even a question? All the other details are irrelevant.

I think I'm going to be passive aggressive and just "forget" to do it. I don't have the guts to tell him to print his own stuff. He has to learn to take care of his own self.

I'm confused-he is your boss, but you decide which tasks that he tells you to do are going to be the ones you actually do? Something wrong with this picture...

[Anonymous]

sorry but this is the kind of shit that happens when professional women get delegated automatically to meeting 'recorders' and note-takers.

don't listen to the other posters OP. Stand up for yousrelf and tell your boss to go pound sand.

[Anonymous]

I think you posted about this before. Does this happen often or are you just griping about a one-time thing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:sorry but this is the kind of shit that happens when professional women get delegated automatically to meeting 'recorders' and note-takers.

don't listen to the other posters OP. Stand up for yousrelf and tell your boss to go pound sand.

Ditto

Do it once or twice but not on the regular. Also,you can't be his only employee, does he ask everybody to do this type of stuff.

[Anonymous]

Does your unit have an admin? If so, he or she should be doing all this printing, for you and your boss. You say you're a manager, so delegate and supervise this. There are many ways to do this - you can tell your boss you've noticed the issue and you suggest Admin Smith print everything as a matter of course, or you can just task Admin Smith directly, or you can print your own stuff and have Admin Smith make a copy if your boss needs one. Delegate.

[Anonymous]

Since being a fed is more job security, can't you tell your boss to take a hike without as many issues as private sector at-will employment?

[Anonymous]

My response when asked to do the filing, mail delivery, and copying: "Oh, did you need me to call [admin]? Here, let me do that for you now *pick up phone*"

[Anonymous]

I don't see a way around it OP. I feel your pain. All supervisors are SOBs.

[Anonymous]

We have one admin, but she works for the big boss. We just hired a new admin, but nobody knows exactly what his job is or who he works for. I might encourage my boss to ask him to do stuff once we figure out what his role is here.

My boss oversees my unit and another unit, but I am his most immediate subordinate, since my subordinates are two levels below him. I don't know how he handles the other unit since we don't do anything with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you posted about this before. Does this happen often or are you just griping about a one-time thing?

I have to be honest, I don't remember. I MAY have posted about this before...it's something I'd do - it happens ALL the time, not a one time thing.

[Anonymous]

What I've done in the past is hand my boss my to do list and ask him to prioritize his admin task among all my other tasks. So you aren't saying no, but you are forcing him to make the difficult decision of what is more important.

"Of course boss, I would love to help you out. But here is my to-do list for the day. Where would you like me to place it in order of importance?"

Then follow up with an email. "Just wanted to give you a heads up. Due to the re-prioritization of my task, task x will not be available on X date. I will have it to you by X-1."