18
© 2014 OfficeTeam. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V. officeteam.com You Think You Get Weird Requests at Work? Strangest Requests Administrative Professionals Have Received

You Think You Get Weird Requests at Work?

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

We’ve all gotten some weird requests at work, but these actual requests administrative professionals have received take the cake! Visit officeteam.com/ootf for more information about Office of the Future, a research project developed by OfficeTeam and the International Association of Administrative Professionals.

Citation preview

Page 1: You Think You Get Weird Requests at Work?

© 2014 OfficeTeam. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

officeteam.com

You Think You Get Weird Requests at Work? Strangest Requests Administrative Professionals Have Received

Page 2: You Think You Get Weird Requests at Work?

Source: OfficeTeam and IAAP survey of 2,290 administrative professionals in the U.S. and Canada

© 2014 OfficeTeam. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

OfficeTeam and the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) asked more than

2,000 administrative professionals to recount the wackiest requests they’ve received at work.

Here are a few of the

most unusual responses:

Page 3: You Think You Get Weird Requests at Work?

Source: OfficeTeam and IAAP survey of 2,290 administrative professionals in the U.S. and Canada

© 2014 OfficeTeam. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

“Cut off the boss’s tie that was caught in the paper shredder.”

Page 4: You Think You Get Weird Requests at Work?

Source: OfficeTeam and IAAP survey of 2,290 administrative professionals in the U.S. and Canada

© 2014 OfficeTeam. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

“Help land a helicopter on top of the building.”

Page 5: You Think You Get Weird Requests at Work?

Source: OfficeTeam and IAAP survey of 2,290 administrative professionals in the U.S. and Canada

© 2014 OfficeTeam. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

“Mail a box of dirt.”

Page 6: You Think You Get Weird Requests at Work?

Source: OfficeTeam and IAAP survey of 2,290 administrative professionals in the U.S. and Canada

© 2014 OfficeTeam. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

“Translate a presentation slide deck from German to English.”

Page 7: You Think You Get Weird Requests at Work?

Source: OfficeTeam and IAAP survey of 2,290 administrative professionals in the U.S. and Canada

© 2014 OfficeTeam. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

“Write a skit about hand-washing.”

Page 8: You Think You Get Weird Requests at Work?

Source: OfficeTeam and IAAP survey of 2,290 administrative professionals in the U.S. and Canada

© 2014 OfficeTeam. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

“Communicate between two executives who were not speaking to each other.”

Page 9: You Think You Get Weird Requests at Work?

Source: OfficeTeam and IAAP survey of 2,290 administrative professionals in the U.S. and Canada

© 2014 OfficeTeam. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

“Send an email to staff explaining how to flush the toilet properly.”

Page 10: You Think You Get Weird Requests at Work?

Source: OfficeTeam and IAAP survey of 2,290 administrative professionals in the U.S. and Canada

© 2014 OfficeTeam. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

“Monitor and track odor complaints in the new building.”

Page 11: You Think You Get Weird Requests at Work?

Source: OfficeTeam and IAAP survey of 2,290 administrative professionals in the U.S. and Canada

© 2014 OfficeTeam. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

“Assemble a power washer.”

Page 12: You Think You Get Weird Requests at Work?

Source: OfficeTeam and IAAP survey of 2,290 administrative professionals in the U.S. and Canada

© 2014 OfficeTeam. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

“Take samples of toilet paper from all the office bathrooms and compare them.”

Page 13: You Think You Get Weird Requests at Work?

Source: OfficeTeam and IAAP survey of 2,290 administrative professionals in the U.S. and Canada

© 2014 OfficeTeam. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

“Organize a hula-hoop competition for executive staff.”

Although administrative professionals often help with company events, they couldn’t have planned for these requests:

“Find toy stick horses for a Western-themed event.”

“Purchase and assemble Christmas trees in seven office locations.”

Page 14: You Think You Get Weird Requests at Work?

Source: OfficeTeam and IAAP survey of 2,290 administrative professionals in the U.S. and Canada

© 2014 OfficeTeam. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

“Decorate a roasted pig for a department luau.”

“Rent a nun costume for an event.”

“Get 150 pairs of logoed earmuffs for a party the next day.”

Page 15: You Think You Get Weird Requests at Work?

Source: OfficeTeam and IAAP survey of 2,290 administrative professionals in the U.S. and Canada

© 2014 OfficeTeam. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

Others worked with a bunch of animals -- literally:

“Get a snake out of the women’s bathroom.”

“Take care of the office’s pet snails.”

“Find two-inch plastic monkeys and order 500 of them.”

“Remove nesting geese from the front door area.”

Page 16: You Think You Get Weird Requests at Work?

Source: OfficeTeam and IAAP survey of 2,290 administrative professionals in the U.S. and Canada

© 2014 OfficeTeam. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

For some assistants, the requests were travel-related:

“Call airport security to locate a lost shoe.”

“Get a visa to India in two hours.”

“Give driving directions to a cab driver in a different state.”

“Call a hotel in London to request soft pillows for the CEO.”

Page 17: You Think You Get Weird Requests at Work?

Source: OfficeTeam and IAAP survey of 2,290 administrative professionals in the U.S. and Canada

© 2014 OfficeTeam. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

About the Study

The findings are part of Office of the Future, a new research project from OfficeTeam and IAAP that examines evolving workplace trends impacting administrative professionals. Access an infographic highlighting additional survey results, a cheat sheet for writing effective job descriptions and the latest Office of the Future insights at officeteam.com/ootf.

Page 18: You Think You Get Weird Requests at Work?

© 2014 OfficeTeam. A Robert Half Company. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

About OfficeTeam: OfficeTeam, a Robert Half company, is the nation’s leading staffing service specializing in the temporary placement of highly skilled office and administrative support professionals.

officeteam.com

About the International Association of Administrative Professionals: The International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) is the world’s largest association for administrative support staff, with more than 450 chapters and approximately 16,000 members worldwide.