to think my boss is a raging sexist

[Soannoyedgah]

gah i'm really annoyed! my office is predominantly male. my boss is really irritating, always calls me and the female colleagues i associate with "the girls", always asks a female to make the tea/coffee for everyone without fail, even though my job is actually quite high up, higher than some of the men in the office. we actually have a male trainee at the moment, surely they can make the tea at least sometimes? he seems to think it's a girls job. this afternoon he walked in and said "ladies, the kitchen is a mess, can we make sure it's clean by the end of the day". the men use the kitchen too! why is it my job to clean it just because i have a vagina? unfortunately he is also the hr person so i can't even talk to them. aggghhhhh!

Why does everything think it's ok to ask the trainee to do the shit work? because although they are there to do training, that is how it works in most companies that have a bit of an old fashioned vibe.

When I was the office junior, and had no seniority i had to do the shit grunt stuff, as did everyone else at that level. As i moved up (in my male dominated environment) funnily enough the male trainees didn't have to set out meeting rooms or make tea or any of the shit grunt stuff. So I just shared the work out among everyone junior to me. Whatever their gender.

now I'm a pretty senior person i have no issues keeping the kitchen tidy, loading and unloading the dishwasher etc. But i'll be fucked if i will make coffee for the team or set up a meeting room. I've done my time and I'm too expensive to do that. (I do offer my visitors coffee, and for that first one I'll often make it for them, but that is polite)

I'm no longer the office junior, i have had a bloody hard struggle seeing men with lesser abilities promoted over my head because of the Penis Bonus. Too bloody right that I'm delegating like mad.

Why does everything think it's ok to ask the trainee to do the shit work?

Thank you! It's one thing if booking meeting rooms, minutes, looking after clients with tea, office admin and ordering etc. is in your job description, but I hate this attitude that junior staff are there to serve. In my old job, one of senior management trampled in mud then told one of the administrators to clean it up. I just hate people like that.

Oh god, this would give me the rage, I'd have to pull him up on that

@Brefugee but asking women to do it works in companies that have an old fashioned vibe too, which is the issue.

Make your own tea. Ask the person next to you if they want one. Just because you're paid more doesn't mean you should be served.

I did say that I'm not above making coffee or whatever - kitchen duty, etc although i do draw the line at cleaning toilets as one boss suggested we do - but equally it is ridiculous to expect senior people to lay out meeting rooms, take minutes and make meeting coffee etc. It's a perk of rising through the ranks and though it sticks in some people's craw, it is also a learning process: what do people need in meetings, what was said in meetings and how is that followed-up processed and yes, I don't expect to be filling up the kettle and putting on a brew when I'm about to be presenting the 3rd quarter figures to the board (for example).

RHIP as they say in the Military - Rank Has Its Priveliges.

@Brefugee oh I completely agree with you there. Business critical tasks should be delegated as necessary. A tea round (unless for clients), not so much!

I'd have zero respect for my Male colleagues if they just sat and let this happen.

And they’ll be the very men that will believe that they are really good men and if asked will state that of course they support sex equality. 🙄

The trainee is training, not there to do the bitch work.. Seriously? We’re discussing sexism and you come out with that little gem!