To think I didn't cross the line? Work related

[checkthetraderplease]

I'm a PA for a relatively medium sized company. I've been in the job about 8 weeks now.

Every year when the company celebrates another anniversary of starting, the MD takes everyone for a lunch, drinks, and we finish by 4pm.

In addition to this, the 'significant' staff get a Harrod's hamper. The task was given to me. Most people got one costing £120, the bigger fish got one for £400.

I was given the task to order them, not the 'number one' PA. I was hired so he could be more hands off with general PA work and accompany the MD more.

Anyway, I was told by the MD that I certainly MUST order myself one (I was not on the usual list).

I did... Except the one I ordered was different. It was £80 and I got it because it had a Harrod's teddy. DS got one when he was born so I thought it'd be nice to have another teddy for him.

Long story short, the number one PA said I really shouldn't have done that as he MD would've wanted the whole £120 spent and he might be quite surprised.

I've no idea what the big issue is (I saved him some money), and the number one PA said it just doesn't work like that.

MD is only holiday for two weeks now so it can't be brought up.

AIBU to think this is a bit silly and I didn't cross and lines? This PA seems very shocked at my behaviour. The MD didn't specify a specific one to order myself. He just said the money he wanted spent on each person.

I have an otherwise really good relationship with the other PA. He is an extremely nice man and very good at his job.

Well you used your position to be able to get what you wanted, the others don't get that choice.

If I was going to have £120 spent on me, there's so much I'd rather have than a bloody hamper!

So I'd be annoyed that someone had been able to tweak it to something they preferred I think.

All these hampers with alcohol in would lead to benefit in kind issues if they are actually reported correctly.

I thought this kind of largesse was dying out?

Brexit recession will kill it, so I wouldn't worry too much

I'm confused. So hampers are awarded on each employee's anniversary date of joining the company yet you've received yours 8 weeks in? How does that work?

Was your boss just being generous saying 'when you put in the next order (say for 20 £120 ones) get yourself one'

Either way, who is paying the tax?

No 1 PA is in that position because he knows how things work / how your MD wants it.

You were wrong, good you have apologised. Do not bring this up with the MD, he will smile and nod and say it was fine - and your card will be marked.

It may well be that they have a financial benefit to spending X amount. I used to work somewhere where this was the case, and people spending less used to drive the MD mad.

Or it could be that you got to choose a "special" one that you wanted, even if it cost less. Everyone else had a standard thing, at a fixed cost, and you chose something you preferred. You weren't gifted the money, but the hamper, and the MD might prefer that everyone got the same.

Either way, you've apologised and said you won't do it again, so you're fine.

"no good deed goes unpunished" is our unofficial office slogan :)

@LizzieMacQueen No, the companies anniversary, not the employees

Well you used your position to be able to get what you wanted, the others don't get that choice.

^This. The fact you got a hamper worth less is irrelevant.

Your update explains it - he wanted to spend £100 on flowers, not £90. He doesn't want you or anyone else making unilateral decisions about how his money is spent. He doesn't want you to use your initiative, he wants you to do what you're asked to do, exactly.

I had a PA like you once - she was tasked with organising our move to a new office. I was very specific about the telephones, where I wanted them to be and how many and explained to her why I needed them like that. Come moving in day, the telephones weren't as I'd specified because she "thought it would be better to do it this way" and "we don't need all those lines" and "it was cheaper to get this package rather than the one you wanted". She didn't last long.

Dear God. Just find something else, FFS why would anyone submit themselves to all this crap? No no no. The Hamper Cult. I am struggling to see how this business is successful enough to employ two PAs who then have to spend their time messing around with hampers.

I couldn't look at myself in the mirror each morning if this was my job - tell me this isn't normal please?!

If the hampers are all the same, it's odd to me that you didn't just order x number of £400 ones & y number of £120 ones.

@QualCheckBot Mon 02-Sep-19 13:05:38
Missing the point, but what kind of industry is this in, where multiple Harrods hampers are still getting ordered in the present economic climate?

One that's still doing alright, obviously

Seems like the petty miseries on here have proved why you should have just stuck to the script. I would have been very grateful if any employer had ever given me a Harrods hamper of any sort.

Today 13:08 checkthetraderplease

‘I get the impression that the MD is a 'no expense spared' type of man.

He wanted £100 roses sent the other day to a friend's wife who isn't well. I found some beautiful ones on the website he suggested, for £90.

He declined and said £100 or more, no less! I had to use a different website because they didn't have those flowers for a higher price.’

So this backs up what the ‘number one PA’ told you, right?

It may not make sense to you, but your role as a PA to the MD is to do what the MD wants.

I don’t think it’s a serious misdemeanour at all, but the bottom line is, your job is just to follow the instructions.

Don’t understand the relevance of you needing to mention the accountant being Muslim..

because despite being Muslim he wanted his hamper, including the ALCOHOL.

Alexa - why are you assuming that people on here are ‘petty miseries’? We’re not running this company!

If the MD wants something done a certain way, then the PA’s role is to do it.

it's a kind of test, though, isn't it?
Now you know (was the hamper thing before or after the flowers thing?) how they want to work.

When I have new people working for me i want them to do what i ask them to do, and if i have been very specific (for reasons which may only be clear to me at the time due to training etc) then I expect them to do that. It serves two purposes.

1. it gets them doing real work quickly, and on their own
2. it lets me see if they can follow instructions (if it's not important in the first small tasks, it might be in later bigger ones). I need to know that things are going to be done properly without things missing.

After i know they can handle the work, or they've learned the next steps or whatever they usually get a bit more leeway to do things more efficiently or in a way they understand better. But until they know all the proper steps inside out, they have to do it my way (I write manuals for them)

one called me a control freak once. I said "nope, senior manager, and do it my way or don't bother coming back".

Today 13:23 BumbleBeee69

Don’t understand the relevance of you needing to mention the accountant being Muslim..

‘because despite being Muslim he wanted his hamper, including the ALCOHOL.’

Didn’t you realise some Muslims drink alcohol?

People saying the MD wont care of the other PA is on a power trip, clearly havent worked in a place where people can be really petty and this stuff does matter.

I have definitely worked places where the person ordering gets something different and people moan, then next time ask if they can have something different. Or why only X gets to pick their own.

Then it becomes and issue.

Sorry but why do you keep trying to ‘save money’ for your MD? He clearly doesn’t want you to do that nor were you asked to do that, so instead of doing a ‘good deed’ you’re just not following instructions and being annoying.

Oh and yes, it was quite obvious why the OP talked about the hamper not, perhaps, suiting someone due to religion.

It may well be that they have a financial benefit to spending X amount.

I think this might be it. I don't understand finance-related things but I've been told by our head of finance many times that if X budget is earmarked, it HAS to be spent, trying to save them money is actually counterintuitive.

Missing the point, but what kind of industry is this in, where multiple Harrods hampers are still getting ordered in the present economic climate
We don't get a harrods hamper, in my place of work around 500 people get a very swanky food and drink hamper from some French sounding place. It comes in a wooden crate. I dont know cos I haven't looked but I reckon they cost £150 -200 each.
Not everywhere is skint. And this is oop north too.

I think it's one of those things where yes, commercially you have saved them money but strictly speaking you have sort of taken the initiative and not quite followed the instructions you were given. Whilst in this situation it has had a positive/benign result then overall management aren't usually happy when new staff start going off on a frolic of their own and doing their own thing. And also the issue is that you do kind of come across as having got different treatment from other staff members so I can see why management might be worried about that creating ructions.

It might be worth pointing out that some non religiously aligned people don’t drink alcohol. I constantly receive bottles of alcohol that get gifted or binned.

But to the actual point. The MD picked out gifts he wanted to give to his staff. The OP was the recipient of one gift which she effectively rejected and then took it upon herself to pick another out.

The MD wanted her to order £100 worth of flowers. It was probably based on a previous choice by the senior PA that went down well.

The best thing the OP can do is to have a chat with the senior PA and pick his brains to establish the unspoken rules in the team. These aren’t going to be found on MN.