But I'm Not Your Assistant

So until I can finish my application, you will get stories and rantings from my normal cubicle life.

Today I had to tell, not my boss, but his boss, that I don't have the time to do his clerical work. I didn't say I also don't get paid to do it, because if I did, my income would be 50% of what it is today.

I'm not the most important person in the world by any means, and I'm not out of middle management, but still, when you have an administrative assistant, why on earth would you reach out to me to schedule meetings, or track promotions and transfers. Granted, if you ask me to do something I'll do and and I'll do it well but something about it doesn't feel right.

About ten years ago, same company, different position, I had two peers, both male. The three of us did EXACTLY the same job function, exactly, we were completely interchangeable. That was until the site admin stopped laminating our monthly certificates, because when that happened they didn't ask John or Mike to laminate all afternoon, no, of course not. The female of the group was asked to do it. When the system crashed, I was just as capable as my peers at resolving the issue, in fact I was better than Mike, but they wouldn't let me help unless John was unavailable and Mike had tried and failed. I was the last shot, because really, what is a girl going to know about a computer system.

It happens periodically, not too often, but from time to time, where I do get treated differently because I'm female. It's weird, I mean, that doesn't happen today, oh but it does, I don't think my boss's boss was giving me work because I was a female. I'm pretty darn sure he'd have done the same thing to a dude in my position, but I have that knee jerk reaction.

I'd like to say, it was 10 years ago, things are better. But are they? A week, maybe 2, ago, we had a security presentation. A senior level security officer for our company came out to tell us what the plan is in the event we have a shooter or some kind of serious attack. When the question about pepper spray came up, he said, dead pan, no joke, "well, we'll have to ask the ladies about that." Because only dainty little ladies use pepper spray. I am usually one to let things roll off my back, but even when called out about it, he double downed and said men don't need it.

So if you ask me to make you copies, set up your conference call, or track your new hires, I may wince. I may ask myself if this is because I'm a woman, or because I'm capable, or if it just aligns up with my actual job expectations, and I hope my answer is the the former.