Sometimes, doing your job is more than exactly what was outlined in your terms and conditions.

Sometimes even when something isn’t explicitly your responsibility, its good to take it on anyway.

Now that doesn’t mean you have to, but it does mean that whoever asked you for the favor isn’t going to be your biggest fan after you refuse!

So when this user’s new boss expected him to work in office and cover for other assistants who were on vacation, he flat-out refused, saying she wasn’t his boss!

Was he wrong to rudely refuse even if it wasn’t his job to cover?

Decide for yourself!

AITA for telling my “boss” that I don’t take orders from her?

I’ve been an executive assistant to three managers for the last five years at an entertainment agency.

I always had a hybrid schedule to compensate for not being able to take time off and for having to work when I do take time off.

My bosses rarely come in the office anyways and I get my work done just as quickly at home as I do in the office.

The difference is not having to spend two hours a day in traffic.

After OP’s company underwent a merge, the rules weren’t quite so lax….

A few months ago, we merged with a new company.

Everything is the same except that now my “direct” supervisor is someone named “Linda” isn’t a manager but an administrative person at the new company that we merged with.

However, the managers outrank her and I still work with the same managers. Linda was not okay with my WFH a few days a week.

But OP made it clear that if he had to come in every day, he would be finding another job!

I told her there was no way I would stay if I had to come into the office five days a week.

I also told her that I already got approvals from the three managers to keep my hybrid schedule and there’s nothing she can do about it.

The managers are going to be out next week for the holiday so I planned on WFH all next week. I won’t have much to do with them gone but I can’t take time off if they’re out.

Linda (incorrectly) assumed that the absence of OP’s boss meant he would be willing to cover another assistant..

Linda asked me if I was working next week and I said yes although the managers are not.

She said that was great because she had several projects for me and other EA desks to cover since other EAs would be taking time off.

I said I am not coming into the office next week. I am WFH.

Not only was this OP’s only down time for the whole work-year, he wasn’t about to cover for the assistants who could take off!

Next week will be the closest thing to a vacation that I will have all year and I’m not wasting it by coming into the office.

That’s not fair that I can’t take time off but I also have to provide coverage so other people can take time off.

She said that she was still my direct supervisor. I said yes, but the managers have final say and until they say I can’t WFH, then I’m WFH.

I also reminded her that the managers outrank her so I’m going to do what they want me to do as I have done for the last five years. Not her.

And even though Linda said she was going to be swamped, it didn’t quite move OP’s heart…

She said she was going to be overwhelmed with so many admin out next week and needed the help. I said that’s not my problem.

She can’t do anything against me. She has to run everything through the managers.

She’s basically the middle woman between the admin and managers but me and the managers already had a direct relationship long before the merge.

AITA?

I mean if OP doesn’t report to Linda, he’s really under no obligation to sacrifice his time to cover for the other assitants, no matter how much it would help Linda.

Reddit said the lack of staff wasn’t a problem OP was responsible for.

But most of Reddit also told OP that this problem wasn’t going away any time soon.

This user said picking a fight with someone who might be his boss when the dust settles might not have been the smartest move.

Finally, this administrator told OP that his disobedience wouldn’t be overlooked when new management is set up.

Don’t be bossy if you’re not the boss!

If you liked that story, check out this post about a group of employees who got together and why working from home was a good financial decision.