r/ExecutiveAssistants

Sharing this here for those of you that deal with these emails constantly.

Me: Unbothered EA, leaving in a week to work somewhere else.

Email arrives from a superintendent, asking me to forward a meeting invite to someone.

My response:

“Hi (name),

If there’s an issue with your computer where you can’t forward a meeting invite please speak with IT.

Otherwise you are able to forward the invite yourself.

(Screenshot showing where it is, using a meeting invite I received from HIS boss as an example).

Would it have been faster for me to just do it instead of sending this email? Sure!

However as I’m done in a week I want to ensure people are empowered to do these things, especially things they’re already able to do.

Regards,

Signature”

I don’t think as EAs that it should be our execs way or the high way.

I saw a post yesterday (forgot the OP) about their exec not wanting to use the flight app for their flight details. I want to preface by saying that I did do travel itineraries with details for a former exec but I’m 100% they quickly looked it over but used their app. I just did it to make sure everything was tight, so it was mostly for me.

However, from their story most comments were saying they should just bend to the ways of the exec. I think that execs (with trust overtime obviously) should let us do things how we do them as well. They should also understand our method of working. The example with the OP was the exec being lazy. This is a two way working relationship.

Often if we do things our way, even if the result is flawless, they will nit pick the process. I’ve heard “what I would do is….” When telling an exec how I’m maneuvering something and it’s annoying because as long as the result is top notch, I’m not sure how my way is wrong or not how you would look at it. Everyone will process or think of it differently. For me as long as it’s efficient and the result is great, that’s all I care about.

Not putting aside that it does help to be on the same page as your exec, but does being on the same page means sacrificing your way of doing things and how your mind works? Yes we support them, and should tailor things to their liking as best as possible but in certain cases, I think they should trust our frame work so long as the shit gets done efficiently and in a timely manner.

Idk, just something I’ve been thinking on lately and that post really amplified it.

Why is it that I can do 100 things right and no thank you! Great job! Wow amazing! But I do one thing wrong and that’s the thing that gets nitpicked. Well you should have known better. This is your job. It should never have reached my desk before you reviewed it!! I’m so fully exhausted of this!!

Complimentary to everyone else on the team because I can see all her emails!! Did you forget that I can see them? Really?

One email was great job on completing something… but it never would have been completed if I hadn’t done the first part!! Was I added to the chain for “great work” NOPE!

Yes, I know look for something else, but it’s not that easy in this market. Plus I’m in my 50’s. I’ve been here going on 5 years. And 115k is not easy to find.

Maybe I just needed to vent. I’m tired!! 🤯

I have been tasked with shipping two bottles of whiskey across the country (US). The bottles are wrapped really well, but when I took them to the mailroom I was told shipping them would void the company FedEx contract. Apparently you have to have a distributor's license to ship alcohol. So now I have two bottles on my desk that need to be shipped with no way to ship them, and the kicker is that the recipient will be in my office tomorrow for meetings with my exec. But I hate to give them to him, and have him figure out how to get them on a plane in his checked luggage. Will he even have checked luggage? I don't want to tell my exec because I'd like to present solutions rather than problems.

I did have a VP tell me he shipped alcohol to his groomsmen through USPS, and told the person at the post office it was holy water. It shipped fine.

What to do??

I have posted before about my shitty job (it's shitty) but I need to stay for a few reasons.

Mostly, I am planning on leaving either way in January, so job hopping just does not make sense and I feel a responsibility to the team.

I work at a small fund, it has a very family office/startup vibe to it. All the names and some details are changed here for privacy. I have converted positions to terms that will be easily understood by this group.

Here is the team: Blake, Mark, Alex, Chloe, Susanne, Becca, Leah.

Blake == my boss

Mark == COO

Susanne == Head of People

Becca == VP

Cole == VP

Smith == Senior Manager

Claire == Senior Manager

Alex == Admin Assistant

When I am sitting with everyone but my boss, it is the dream team. Truly. I love everyone and have deep respect for them. There is not a person on my team I would not carry out of a burning building. My boss does not feel that way.

Example:

Today Cole needed 15 minutes to discuss a somewhat urgent topic that impacts the entire company (except for my boss). I came in at noon and told my boss "hey, Cole needs 15 with you. You have an hour. You okay if he comes in in 15?"

Boss says yes.

I walk Cole over. Boss is on a social call. I wave him down. He waves us away.

I sigh and reschedule to another time. Check with him. He says yes. Again, blows him off. Doesn't message either of us. Does not reschedule. Just blown off.

I finally get him in, but only at EOD and he has to stay late to talk to him.

Blake also regularly asks me to be at his house (normal for an EPA) around 7am and asks I do not leave until 7pm, tonight 8pm. I would be okay with this if there was work for me to do. There is often not. Not an issue, but my "call" time is actually 9am and sometimes I get these texts at 6:45 am (15 minutes before he wants me at his house -- I live about 10 minutes away).

My boss is also constantly emailing and texting in an obvious way when he is on team calls with us. He sometimes will pause for 2-3 MINUTES (yes, seriously) in the middle of him speaking to type a message or do something on his phone.

Our all hands for our company is TWO HOURS LONG. WE ARE 8 PEOPLE. WHAT. Because my boss takes so long to speak to us.

My boss regularly refers to everyone who works for him as "idiots" -- he will say "have the idiots finished x?"

Everyone on the team knows this. And I sat down with Cole and asked if he had been apologized to. He sounded a bit dejected and said no. We talked it through. I repaired what I could, but I have a boss who is either completely socially unaware or cares and respects his employees time 0.

Yes, I get that there is unlikely to be an easy fix for a lot of this. But there has to be some way for me to make my coworkers lives better. They should not have to live under leadership like this. I don't care if it makes my life worse if it makes theirs better.

Is there anything I can do here?

The office bully shoved me in a broken, depressive hole so hard earlier this year that I lost an entire month of myself. *spoiler alert* HR did NOTHING despite repeated complaints from other office staff.

Today I climbed out of that hole and feel better than I have in six months. I can't believe I let this bitch make me afraid to come to work, let me lose time with my family, let me lose time doing things I love, and made me think I was not worth anything (I am fucking great at my job).

They can go fuck themselves. They don't get to take my power.

I’ve felt like Cassandra at work lately. Trying to prevent the sacking of Troy only for those who didn’t heed me to ask why they’re on fire. Has anyone ever successfully communicated this to Their Person?

I’m thinking of switching my career. I’m getting so burnt out being an executive assistant.

I have a degree in elementary & special education, but no chance I’m going back to that.

I do enjoy helping people a lot, but don’t want to do anything that requires me going back to school (can’t obtain more debt that I already have).

I’m not sure what to do, but I’m tired of being miserable.

Any advice for people who switched? What did you switch to? How did you change your resume to match?

Out of curiosity how much is a Chief of Staff salary in NYC? Specifically finance/PE? Being encouraged to take on the position while also being office manager and keeping my EA responsibilities to the CEO and team.

Is this the beginning of the end? I’m in Seattle so admittedly in a tech bubble, but would love to gage how much AI is potentially effecting others’ roles and where you’re located?

I am compiling a list of “real world” AI use cases specific to us, ones that range from beginner usage thru to super users.

I’d love to hear prompts, tips and tricks that you have actually used and worked for you?

My company isn’t teaching the admins about AI, only client-facing teams so I’m trying to help our community out.

Thanks!!

Hi everyone! After 9+ years, I have gotten a new job offer that I’m accepting and will be moving out of being an EA! I have really l loved being a part of this subreddit for advice, horror stories, and everything in between. It’s finally my turn to ask for some advice :) I’ve been in a pretty toxic job for a long time, and I know when I give my notice the reaction is going to be intense and extreme. It’s going to come as a huge surprise to my boss (who owns the company). I’ve watched a lot of people leave the company over the years, and there is almost always a revisionist history and the person leaving becomes the villain. (I know, this is clearly a sign I am making the right choice and should have left a long time ago). I guess I’m looking for any advice or words of encouragement before I have the conversation. From past experiences, I know they will tell me I “can’t” give them “only” 2 weeks, they’re shocked I didn’t tell them I was looking, after everything they’ve done for me, etc etc.

A lot of my friends/family’s advice is along the lines of “who cares? They’re a bad person and you’re lucky to be leaving.” Which I agree with, but it’s easier said than done. I handle a lot of personal things for my boss so even though she’s difficult and honestly cruel, I do see the human side of her too and I can’t help but feel really nervous. It doesn’t help that I am a more reserved person, and my boss is very domineering and narcissistic. She’s very much a “don’t take no for an answer” type of person. I’m mainly worried I’ll somehow get bullied into giving them more time or even worse, that I’ll cry lol.

This all feels silly writing it out - I know it’s just a job but if you’ve ever been in this type of situation I hope you understand how I’m feeling!!

Hi everyone! We currently bank and have credit cards with Truist in the DMV area. They have been really terrible on the credit card side, and my VP just put me in charge of finding a new corporate credit card product. We are are small trade organization in DC with 35 employees, but not everyone has a credit card. If you have any positive or negative reviews for credit cards, or good reward suggestions, I would love to hear it!

ETA: We just signed a contract with Concur so don't need the credit card management part!

Anyone work for Citadel NYC? What’s the culture like? How’s the comp?

ETA: apologies, I should’ve check if someone asked before. Thanks to everyone’s response!

Starting a new role next month as an EA for a small business owner. Who has never had an assistant
Really would just like tips and any need to knows on being an EA and for things to run smooth and I look like I know what I’m doing
Also, any apps maybe to implement into the work space

This may sound silly but I’m sure others have experienced this. The fact that “assistant” is in the job title almost enrages me. Every single time one of my friends or family members brings up my job, they almost always downplay what I do. I constantly have people in my life thinking I’m a personal assistant, secretary, coffee runner. My brother even said to me last week “it’s a job that anyone can do even though I’m sure it’s stressful”……… These people have literally no idea what this job entails just because they stop at the word “assistant” and it’s so degrading. I genuinely think I’m going to start telling people I’m a partner or operational manager or something. Because let’s face it, we basically are