Work + Money
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Cubicle Coach: My boss wants me to babysit!!
Q: I think my boss is taking advantage of me.
He recently asked me to babysit his children. How do I assert
myself?
A: Try holding them for ransom. Just don't expect
a particularly good review this year. Seriously, if you and the
boss want to work out an arrangement where he pays you market rate
for weekend/evening brat duty while he and the missus have a date
night, that's up to you. But CC thinks this goes beyond standard
dues-paying. The next three times he asks, say you've got
plans; if he's not a monster, he should take the hint.
Posted by Cubicle
Related links from Marie Claire: Your Brilliant Career - Tips for Success10 Signs You Need a Hair MakeoverHow To Do Anything BetterBored? Play Our GamesLooking for More Love, Fitness & Career Advice? Subscribe to Marie Claire & Save!
Reprinted with Permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.
Related: work, tasks, help, boss, babysitting
-
Posted by graylady Thu Jun 26, 2008 4:53pm PDT
Evidently he has trust that you would be a good babysitter that he can not have to worry about his kids.Maybe he doesn't know anybody else and wants to spend time with his wife.But make it clear that its not a permanent deal.
Report Abuse
-
Posted by Erica Fri Jun 27, 2008 12:35am PDT
"Mr. So-and-so, I'm not a trained babysitter." If he tries to insist, just drop the pretenses, "Babysitting is not a part of my professional duties; please don't ask again."
Report Abuse
-
Posted by abkbjb1 Fri Jun 27, 2008 7:47am PDT
You need to be up front and firm at the start. I discussed this issue with my boss when she was pregnant with her first child. It was a civilized conversation, but I made it clear that while I would love to see her children as they grew up, I was not a babysitter. I think this helps both parties from feeling hurt and "put out".
Report Abuse
-
Posted by amer_asian_girl Sat Jul 12, 2008 9:00am PDT
If he is only asking women to do this, this is CLEARLY sex discrimination, since you didn't indicate that this was part of your job description. Sex discrimination is a violation of federal law. You need to contact your Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action office and file a complaint if he continues to ask you when you tell him no. If you do complain, you will have federal protection from retalation. Good luck.
Report Abuse
