Well, I never turn down a free lunch if I can help it. AND I think the people who support the people who were paying for the lunch deserve everything they get and more!
Who makes sure the meeting rooms are reserved and the coffee service is ready and the travel arrangements are made and the bills get paid and the documents are properly prepared, sent, filed, witnessed, notarized or even spell checked? Who makes sure supplies are ordered, visitors are made welcome, taxis are called, emergencies are handled? Not bosses most of the time, not mine anyway.
Big companies run on the efforts of all the little cogs represented by the people at desks in tall buildings and in small suites all over this country. It's wonderful when that is acknowledged, in any manner. It would be great if those support people could all be paid what they're worth, but I think that would mean the Big Guys up in the ivory towers would have to all realize that they don't exist in a vacuum.
Did you ever see the move The Devil Wears Prada (or read the book)? Those poor assistants!! They deserve a day every week if that's how the fashion industry really runs!
Anyway, my boss retired last year, and I now support a small fleet of managers from various states. I do a multitude of things for them from arranging large meetings at conferences to processing invoices for payment to making expense sheets appear out of envelopes of crumpled receipts.
I think all of them appreciate it. Some of them even show it.
Thanks to all the little people who work hard every day to make the Big People look good! You rock!
Sew on...
