Things I am not. Number 1: A secretary
The following happens to me about once a week. The bits that I've modified slightly from reality (to protect the innocent and for creative licence) are marked in bold.
[Phone rings, I answer it.]
Me: Hello.
Caller: Hello, is Tom there?
Me: Sorry, he's out of the office at the moment.
Caller: Oh, could you take a message?
Me: Sure. I'll email it to him.
Caller: Thanks. Message commences. Chapter one. Dear Tom, regarding you email of half an hour ago, I write to confirm that...
Me: Hang on, you're replying to an email he sent you?.
Caller: Yep.
Me: So you want me to take dictation of an email, and then write it and send it to Tom, when you could, actually, press the handy "reply" button at the top of your screen and write the email yourself?
Caller: Er, yes.
Me: I think you're mistaking my role here. Whilst I work next to Tom, and I'm quite happy to pass small morsels of information to him on his return from brief absences, I'm not, in any shape or form, his secretary. And, more importantly, I'm not your f*cking secretary either. Farewell!
...
Er... you'll notice the bold areas started to take over towards the end. I'm a lot more polite. I didn't actually say any of that.
But I could! I'm a tranny on the edge! :-)
[Phone rings, I answer it.]
Me: Hello.
Caller: Hello, is Tom there?
Me: Sorry, he's out of the office at the moment.
Caller: Oh, could you take a message?
Me: Sure. I'll email it to him.
Caller: Thanks. Message commences. Chapter one. Dear Tom, regarding you email of half an hour ago, I write to confirm that...
Me: Hang on, you're replying to an email he sent you?.
Caller: Yep.
Me: So you want me to take dictation of an email, and then write it and send it to Tom, when you could, actually, press the handy "reply" button at the top of your screen and write the email yourself?
Caller: Er, yes.
Me: I think you're mistaking my role here. Whilst I work next to Tom, and I'm quite happy to pass small morsels of information to him on his return from brief absences, I'm not, in any shape or form, his secretary. And, more importantly, I'm not your f*cking secretary either. Farewell!
...
Er... you'll notice the bold areas started to take over towards the end. I'm a lot more polite. I didn't actually say any of that.
But I could! I'm a tranny on the edge! :-)
Methinks a refresher course on "the basics of email" might be in order.
Remember, a secretary literally means, "keeper of secrets". Imagine the power you could have wielded had you listened to the full reply.
But also remember, "She, that would keep a secret, must keep it secret, that she hath a secret to keep."
Anyhoo, this is the very reason I don't answer phones. Every place I've ever worked has had a voicemail system built into the phones. I am not a secretary, skivvy or other servant of anyone. Deal with your own phone calls.
Hey, why am *I* annoyed now!
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