It makes me feel like I am in a much better position if I was to say no to something, than say, the accounts clerk, who’s job could be handled by someone else in the finance team without much trouble.

I’ve taken on the above listed tasks because I think its a great learning experience, and because I am getting paid to be here whether its sitting on the net reading things like this or learning how to upgrade our server, so I may as well add to my skill set than update my Facebook. That said, picking up dry cleaning or driving to the airport in NO way adds to my skills, so I would feel very comfortable saying no to things like that

HR isn’t the the solution. At best, they keep the situation to themselves to “look into it.” At worst, they share info with your boss and that pretty much is the end of road for you, all trust is lost.

In some cases, you may work with multiple bosses. I suggest to spend extra time, or find projects to spend time with the other. Eventually, as you grow your role, or the company grows, you might be able to “update” your role to work with the new boss.

And besides, these stories are so much more dramatic. How could I not tell them?

With the VPs I’ve dealt with, a simple “no” without any whiney excuses has generally worked best for me when setting boundaries. There is the occasional “why not?” but as long as I don’t accuse them of being out of line it’s really not an issue (making a manager defensive isn’t smart). I’m sure this sounds a bit too ideal following after this or the previous article but so long as you don’t make upper management feel blown off or disrespected then your job shouldn’t suffer. That’s not to say that they’ll be happy with hearing “no”.

BTW, you cheated by dramatically changing some of the types of disrespect coming from the employer. This stuff isn’t as simple as picking up the boss’s kids from the airport. If I encountered the things mentioned here I’d probably shut my mouth and go no further than searching for a new job once I got home. You can’t reason with the kind of personalities you mentioned.

The quick story about the consultants was hilarious though (should I feel guilty for laughing?).

The chivalric thing to do is not to jump ship and leave the junior staff to fend for themselves. It’s to confront the problem and crush it by any means necessary (within the bounds of ethical conduct, of course). Generally speaking, unless it’s a really small company, the company itself shouldn’t be faulted for the evils of certain employees. Even founders should not be above retribution if they dishonor the company name.