After being asked to organize a last-minute breakfast for clients at her office — something that is not part of her job description — a woman set a big and much-needed boundary with her boss.
The worker and content creator Alex Schudy was candid about the courage it took to set the boundary at work but inevitably forced herself to do so for her own well-being.
The worker set a big boundary with her boss after being asked to do non-promotable ‘office housework.’
While recording herself on a Zoom call, the woman was asked if she could organize a “breakfast for the manager team” with no prior notice. Clearly taken aback by the request, the woman set a boundary with her boss.
“I don’t think I’m the best person to handle it just because of my current priorities in workload,” she responded in what she described as her “polite way of saying no [because she’s] a busy gal.”
Her boss then questioned what she “had going on,” and she doubled down, offering to send him information about her to-do list but refusing to take on the additional work.
“I just don’t really have the band with to take something like that on right now,” she stated before suggesting he Doordash the food or make it a team outing.
The woman confidently stood her ground, repeatedly refusing the request in a truly admirable way. It can be challenging to say no, especially to a boss or colleague, but when asked to do something outside of the scope of your job, it is necessary.
While it wasn’t explicitly stated, it seems she was asked to complete the ‘office housework’ because she was one of the only women in the office.
Whether this was done consciously or not, it is important to acknowledge. Women are frequently asked to take on these responsibilities in a way their male counterparts are not.
Forbes’ investigation of gender dynamics in the workplace showed exactly that — not only are women burdened more by these responsibilities at work, but they’re also more likely to go unnoticed by leadership.
This type of “non-promotable work,” as Schudy called it, both takes away from productivity and potential opportunities that can lead to promotions, raises, or bonuses.
This is an even bigger issue for women of color who a frequently expected, if not forced, to take on these administrative tasks.
Commenters commended this worker for setting and enforcing her boundaries.
“I am not the admin. I am not the assistant. I am not the team event planner,” one commenter stressed. “I am a manager with an endless to-do list!”
“Great job!” another user wrote. “They think because we are women, we should be their little secretaries! No sir.”
Jennifer Brick, a career content creator, suggested women who get saddled with office housework take a page out of men’s playbook and utilize weaponized incompetence.
“I’m not saying do a bad job, but like meet the minimum expectation that you need to meet so that you’re not the best notetaker on the team,” she advised working women. “If they ask you to get coffee for everyone, mess up everyone’s orders,” she only partially joked.
“Think about it… If Chad was asked to do that, he would take crappy notes; they would be illegible. He’d be like, ‘Oh, I forgot,’” she continued. “If you asked him to get coffee, he’d come back with water or Gatorade for everyone. It wouldn’t make any sense.”
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories.
