You've Got to Be Kidding!: How to Keep Your Job Without Losing Your Integrity

The Trials of the “Office Wife”

Let’s face it: there are assistants who still fall into the trap of being the proverbial “office wife.” You know to whom I am referring—the one who does an excessive amount of personal chores for the boss, such as fetching dry cleaning, purchasing personal gifts and toiletries, picking up the kids, planning vacations, selecting home furnishings, collecting prescriptions, making personal reservations, wrapping gifts, paying bills, feeding pets, and generally anything else the boss delegates (whew!).

Life would certainly be simpler for all of us if we all had access to this kind of help. Considering the ever-increasing stress associated with reconciling the demands of work and family today, it’s easy to understand why your boss may be tempted to lean on you for a little bit of extra help from time to time. But watch out for excessive, undocumented personal service requests. The “office wife” trap is a by-product of a lack of communication with the boss about specific duties. The penalties for failing to clearly define the little white line between professional duties and personal favors can range from bruised self-esteem to being held liable for your boss’s misdeeds—even to getting fired.

Keep in mind as well that handling personal responsibilities for one’s boss is often included in job descriptions for top-level assistants. It is considered a legitimate attempt on the company’s part to optimize this executive’s time, and as the assistant, you should ...