Ask a Manager

{ 911 comments… read them below }

1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 12:08 am

   How is this AAM classic not in the “You may also like” list?

   https://www.askamanager.org/2013/09/my-boss-treats-my-chair-like-an-in-box.html
   1. Artemesia* May 22, 2019 at 3:52 am

      I don’t even understand why this is annoying. I have worked with so many people who have inboxes that are apparently black holes because nothing that goes in them comes out again. The new boss has no way of knowing if your in box is temporary storage or really active. At home when something important comes in for my husband that I want to make sure he deals with, I always put it on his desk chair. Then he decides where to place it for follow up. I don’t want to hear later, ‘why are we getting a late charge, I don’t remember this bill.’
      1. Mystery Bookworm* May 22, 2019 at 4:52 am

         Eh, I agree that it’s a little annoying. It’s different, of course, if you know someone well and have reason to believe that they might miss your request (as with your example).

         But barring that, it’s generally good form to take people at their word when they request to receive work in a certain way. Frankly, I don’t see that it’s too different from people who prefer emails to phone calls – the phone call may feel more validating to the person making the ask, but it’s disruptive to the person who uses their inbox as an organisation system. (And I think it is a little rude for someone to default to “I don’t know if your system works” before actually giving it a try to see.)

         The issue here, however, is that the VP is above her in the hierarchy and, frankly, that means she has limited ability to push back, as he gets to assign work in whatever way is easiest for him. (Also, her response is way petty.)
      2. LGC* May 22, 2019 at 5:51 am

         Depending on how often it happens, I feel like it’s the RL equivalent of putting the important tag on all your emails. So…I sympathize more with the LW, actually. (Although yeah, they’re being super passive aggressive here.)

         I’m presuming you don’t leave ALL the letters on your husband’s chair, and I think that’s a major difference between you and LW5’s VP. (And I’d hope that if he wrote in with his perspective, he’d also get smacked down.)
         1. Mystery Bookworm* May 22, 2019 at 6:13 am

            > (And I’d hope that if he wrote in with his perspective, he’d also get smacked down.)

            I partially agree in that I think the hierarchy thing is really important here. If a VP wrote in because a *subordinate* was leaving info on their chair instead of delivering it in the preferred method the commentariate woud likely be more sympathetic to how we have a right to our own process (within reason, of course). And rightfully so – bosses (in theory) have more on their plates and their time is more valuable to the company, so they get more leeway in setting administrative flows that work for them.

            To my reading, part of why Alison pushed back in the linked post is because as far as “boss problems” go, leaving items on a chair instead of an inbox is very small potatoes, and it isn’t the sort of thing that merits taking a hard stand.

            But I get why OP doesn’t like it. I wouldn’t be a huge fan either (for some arbitraray reason, the keyboard seems much nicer to me than the chair, but this isn’t really based in any logic).
            1. Kathleen_A* May 22, 2019 at 9:56 am

               I sort of get why the OP doesn’t like it, but I absolutely disagree with her way of dealing with the annoyance. She’s taking a relatively minor error – VP putting mail in a place that is not her first preference (though it probably is the first preference of a lot of people) – and responding with a much, much bigger error, which is to take requests *from the VP* and put them in the bottom of her priority pile. *And* she’s even talking about throwing them away and not dealing with them at all.

               OP, truly I understand that you have a preference and the VP isn’t following that preference. But you reeeeeeeally need to let all that hostility go. It’s taking up a lot more room in your mind than it deserves or than is good for you.
               1. The Other Dawn* May 22, 2019 at 1:22 pm

                  “…which is to take requests *from the VP* and put them in the bottom of her priority pile. *And* she’s even talking about throwing them away and not dealing with them at all.”

                  I’d really question the judgment of someone who thinks this is OK to do.

                  Is the chair thing annoying? A little. It used to annoy me, but nowadays I see why people do it, and I don’t miss things. Is this how OP should deal with it? No. Is this the hill for them to die on? I’d say no.
            2. Knotty Ferret* May 22, 2019 at 10:09 am

               There is logic to the keyboard instead of the chair, though!
               When I come back to my desk, I want to sit down and settle in before I tackle the next thing. Putting something on my chair makes me review it before I even get to sit.

               Personally, since VP has explained he doesn’t want his stuff mixed with everyone else’s for visibility reasons, I’d get a “VP inbox” to sit on my desk. That way he’s got somewhere to leave his work that’s still very visible, and it’s off my chair. These specialized inboxes worked for me when they weren’t easier to reach than the general inbox (otherwise everyone uses it instead), but still as accessible as the chair.
               1. L.S. Cooper* May 22, 2019 at 10:15 am

                  This was 100% my first thought too! Why can’t the VP get his own inbox?
               2. MassMatt* May 22, 2019 at 10:42 am

                  This seems like overkill. How many inboxes should a person have on their desk?

                  While I agree the OP should just let this go, I would not like to receive stuff by having it put on my chair either. I wonder whether some of the resentment comes from feeling as though the boss is making a point of highlighting “I noticed you weren’t here”?
                  1. ELWM73* May 22, 2019 at 10:51 am

                     I have 7…but tolerate the chair, desk, and keyboard for folks who’s stuff does not fit categorically or physically.
                  2. Karyn* May 22, 2019 at 11:31 am

                     I had an “inbox – to be completed,” “inbox – in progress,” and “inbox – ASAP.” my bosses were generally good about only using the ASAP inbox for actual ASAP things. One of them was, however, bad about using “high importance” in outlook for EVERY. DAMN. THING.
               3. TootsNYC* May 22, 2019 at 11:48 am

                  except, I just pick up that thing on my chair and set it on my desk–and then it WILL get lost.
               4. LGC* May 22, 2019 at 10:42 pm

                  Better yet, separate inboxes for everyone – I feel like having an inbox for him would come off as petty. (I mean, I’m a pretty petty guy myself, but I get the feeling it’d be way too antagonistic to have a Special Inbox for the Special VP.) Order one of those stacking tray things (which I forgot the name of because I am terrible at office management), and give the team a heads up with a couple of days to transition (because it’ll be a change).

                  I didn’t realize it because I’m not a fan of either party in letter 5 anymore (sorry LW5), but it’s not uncommon for senior managers to not be great at voicing issues. (Or junior managers/supervisors. Or individual contributors. People in general, really.) It might be that the VP is pointing out a valid issue (it’s not clear if things are getting done to him), but doing it in a really ineffective manner (by…disregarding LW5’s wishes entirely because he has Concerns).
         2. LGC* May 22, 2019 at 10:27 pm

            Okay, doing a bulk reply:

            – I actually meant more if LW5’s VP had written in that he leaves his work for LW5 on their chair, even after LW5 had requested that he put it in their inbox repeatedly. And he was noticing that his work was not getting done quite as quickly. I imagine Alison would have said that he’d need to have A Conversation with LW5 (which I’ve come around to), but I would hope she’d also tell him to…just put it in the inbox unless it’s super important.

            – Tracking back to the original comment I was replying to, I was pointing out that a reason this feels irritating – and even if LW5 is behaving badly, I felt irritated by the VP’s actions when reading this – is because he’s signaling that everything he does is highly important, and thus needs to jump the queue. So it’d be the equivalent of Artemesia leaving all the mail in her husband’s chair – she’s either being careless or saying that the mailers they get are equally as important as the bills. (I mean, obviously it’s different, but it’s a similar message.)

            – My read was that even though the new VP is a senior-level employee, he may not be the only senior employee LW5 serves (or even the only VP, because you can have multiple VPs). LW5 is assigned to a team of four, and at least one of them is a new vice president who disregards LW5’s inbox rules. So that’s another reason why I’m not quite as charitable to the VP – he really might not be as important (relatively speaking), if the other employees are equally senior.

            – I actually have thoughts about the separate inbox thing, which…I wish I’d actually thought of, but it was quarter to 6 in the morning and I was getting dressed for work.
      3. Mel* May 22, 2019 at 6:18 am

         I hate it. I know it’s just a thing some people have picked up, but somehow it does feel like a power play. Possibly because my inbox rarely has much in it, so there’s no black hole aspect.

         I’ve also had coworkers who always put paperwork – not important paperwork, just anything at all- on my scanner or right NEXT to my inbox. Even after requests to put them in the inbox so I can sort them correctly. It’s maddening.

         What is the point of the inbox if not to leave new paperwork there?

         When I really need someone to notice something I put the paperwork where it goes and send a quick email flagging it for them or, depending on their email habits, I leave a short note on top of their keyboard. It’s way less intrusive to me.
         1. RecentAAMfan* May 22, 2019 at 6:42 am

            I guess the thing with the inbox, is that can you immediately see if something new has been added? Yes, if it was empty before, but otherwise? So these seat users (and I confess to being a “beside the inbox” user with my staff) are probably just trying to make sure that it’s clear there’s something new there.
            1. Lance* May 22, 2019 at 8:27 am

               In that case, would tabs of some kind work? Even the little sticker ones, if you can get people to actually use them to show that there’s more on the pile.
               1. Thatlady* May 22, 2019 at 9:24 am

                  This seems like a lot more work than just putting new work on someone’s seat or keyboard.
                  1. Ghost-It Note* May 22, 2019 at 9:47 am

                     Placing it on the keyboard would be a much better solution to me. Placing papers on my chair would infuriate me–it implies that you’re not even allowed to sit down without thinking about the work in question. I don’t think I would mind it anywhere else, honestly; it’s just the chair that would grate on me. Luckily no one has done this to me, and I would certainly never do it to anyone else. It seems extremely rude.
                     1. Dragoning* May 22, 2019 at 10:10 am

                        I suspect I would accidentally sit on it–I don’t necessarily inspect my chair before sitting down when I come in from the bathroom or even in for the morning.
                     2. Veena* May 22, 2019 at 10:19 am

                        I cannot help but agree. Having someone leave papers on my chair makes my blood boil. It feels so infantilizing to me, like pinning a note to your parents to the front of your shirt in kindergarten. The chair is personal space, where your butt goes and maybe your coat or purse is hanging there. It’s disrespectful to leave work papers there.

                        I wouldn’t ignore the work, but I would be salty about this every single day. I’d probably do something petty like sit on it, and continually send out wrinkled stuff.
                     3. TootsNYC* May 22, 2019 at 12:21 pm

                        Placing papers on my chair would infuriate me–it implies that you’re not even allowed to sit down without thinking about the work in question.

                        Not work, but inbox related, and your comment reminded me.
                        In a message board about home organizing, someone had her dad living with her family, and he did some of the daily household stuff like bringing in the mail and setting the table. He always put the mail ON HER PLATE at the dinner table when he was clearing off the table and setting the table. (It didn’t help that all that mail was generally bills.)
                        She kept telling him, “here is where the mail goes, I will see it there,” and he kept putting it on her plate.

                        It made her feel like she wasn’t even welcome to sit down at the table for a meal without being reminded about chores. Plus, she’s coming to sit down–what the heck is she supposed to do with the bills and mail.

                        When people put stuff on my chair, I just pick it up and put it in the box without looking at it.
                        Or, I put it on my desk, and then it WILL get overlooked.
            2. TootsNYC* May 22, 2019 at 12:17 pm

               At a former job, I was trying to push everyone to using the inbox. (I posted this below)

               I found that in order for ME to effectively use my inbox as a to-do list, I had to go through it every time I went to it; and I trained all my peeps who shared the box with me to do so as well.

               So it didn’t matter that someone’s item had been covered by three or four other things–we looked at them all, every time, and re-determined the priority.

               And as I did that, and people had evidence that my inbox worked, they trusted it more.

               It got so that I truly did use it as a to-do list. If there was something I needed to do that had nothing to do w/ regular workflow (like, expense reports, or call the insurance company for a personal issue), I would write “Toots: expense reports” on a piece of scrap paper and put it in the inbox. I don’t think other department members did that, but I would have been totally OK with them doing so.
         2. Michaela Westen* May 22, 2019 at 10:38 am

            I’ve worked with people who take stuff off their chair, put it on the desk without looking at it, and continue with what they were doing.
         3. TootsNYC* May 22, 2019 at 11:49 am

            like the people who put their dirty socks NEXT TO the hamper (and not bcs they threw and missed). Like, you’ve gone all this way…
         4. Mr. Shark* May 22, 2019 at 1:33 pm

            I would be so annoyed if someone did this. I hate it too. The chair is not for paperwork, so don’t put it there. The chair is not the inbox, so don’t put it there.
            If I had the guts, I would take the paperwork and hand it back to the person, and say, “I think you accidentally left this on my chair, because if you wanted me to work on it, you would’ve put it in my inbox.”
            Or better yet, wait until they leave, and put a sticky note on it with the same note, and place it on their chair (or in their inbox, if they have one).
            Passive-aggressive FTW!
      4. WellRed* May 22, 2019 at 8:15 am

         I’m guessing OP hasn’t adjusted to the idea of being an admin, which she says is a step back. That makes this “power play” peel extra insulting ( though, I really don’t think it’s a big deal).
         1. kittymommy* May 22, 2019 at 8:33 am

            I think this is at the heart of the issue.
         2. CmdrShepard4ever* May 22, 2019 at 10:03 am

            I think this might be the bigger issue. I have worked as an admin in a big office with a clear defined hierarchy, people that I reported to would leave things on my chair if I was away, and I would leave things on their chair when I was returning things.

            Most of the time it was because whatever paperwork was time sensitive. But other times it was just to let the person know you returned it and they can file/sort how ever they prefer. Putting something on the desk or inbox can get lost in the shuffle of other documents.
            1. General Ginger* May 22, 2019 at 10:23 am

               +1 to all of this.
            2. TootsNYC* May 22, 2019 at 12:22 pm

               if stuff is getting lost in the shuffle of an inbox, then the inbox is not being used effectively by the person who inbox it is, and they need to stop labeling it an inbox.
               1. CmdrShepard4ever* May 22, 2019 at 1:44 pm

                  I agree with you. I read your post below of how you use your inbox and to me that is the correct way of using the inbox “checking it every time you come back to your desk” even if you just ran to get a cup of coffee or to the copier. But I have run into many people who have an “inbox” who use it as a holding place for work that needs to be done and it might not get checked as often. Based on OP’s comments of being an okay admin and putting the VP’s work at the bottom it makes it seem that they are not properly using the inbox and prioritizing work. What OP is doing is perpetuating a cycle that makes them look bad. VP gives work, OP puts it at the bottom it makes OP look disorganized and further confirms VP’s need to put work on the chair.
               2. M&Ms fix lots of Problems* May 22, 2019 at 4:50 pm

                  Agreed. Had a former co-worker whose inbox was useless. It wasn’t nice, but one day while he wasn’t there a group of us relabeled it, “Entrance to the Pit of Tartarus.”
                  (Took him a month to notice the new label, which should tell most how often he actually checked his inbox. Yes, most of us used his chair for getting him work that was important/time sensitive if he had stepped away from his desk.)
         3. Ego Chamber* May 23, 2019 at 7:50 pm

            I’m curious why you say this is a “power play” instead of actually recognizing that this is a power play?

            Putting papers on LW’s chair forces them to deal with the papers by moving them and guarantees they have no plausible deniability if something goes sideways: they had to move the papers, therefore they saw the papers, therefore there’s no reasonable way for them to have not seen the papers. It implies mistrust, or that the VP doesn’t think the LW can prioritize their tasks effectively (which isn’t a great thing to know your boss thinks about you, when you think of admin work as “a step down,” so I get why LW is upset—even though their attitudes about admins could use a little examination).

            My most similar experience was in a paperless office and there were a few higher-ups who marked every. single. email. they sent as urgent and had read receipts turned on. Even things like “funny” jokes about work (pugs in business suits and that kind of shit), which they sent more frequently than actual work emails. It successfully trained me to ignore the urgent flag on all emails and develop muscle memory to refuse read receipts without even thinking about it, so there’s that.
      5. Lance* May 22, 2019 at 8:25 am

         For me, at least, it would be annoying because my chair is where I sit. When I get to my workplace, I’d like to be able to immediately sit and get off my feet, not have to shuffle things around to be able to sit. That, and it would irritate me to have a perfectly reasonable request just casually disregarded.

         Certainly, I get the worry about something being missed, and that OP probably doesn’t really have a choice at this point but to just live with this VP’s tendencies… but there are plenty of ways this can be annoying for someone.
         1. Karen from Finance* May 22, 2019 at 8:47 am

            Yes. I understand the posture regarding hierarchies, but this would be annoying as all hell for me because I would like to sit as soon as I reach my desk and would be pissed as hell to routinely find things in there.

            If the boss doesn’t want to use the inbox over fears that something may be missed, why not just the desktop? Is the desktop that messy that new things would be unnoticed?
         2. Kate R* May 22, 2019 at 9:14 am

            This was my thought too. In the same vein as letter #3, I think leaving stuff on the chair can read like, “this person wants me to deal with their stuff before I even get a chance to sit down!” I can definitely see why that’s annoying, but even if the person wasn’t above OP in the hierarchy, I don’t think this is something to make a huge deal out of. It’s annoying for sure, and I’d probably offer reminders about the inbox, but I’d also re-frame it in my mind that something on my chair just means it needs to get done, not that it’s urgent.
         3. Ghost-It Note* May 22, 2019 at 9:48 am

            This is it exactly. The desk, the keyboard, anywhere else would be fine…but not the chair.
         4. Vemasi* May 22, 2019 at 10:27 am

            Honestly, I think putting it on the chair makes it MORE likely to be misplaced. You have to move it before you sit down, and if you need to gear up and put your purse away and whatnot, you might just toss it on a pile that isn’t the inbox and forget about it. If it’s in the inbox you’ll get to it, and if it’s on the keyboard you are in work mode by the time you have to move it. At least if this is happening in the morning, rather than while LW is on bathroom breaks or something.

            And the fact that it’s a small issue would just make me more angry. If it’s such a small thing, why can’t you just not do it when I tell you it bothers me? But then again, I’ve never worked where someone much higher than me in the hierarchy was often giving me work, so what do I know.
      6. Seeking Second Childhood* May 22, 2019 at 8:32 am

         1. In many places, there’s a “first-in-first-out” rule for sequence of tasks. Putting it on the chair makes it impossible to tell who gave it to you first. (Not that people won’t put their stuff in different order anyway but…)
         2. It’s a dangerous habit because some of us sit down without looking. Most office will survive being sat on, or can be reprinted… but what if it’s original photographs or presentation certificates? And what if it’s not paper?
         My story: I usually sit down without looking…so once I almost sat on a plate of homemade cupcakes a co-worker left for my birthday.
         3. Plus OP has a designated spot for incoming materials — if someone bothers with an inbox, I’m going to extrapolate that the desk is organized. CrapOnChair is not organized. I could see that peeving their pets.
         1. Yorick* May 22, 2019 at 8:40 am

            Why would someone leave FOOD in your chair? That’s where your butt usually is!
            1. Anon Accountant* May 22, 2019 at 9:06 am

               Exactly. Food on a chair is weird.

               A coworker left s glittery Easter egg on my chair as a joke. Glitter was all over my chair and I was wearing black pants that day. I got off as much glitter as I could but had a meeting with several upper level managers.

               I got teased about “going all out” for that meeting. Not cool.
            2. Ego Chamber* May 23, 2019 at 8:02 pm

               Okay, but the food is (usually) on a plate or wrapped in some way and my butt at the office is similarly (usually) wrapped in some way, so the number of barriers between butt-germs and food is usually (at least) two barriers, yes?

               I’m not a fan of the people who bring up how fundamentally disgusting people are in general as a counterpoint to the discussions about keeping sick people away from people with compromised immune systems but I really don’t understand why the outside of the butt of my pants is supposed to be gross. (Full disclosure: I’ve eaten Cheetos that fell in my bra before so there’s a good chance I’m just a disgusting trash mammal and will never understand.)
            3. Clisby* May 23, 2019 at 8:03 pm

               Yeah, but how can someone sit down in a chair without looking at it?
         2. Lily in NYC* May 22, 2019 at 9:10 am

            Oh my god, the same exact thing happened to me and I’ve even mentioned it here before! But sadly, it wasn’t an “almost” for me; I sat on the dang cupcake. It was chocolate.
            1. Ego Chamber* May 23, 2019 at 8:05 pm

               Chair-cupcakes are always chocolate, it’s like a rule or something. The only exception to this rules is if you’re wearing white pants, then there’s a 50/50 chance the chair-cupcakes could be red velvet instead of chocolate.
         3. TootsNYC* May 22, 2019 at 12:23 pm

            I’m not going to assume that because someone has a inbox, their desk is neat.
            1. Mr. Shark* May 22, 2019 at 1:35 pm

               But even if the desk is unorganized, which is what the inbox is for. That’s the whole purpose of the inbox (said in a Jerry Seinfeld voice)!
               1. Clay on my apron* May 22, 2019 at 3:51 pm

                  LOL

                  I could actually hear Jerry saying that. Now I want to watch Seinfeld.
      7. pleaset* May 22, 2019 at 8:52 am

         “I don’t even understand why this is annoying.”

         Because you can’t avoid dealing with it in a small way (moving the papers) right away if you want to do other work.
         1. mf* May 22, 2019 at 9:07 am

            This: this is why it’s annoying and also why the VP is doing it. He wants to require that the admin deals with his paperwork before she can do anything else. Essentially, he’s demanding her immediate attention.
            1. Falling Diphthong* May 22, 2019 at 9:17 am

               It reminds me a bit of yesterday’s IT letter. “Yeah, I could send an email about my problem–but I could also chase you to the bathroom and explain it while you pee! And in the second one I know you’re hearing about my problem in real time, so I like that better.”
               1. Michaela Westen* May 22, 2019 at 10:56 am

                  In the second one you’re communicating verbally while the person is distracted, which makes them more likely to forget the conversation by the time they get back to their desk.
                  If the communication is sent in the way they request, they can organize and prioritize it and there’s a much better chance of it getting done.
                  I once had a job in a large IT dept. (in ’99, yay Y2K), and everywhere I went people would stop me with requests for support. I took to carrying a notepad and pen and wrote down the requests as I received them. When I realized the notebook was on a shelf in public while I used the restroom, I started carrying it in a covered pad holder, and I’ve used one ever since.
            2. Observer* May 22, 2019 at 9:43 am

               That’s actually not true. All it means is that he wants to be completely sure that they saw it – and that they can’t claim that somehow they didn’t see it.

               Given that the OP says that they are just “ok” and that they see their job as a step down, I can see that the VP might even have some legitimate reason for this.

               The OP’s response ALSO indicates that they could be giving the VP reasons for worrying – Actually seriously considering chucking things from your boss because you don’t like the way it was given to you is seriously over the top. Even sticking it to the bottom of the pile is petty and doesn’t build credibility.
               1. MassMatt* May 22, 2019 at 10:49 am

                  But it really isn’t foolproof, some people have mentioned sitting on cupcakes etc left on their chairs. If the document is that urgent, maybe hand it to them in person?

                  And the OP mentions this isn’t urgent material, it’s just regular work that comes in while she is away from her desk.
                  1. Observer* May 22, 2019 at 3:30 pm

                     That doesn’t mean that the Boss is engaging in a power play. Even if they are wrong in their thinking, it doesn’t mean that that’s not what they are thinking.
               2. AKchic* May 22, 2019 at 12:03 pm

                  If a person is “okay”, maybe allowing them to use systems that they know work for them would make them better, rather than trying to upset their tried and true methods of organization?

                  And many of us undervalue our own skills in assessment ratings, especially when we’ve taken a demotion in order to pay bills. The whole false humility so as not to seem like a braggart thing. Seems to affect women more than men, but that’s a topic for a different site.

                  To me, having been an admin for so long, this is a subtle power play, and a passive-aggressive “do this now” hint. I mean, LW already has to pick it up and move it in order to sit down, so might as well work on it rather than set it aside. They would have to review it and prioritize it anyway, right? Might as well go all-in and just get the work done ASAP.
                  That’s the tone I get from the chair placement. That’s the subtle, unspoken message I’ve always received when it’s done to me, and it’s always been the self-important (and in a few cases, narcissistic dillweeds) managers who pull these moves. The rest will use the inbox.
                  1. Observer* May 22, 2019 at 3:33 pm

                     Not really. If the OP is otherwise a rock star, then that’s an argument. But, by and large it’s kind of hard to make the argument that needing to move paper from the chair is really going to make an OK admin terrible or that not needing to move those papers is going to turn them into a rock star.

                     And by the OP’s own admission, the hit to their work is retaliation over a “peeve” rather than a true hit to their workflow.
                     1. Ego Chamber* May 23, 2019 at 8:12 pm

                        If you reread what you just wrote, what you’re really saying is that needing to move paper from the chair might lead to an “okay” admin becoming a terrible admin (since she’s considering chucking the requests outright). :)
            3. lawschoolmorelikeblawschool* May 22, 2019 at 9:46 am

               Isn’t that the VP’s prerogative??
            4. JB (not in Houston)* May 22, 2019 at 9:53 am

               No, not necessarily. In my office people routinely leave stuff for each other in our chairs. It’s not because we want them to deal with it before anything else. We have absolutely no way to know why he’s doing it.

               It’s fine if this is a pet peeve of yours, OP, but you’re building this up onto a bigger deal than it needs to be.
               1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 9:59 am

                  Yes, I don’t think this has to be viewed adversarially, and in general that’s a bad workplace default. It can be just about the papers, not about value and respect.
               2. Aunt Piddy* May 22, 2019 at 12:19 pm

                  I have literally never worked in an office where putting things on chairs/keyboards wasn’t the norm. It would never occur to me that someone could blow it this out of proportion! If someone came to me with guns blazing accusing me of being disrespectful, I’d be pretty peeved.
               3. Mr. Shark* May 22, 2019 at 1:40 pm

                  It may not be the norm at the OPs work. And we’ve seen others say that would annoy them to no end (including me). The purpose of the Inbox is to place items that are coming into your queue into the Inbox, so placing them on your chair makes no sense, unless you don’t have an Inbox.
            5. Kathleen_A* May 22, 2019 at 10:00 am

               Everybody in my office leaves stuff on other people’s chairs (or sometimes keyboard). Everybody – admin, president, team leader, office manager, same-level colleague, everybody. I can’t speak for the OP’s office, but here it is definitely not a power play. It’s just an acknowledgement that stuff in “in” boxes is usually low-priority mail, not something that the recipient needs to know about it that day.
               1. Vemasi* May 22, 2019 at 10:31 am

                  I think the power play is moreso in ignoring OP’s request to stop.
                  1. dramallama* May 22, 2019 at 11:22 am

                     It may simply be a matter of not realizing how much it annoys her. Like, right now I’m astonished at the people making a case for how much it annoys or inconveniences them– I’ve never seen it as an issue a single day in my life. It’s like if OP came to the VP and said she feels really strongly all the toilet paper in the restroom should be a certain way; VP is probably regarding this as something so insignificant it’s not worth thought or debate.
                     1. Kathleen_A* May 22, 2019 at 11:27 am

                        I agree. How to put this delicately…the VP probably sees it as no big deal, and probably cannot possibly imagine that anybody else would see it as a big deal, either. Like dramallama, I am having a hard time understanding why this is a problem. I see now that it is, and I acknowledge that, and if I worked with someone who was really, really, really peeved by this, I’d try to stop.

                        But…again, how to put this delicately?…it would not be in the OP’s best interests to make it clear how big of a deal this is to her. She will not come out of this looking like a reasonable person.
                  2. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 11:28 am

                     I think it’s possible the VP could be dealing with this better–as I said elsewhere, I don’t know what he said when she asked. But just because he didn’t stop when asked doesn’t mean it’s a power play, any more than it’s a power play when people have admins print stuff. It may be directly or indirectly about power, in that he has more than she does because he’s over her in the hierarchy and therefore his preferences outrank hers, but that doesn’t mean he’s doing this to make any particular point about who has the power.
                     1. Kathleen_A* May 22, 2019 at 11:47 am

                        If it is a power play, it’s a pretty dang mild one! Let’s just say if he truly wanted to find even a subtle way to say “I am more powerful than you, so neener, neener, neener,” I’m pretty sure he could do better than this. Almost anybody could.

                        Now, maybe this is just one of the many subtle ways this particular VP says “neener, neener, neener.” and perhaps that’s intensifying her irritation? But if so, the OP doesn’t mention it, and in any case, this is not the hill that I personally would choose to die on.
                     2. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 12:19 pm

                        @Kathleen–yes, maybe this is a situation where it’s not really about the paper–and of course if that’s the case, fixing the paper won’t fix the problem. And if it *is* really just about the paper, it would probably be helpful to realize that then it’s not about respect, which might help the OP be more philosophical about a situation that I suspect isn’t going to change.
         2. LawBee* May 22, 2019 at 9:10 am

            Yeah. It falls under “petty annoyances that, while petty, are still annoying”. Although I don’t care where my staff leaves work for me, I can totally see how this would drive someone up the wall.

            But at the end of the day, OP -a self-professed “okay admin” – should just suck it up and deal, and stop trying to get back at her boss by not doing his work. That’s just going to backfire on her, not him.
            1. Observer* May 22, 2019 at 9:43 am

               Exactly.
         3. WellRed* May 22, 2019 at 9:15 am

            It takes two seconds. If that.
            1. Falling Diphthong* May 22, 2019 at 9:18 am

               The same amount of time it would have taken him to just put it where she is going to put it.
               1. Ask a Manager* Post authorMay 22, 2019 at 9:58 am

                  Sure. But he’s not, and he’s above her in the hierarchy, and this is way too much energy to expend on something that takes two seconds of her time.

                  Plus, he may legitimately need to ensure she sees it quickly, which she may not if it’s in her inbox. Or if being just an “okay” admin (as she terms herself) means she might not handle it with urgency otherwise, and she needs to.
         4. ...* May 22, 2019 at 10:25 am

            Yes, I agree with this. This is something that my former coworkers used to do and it always annoyed me. I was working in a library as an hourly worker in the Tech Services department and when I’d come to work in the morning, there would sometimes be a pile of books, phone chargers, laptops, or whatever on my chair left by the overnight staff that needed work done on them. So before I was even able to clock in, I had to deal with it (in a small way, sure, but still deal with it).
      8. Rikki Tikki Tarantula* May 22, 2019 at 9:20 am

         I don’t understand the annoyance either. I prefer that things be left on my chair, because then can triage where it goes in my system, which I understand but which is probably not immediately recognizable to most people. Even now, when I work from home, I ask my husband to put any mail or documents on my chair (he tends to put things in places I’d never look, and then we have a late electricity bill).
         1. JM60* May 22, 2019 at 4:19 pm

            It’s placing an object in someone’s way. Even if it didn’t take much time to move it, it’s still annoying to most people. IMO, it’s for unless it’s unusually important or you know it doesn’t annoy the person.

            It also makes it possible for the person to accidentally sit on it. After all, Lots of people don’t look at their chair before each time they sit on it.
      9. Llellayena* May 22, 2019 at 9:31 am

         Yes. Basically placing it on the chair is guaranteeing that the recipient sees that it arrived, glances at it, and sets it in their mind as “I will need to deal with this.” Not everyone needs this visual reminder, but it is much easier to miss a new piece of paper on top of other papers than a sheet of paper on a chair seat or over the keyboard.
         1. JM60* May 22, 2019 at 4:20 pm

            “guaranteeing that the recipient sees that it arrived”

            Or that they sit on it because they didn’t check the chair before sitting. An alternative would be to put it in front of their keyboard.
      10. Memyselfandi* May 22, 2019 at 9:42 am

          I want to say something for the OP and others who find this annoying. When you are in a position where you are performing tasks for others and have relatively little control over your work, small things like having others place their work where you want it can loom large. It’s like the chair is one thing that is your own, and others keep using it as a dumping ground. Although I have never felt this way about people putting work on my chair (and I have worked as an admin and still receive work from others) I can understand the feeling. It is entirely possible to be irked by it and know at that same time that it is not reasonable to be irked. So, you reach out to someone else for perspective. After all, that is what the OP asked for. Thanks be to AAM for providing that perspective for so many of us.
          1. Ankle Grooni* May 22, 2019 at 9:57 am

             I think this is my viewpoint as well. I hate when people put things on my chair or keyboard instead of my very visible and usually not very full inbox. To me, it’s an implicit message that I don’t know how to prioritize work or I let things slip through the cracks. I pride myself on my reputation of getting tasks done quickly and efficiently.

             My immediate office mates know not to leave work on my chair, but sometimes they forget, and they get gentle reminders. Nothing I can do about the random person who shows up and, because of being burnt by others, put it on my chair. I know, deep-down, that this is a personal problem and not one to make into a public problem.

             Another pet peeve with my officemates is when, while on the phone or involved in typing something, they hand me a form instead of putting in the inbox. Depending on my snark level for the day, I either take the form from their hand and put it directly into the inbox or point to the inbox.
             1. Ego Chamber* May 23, 2019 at 8:20 pm

                There is nothing snarky about either of those reactions. If I was in the middle of a task and someone tried to interrupt/distract me with (non-urgent) paperwork, I wouldn’t hesitate to do either of those things—especially if I was on a (work) phone call. Rude.
          2. TreeSilver* May 22, 2019 at 12:26 pm

             This is a useful insight. I always figured leaving things on a chair was a way to ensure someone received it but without disturbing whatever organization or working system they had on their desk, which I viewed as “personal workspace.” The chair for me was a way to indicate, “I’m putting this here so you don’t miss it, but I don’t want to mess up your organizational system on your desk.”

             Maybe this is because I work with a lot of people who organize by stacks of papers, etc., on their desk/workspace?
             1. NotAnotherManager!* May 22, 2019 at 12:57 pm

                My desk is organized chaos, and I’d likely miss or at least be delayed in seeing something that wasn’t in my chair or on my keyboard. It makes sense to ME but not likely anyone else. :)

                In short, I appreciate the chair drops much more than I would a desk drop.
             2. Spreadsheets and Books* May 22, 2019 at 1:00 pm

                This is my logic. I have no idea how anyone else wants their stuff. Maybe something I think is an inbox is just a random tray for papers and not an inbox at all. Maybe all of those random piles are actually organized in some way. Maybe they’re in the middle of a busy day of meetings and checking an inbox won’t be a high priority, but I have something urgent. Putting it on the chair says “here you go, do whatever you need to do with this so that I don’t mess up your flow.”
                1. Mr. Shark* May 22, 2019 at 1:44 pm

                   If you have an Inbox, that is the whole purpose of the Inbox. I don’t see why that’s so hard to understand.
                   1. CanuckCat* May 22, 2019 at 3:33 pm

                      Because some offices provide them and people don’t use them? Inboxes are a standard part of office setup/supplies at my work but I’d say only our Finance team actively uses them as an inbox. It’s not an absolute that just because this thing is sitting on your desk, everyone’s going to use it the same way.
                      1. Mr. Shark* May 22, 2019 at 5:19 pm

                         In this case, the OP is stating that she has an Inbox, so it should be used for that purpose. Others who don’t have an inbox, of course, people won’t put it in some random box on their desk.
                         It’s easy enough if the AA has organized her desk and asked people to put any incoming items in the Inbox, that those who are getting support from her should comply with that little request–the little control the AA has over her own desk and her own job.
                   2. NotAnotherManager!* May 22, 2019 at 4:33 pm

                      It really depends on organizational culture. I have an inbox, but it’s in the vestibule of my office space, and I have to get up to check it. The only things that I get in my inbox are postal mail and interoffice mail, which circulates 3-5 times per day. Things that require immediate attention go in chairs; overnight/courier deliveries are hand-delivered and signed for. This is the way the whole company works and is not unusual for my industry based on a quick survey of peers. We work on a lot of urgent/deadline work, so having to move it to sit down is a feature, not a bug.
          3. Cheryl Blossom* May 22, 2019 at 1:02 pm

             Huh, that’s an interesting take. For the record, I have worked only in administrative jobs, and I currently work in a showroom where the most personal item I have on my desk is my water bottle, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way. That doesn’t mean you’re wrong; it’s just not universal.
             1. Memyselfandi* May 22, 2019 at 3:23 pm

                I don’t think it is universal. The underlying issue is control. My experience is that when something bothers me and it doesn’t seem quite logical the reason is something to do with control. Personally, I consider my office and my desk and chair public space especially if I am not there, but in my opinion if I am in the office someone should acknowledge me before they enter (less than asking permission, more than just marching in and plopping themselves down). It irks me, but it isn’t really reasonable when there is a meeting scheduled and folks are arriving for the meeting and clearly not everyone shares my feeling.
          4. Vemasi* May 24, 2019 at 11:33 am

             This is my viewpoint as well. I have made a few comments trying to explain why having things put on your chair is annoying to some people, and why having your request not to have that done is even more annoying. But in the end, what the OP asked is “am I overreacting or is he being rude?” Alison said that OP was overreacting, but I would say that the answer to both of those is yes, OP is overreacting AND the VP is being rude. He is being rude by ignoring OP’s request to stop, not really by putting the papers on the chair, because for some people this is not rude. But in the end OP will probably have to excuse him for it, because people above you in the hierarchy get to do things that would be rude if they weren’t, because they have more responsibility and decision-making power.

             OP needs to accept that the VP is most likely not doing this IN ORDER to be rude, it is just that he probably does not have the processing power to remember you don’t like it, and/or doesn’t realize how annoying it is to you, and it is not worth your political capital to make him aware. Just accept it as another part of being managed.
      11. Dust Bunny* May 22, 2019 at 9:53 am

          My supervisor frequently has so many papers on his desk and in his inbox–we’re in a paper-heavy discipline–that I leave stuff on his chair to make sure he’ll see it. Stuff has gotten overlooked before because various staff didn’t realize that the things in their inbox were new.
      12. Kyrielle* May 22, 2019 at 10:51 am

          I wonder whether simply giving him his own inbox (that is, have another one on the desk for just his papers) would help. He could then see it was empty after his requests were handled.
          1. ELWM73* May 22, 2019 at 10:55 am

             This is the reasoning behind the 7 inboxes-owners can tell if their work has been acknowledged without asking me.
      13. Cheryl Blossom* May 22, 2019 at 10:55 am

          I don’t either- I don’t know how any of my coworkers process and organize their paperwork, so if I have to leave something on one of their desks, my main goal is to make sure they can see something new was left for them.
      14. Wing Leader* May 22, 2019 at 10:56 am

          It’s not annoying to me because this is very common in my office. If something needs to be done or seen, it goes in the person’s chair.
          1. Rainy* May 22, 2019 at 11:21 am

             I would sit on so much stuff if this were the default in my office. Thank goodness it’s not!
      15. Adminx2* May 22, 2019 at 12:02 pm

          I once had someone lose a fedex that I left on their chair when they were on vacation. Important papers. Never chairs ever again!! Inbox if it’s there, or some specific place on their desk WITH an email follow up.
      16. Richard Hershberger* May 22, 2019 at 2:48 pm

          My boss leaves stuff on my chair, but then again I leave stuff on his.
      17. Susana* May 22, 2019 at 5:11 pm

          It’s really annoying. It can get ink or something else on your skirt or pants, and it’s a way of saying DON’T EVEN SIT DOWN before looking at this!
      18. Arts Akimbo* May 22, 2019 at 9:04 pm

          Yeah, I would a million times prefer stuff be left on my chair, especially urgent stuff. The only time I do not want work left on my chair is when I am sitting in it!
   2. Not So NewReader* May 22, 2019 at 8:03 am

      I had the opposite problem. My boss is the only person who fills the in-tray. Sometimes super important stuff would get buried with regular stuff.
      We chatted a few times about it being okay to leave stuff on my chair or keyboard to indicate, “Do first” or “Top Priority”. I ended up saying, “You are my boss, it’s okay to tell me what you need done first thing. I need you to do that, so I can be a good employee…” sigh. I think that clinched it.

      Perhaps OP can try something like this, “Boss if I see it on my chair or on my keyboard I am going to assume that it’s top priority and needs to be done ahead of all other work.” This might help the boss to think about what she is doing.

      As a side bonus, it does not really bother me if something is occasionally on my chair/keyboard, as I know she has her reasons for saying it’s a priority. (Many times I cannot figure out why it’s a priority but that is not important. I just get it done.)
   3. Lizzy May* May 22, 2019 at 8:36 am

      I’m an “I hate it” person. For me it feels like my boss doesn’t trust my processes despite the fact that those processes have worked successfully for a long time now. Also, I just want to be able to sit and change my shoes before I have to engage with work.

      I have had some success convincing bosses that they can leave truly urgent work on my keyboard. I still have to engage with it in some sense before I can move on but it doesn’t interrupt my ability to sit, put away my purse, change my shoes and get into work mode. Not every boss has gotten on board and sometimes people forget and slide back into their own preferences, but it feels like a good middle ground to me.
      1. Yorick* May 22, 2019 at 8:41 am

         I hate the chair mail too. My desk is pretty clean, there isn’t much paper. If you leave it anywhere on the desk, I’ll see it right away. But there’s an inbox there for a reason.
         1. Mr. Shark* May 22, 2019 at 1:46 pm

            Yes, there’s an inbox there for a reason. I’d be more willing to have them put it on my keyboard rather than my chair. It still doesn’t make sense to not use the inbox when that’s its purpose.
            1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 1:56 pm

               But the purpose of the office is to get work done, not to ensure papers are put in inboxes. Don’t make the inbox more important than the work.
   4. BetsyTacy* May 22, 2019 at 9:53 am

      I expect that people put new ‘priority’ stuff (like stuff my boss gives me) on my chair. Likewise, I put new items on the chairs of my employees if they’re not around. I personally sort all that stuff into inboxes (as in multiple); however, I get that other people may do it other ways.

      This isn’t personal, it’s the standard way I have operated in multiple offices for more than a decade. I think I do have one staffer who actively uses their inbox; however, I like the absolute knowledge that they’ve had to lay hands on the document in order to move forward.

      Side note: I did have one boss who used to just flat out sit on stacks of documents on her chair, but the only way to get her to actually look at something was to physically stand in her office and say ‘This is X. It is important because of Y. You will need it/ need to take action by Z. Do you have any questions?’ (Shocker: she was a nightmare in many ways… including berating staff for not giving her critical info before a meeting when in fact she was literally sitting on the memo…)
      1. Michaela Westen* May 22, 2019 at 11:27 am

         That sounds like my boss, except he doesn’t berate. No matter where I leave it, he’ll be too busy/distracted to look at it until our meeting when I mention it – and then he looks at it for the first time and deals with it. Sigh.
         Unless I send him texts asking for direction… then he sees it by email since he’s not in the office…
   5. NotAnotherManager!* May 22, 2019 at 10:56 am

      Putting things in someone’s chair is the default at my organization. There are a few reasons for it – first, the way the office is set up, many people’s inboxes are not in their office, so they have to make a trip to their inbox to see if anything new is there. Time-sensitive things need to be seen as fast as possible and, on some people’s desks, it’s difficult to tell what’s a new v. old pile, so chair it is. We cover this in orientation so people are neither surprised by it and so they don’t leave something urgent in someone’s inbox rather than where they would expect to see it.

      Someone who’s highly irritated to finding work-related things in their chair would have a hard time here. It’s a company culture thing.
   6. Kathryn* May 23, 2019 at 5:08 am

      Ok, I wrote the annoying VP chair question. My inbox never stays full long not just because I do have a work ethic, but high priority work typically is generated through emails or phone calls. Therefore I’m not putting something high priority on the bottom of my list. His expenses just get done after the SVP and department managers. Sometimes that means they get done the next day. Also, with how our desks are set up this VP actually has to walk past my inbox and in order to put papers on my chair. The other two people in the department have no problems using this inbox.
      1. Kathleen_A* May 23, 2019 at 9:14 am

         I do understand your annoyance (somewhat). But you’ve got to let it g-o-o-o-o-o-o-o. If this is a power play, it’s a very weak one, and you need to save your fire for something bigger. But if the VP is basically an OK manager, chances are really good that it’s not any kind of power play – it’s just that the VP, for whatever reason, believes that putting stuff on people’s chairs is a more effective way to make sure they see it. It certainly is in my office – people of all ranks do this to each other all the time around here.

         So. When you get back to your desk and see something on your chair, handle it exactly as you would any other piece of paper that is equivalent in priority. Then…move on with your life. By dwelling on this, you’re not hurting the annoying VP at all. You’re letting this petty thing take up way too much space in your life, and you’re making yourself unhappy. My advice – and I think many other AAM commenters would agree – is that you should save your energy for bigger issues. Good luck to you!
      2. Mr. Shark* May 23, 2019 at 11:24 am

         I feel your pain, Kathyrn. It seems like it would be simple enough for him to use the inbox, and he’s just full of his own importance so much so that he thinks his work has priority and he shouldn’t respect your wishes.
         As other people have pointed out, you can only request so many times.
      3. Ego Chamber* May 23, 2019 at 8:40 pm

         I’m apparently in the minority because I don’t think there’s anything wrong with putting (non-urgent) work from the VP at the bottom of your inbox (as long as the work is still finished within the expected time frame, which it sounds like it is, so there’s seriously no issue).

         I think the VP is being a little shit by ignoring an established process in the company just because he feels like it, it’s definitely a power play and he sounds like an ass, but his personal failings are nothing to do with you. He’s probably not going to change* and there’s no point in trying, just get through it as best you can.

         ____
         *It could happen, since you said he’s new and maybe his bosses won’t be impressed with the behavior, but I wouldn’t hold my breath or anything.
2. One too many hours as a shop steward* May 22, 2019 at 12:15 am

   RE: #1

   I’ve occasionally seen this in older CBAs. It’s usually there alongside any number of other leave provisions. Knowing how CBAs work, it’s usually hard to eliminate something seen as a benefit, but management is usually not a fan of expanding them, letting things like this float on for ages.

   Even if there isn’t a CBA in the picture, there might be somewhere in the organization, and the org may simply unify its leave policies.
   1. Marriage leave* May 22, 2019 at 3:37 am

      I’m not sure what CBA is but my company (not US) offers a week of leave, as you said among many other leave provisions. It’s a great benefit and a kindness to coworkers who are making a major life change. I really like it, and personally I don’t think it’s unfair to offer a benefit that not everyone uses or needs. I think it would be strange to ONLY have this benefit for marriage. My company also offers special leave of varying lengths for childbirth & childcare, nursing care (like taking care of elderly relatives), illness or injury, special training when you hit certain seniority milestones…
      1. M* May 22, 2019 at 6:10 am

         CBA is collective bargaining agreement.
      2. SarahTheEntwife* May 22, 2019 at 10:58 am

         I don’t think this is comparable to maternity or family leave — in those cases you have things taking up your time that mean you’ll need to take time off work (or hire expensive in-home nursing care for sick relatives). Giving time off for a honeymoon is pure bonus. If employees *need* extra time in order to take any marriage-related vacation, that’s probably a sign that your overall paid time off is way too low and should be increased for everyone, regardless of whether they’re getting married.
         1. not a dr* May 22, 2019 at 11:09 am

            I’m Canadian, so this may be different, but here parents can take up to 18 month of parental leave PLUS the company offers an additional week of “new parent” leave. The other poster says they are not in the US so they probably live somewhere where this extra time is actually a perk vs the US which has sad parental leave practices.
            1. SarahTheEntwife* May 22, 2019 at 11:33 am

               But if they have decent leave in general, it seems especially weird to offer even more extra leave for getting married. If you’re taking a vacation, use vacation time for it. The fact that it’s a marriage-related vacation shouldn’t matter.
            2. Michaela Westen* May 22, 2019 at 11:36 am

               My understanding is US vacation and leave are less than most developed countries.
         2. Pommette!* May 22, 2019 at 11:50 am

            I think this sums it up well.
            Care leave (parental, compassionate, etc.) is a social good that should be offered to people with special responsibilities. We all benefit.
            Employers should offer enough vacation for people to cover the small joys of life as they see fit (including honeymoons, if that’s their thing).
            Those are two different things, and earmarking marriage and other leave both muddies the distinction and is legitimately unfair to people who don’t marry.
3. toomanybooks* May 22, 2019 at 12:17 am

   When I got married I was just hoping I could actually take my two weeks’ vacation time to have a proper honeymoon. I thought, “Well, I hope my boss lets me take off this much time at once, I mean, it’s my honeymoon so it’s not going to happen again.”

   I think it’s nice to provide extra time off for certain big life events, and I feel like this isn’t unique to this experience – like when family leave is offered to new parents, for example. I’ll never have kids, but I’m not jealous of maternity leave.

   Ideally we’d all get plenty of paid time off for vacation, but I don’t think it’s wrong that people get to take advantage of a likely once-in-their-career-at-this-company extra week as a special bonus (like a wedding gift).
   1. HannahS* May 22, 2019 at 12:25 am

      Parental leave is 1000% not a vacation or a reward for having a child. In its most basic form, it allows women to recover from pushing a human being out of their bodies. In its more extended form, it allows new parents to care for and bond with their children. It’s akin to giving time off for funerals and elder care, not two weeks in Cabo.
      1. rider on the storm* May 22, 2019 at 1:56 am

         This has nothing to do with the question.
         1. Paperdill* May 22, 2019 at 2:36 am

            No, it’s a response to the comment made by toomanybooks
      2. SDJ* May 22, 2019 at 2:45 am

         I don’t think “toomanybooks” was saying parental leave is a vacation or a reward. They said, “it’s nice to provide extra time off for big life events”. Extra time off doesn’t inherently mean vacation.
         1. Agnodike* May 22, 2019 at 7:28 am

            But that’s like saying “it’s nice to provide extra time off for treatment of a major illness.” It’s not nice so much as necessary.
            1. Case of the Mondays* May 22, 2019 at 9:32 am

               But a lot of companies don’t. You just lose your job. Which is nice when they offer it.
            2. Oaktree* May 22, 2019 at 2:19 pm

               This is really just hair-splitting. You’re derailing from the main point to focus on semantics.
               1. Agnodike* May 22, 2019 at 3:32 pm

                  I actually don’t think the distinction between providing a “nice” bonus and what a company’s responsibility to its employees should be is at all semantic, but thanks for chiding me.
         2. Super Dee Duper Anon* May 22, 2019 at 8:31 am

            Along these lines… toomanybooks was not commenting on the worthiness or value of paid parental leave.

            They were simply pointing out that there are already a variety of culturally accepted leave types or extra benefits that will never be equally applicable to all employees. So that particular argument against this particular situation doesn’t really hold water.
            1. Just Elle* May 22, 2019 at 10:51 am

               I agree with your take. I don’t think there’s anything to be gained from being jealous of “perks” we don’t qualify for.

               I just don’t see it as being inherently unfair. Its not like they’re only extending the benefit to heterosexual marriage or something. The perk universally applies to all people who want to take advantage (although most people wouldn’t choose to enter into a marriage just to get a week vacation). Its very much the same as how a free gym membership wouldn’t apply to people who don’t work out, or free car charging doesn’t apply to people who don’t have electric cars, or free coffee doesn’t apply to people who don’t like coffee (although, don’t get me started on how many different kinds of tea we now have to stock to appease tea drinkers).

               Why not let people enjoy a unique perk? How is it better for morale to take it from everyone? When I got married, it was my first year at my new job and I didn’t have enough vacation time. I had to take unpaid time off for the wedding, and delay our honeymoon a year. Honestly, if a perk like this had been offered, it would have been huge for me. And most other major life events are covered for me in other ways, for example time off to help an elderly parent move is covered by various employee assistance programs.
            2. Name Required* May 22, 2019 at 11:19 am

               It does hold water, when those types of leave aren’t gifts or rewards for achievements, but instead consolations or necessary to aid in recovery. Bereavement, elder care, medical leave, and maternity leave are not equal to an extra week of vacation for marriage.
            3. JM60* May 22, 2019 at 5:06 pm

               Just because there are some benefits that unequally benefit employees doesn’t mean that all inequality in benefits are okay. That is a bad rebuttal.

               There are very good reasons to give medical leave to employees, even though some may never benefit from it, because those who do use it need it for extenuating circumstances, and people who don’t use it probably don’t need it. Your wedding or honeymoon may be a once in a lifetime special vacation (if you only get married once). However, people who don’t get married (or just do a low key wedding) may still want a once in a lifetime vacation too! There’s no good reason to offer extra vacation for those who get married than for those who don’t.
      3. Marriage leave* May 22, 2019 at 4:12 am

         Marriage leave is not reward for getting married either, usually. It allows people to handle bureaucratic and logistical and religious and civil and practical obligations. I encourage you to read Singlemingle’s comment below, it’s a good example.
         1. China Beech* May 22, 2019 at 8:25 am

            So non-married people don’t have events in their lives that require extra effort?!
            1. Karen from Finance* May 22, 2019 at 9:07 am

               But the point is that there are plenty of accomodations made for those types of events, as well.
               1. Dust Bunny* May 22, 2019 at 9:57 am

                  But there aren’t, always. An extra week off for marriage is pretty cut and dried, but other life events are more nebulous and people might be at the mercy of HR or higher-ups to decide what does and does not qualify, which means that a lot of people might not ever get this perk. If marriage counts but, say, they decide taking care of a sick pet doesn’t, even if the pet genuinely requires hourly care, then I’ve been working for 25 years and I don’t think I’ve ever yet had a life event that might earn me this benefit.

                  If there isn’t a clear-cut way to make it equitable, then people who are getting married can squeeze their life events into normal working hours and vacation time along with the rest of us.
                  1. Karen from Finance* May 22, 2019 at 10:05 am

                     > If marriage counts but, say, they decide taking care of a sick pet doesn’t, even if the pet genuinely requires hourly care, then I’ve been working for 25 years and I don’t think I’ve ever yet had a life event that might earn me this benefit.

                     And in that scenario, I’d fight anything to let you take that time off. I understand not all circumstances are clear-cut, but let’s make it equitable in a way that we all get what we need, not where no one gets what they need.
                  2. Grapey* May 22, 2019 at 10:29 am

                     Then the problem is that there are no benefits for those life choices. Petition your employer for them, but don’t try to take away the ones that some people DO get.
                     1. Dust Bunny* May 22, 2019 at 10:35 am

                        That still puts the onus on employees to petition for a benefit that they may never get, versus a benefit that a select few are guaranteed. Which sucks.

                        If the employer isn’t willing to apply this equitably, then, no, nobody should have it. I agree that they *should* make it work for everyone, but right now they’re not, and achieving it apparently creates more work for those who aren’t benefiting, without any guarantee that they ever will.
                  3. RUKiddingMe* May 22, 2019 at 7:53 pm

                     “..,then people who are getting married can squeeze their life events into normal working hours and vacation time along with the rest of us.”

                     Agreed. When I married my current husband I was in Morocco. To get martied there as a foreigner is … interesting, and a maddive time suck.

                     First the US consulate has to sign off. Give them money and they sign. They don’t care.

                     Then multiple translations of all of my official American documents (and they want every damn thing!), multiple interviews with judges at different court levels (i.e. county, state, federal).

                     An *all day trip from Casablanca to Rabat to get one paper signed off (not at all optional), police interview, medical exams, finger prints, criminal background checks (local and international including Interpol).

                     Money spent on every level for official stamps (I swear the economy runs in stamps), bribes (yes, really), and on and on.
                     We both had to be there for 99.99999% of all of that. We still worked it into the regular course of our lives.

                     I’ve gotten married in the US. It was a cake walk by comparison.

                     * train from Casablanca to Rabat. Arrive by 8 am. Drop off paper. Go fo stuff all day. Be back at 3pm. Wait…receive signed form. Train back to Casablanca
         2. Genny* May 22, 2019 at 9:51 am

            So where’s my bonus PTO for buying a house? There’s a lot of bureaucratic and logistical hurdles that go along with that too. Why is it just the hurdles of a new marriage that merit bonus PTO?
            1. Ask a Manager* Post authorMay 22, 2019 at 10:00 am

               Yeah, and buying a house actually requires far more time for logistics than getting married does.

               This is also a week off to use any time that year. There’s no requirement that it even be tied to the wedding or honeymoon.
               1. Pescadero* May 22, 2019 at 12:02 pm

                  I can’t agree…

                  I’ve only gotten married once, but I’ve bought 3 houses… and the logistics of getting married were WAY more time consuming than buying a house. Like orders of magnitude worse.
                  1. Ask a Manager* Post authorMay 22, 2019 at 12:09 pm

                     Really? Maybe this is a difference in countries. I’ve gotten married once and bought three houses. Getting a marriage license and being legally wed took about 45 minutes. Buying houses was days of paperwork and a half day for the closing.
                     1. Pescadero* May 22, 2019 at 12:46 pm

                        I’m in the USA.

                        I think it is because “getting a marriage license and being legally wed” was only about 2% of the overall work.

                        Getting an officiant, a ceremony location, a rehearsal dinner location, a wedding reception location, wedding reception catering, a band, alcohol service, tuxes and dresses for wedding party, and on and on and on… took WAY more time than the actual getting married.

                        Although – getting a marriage license took me a lot longer than 45 minutes. In Michigan the couple has to BOTH appear together at the County Clerk with a bunch of documentation, at least one business day before but not more than 33 days before the wedding… and they’re only open 9-4 Monday through Friday…

                        I think getting my marriage license took about 2x as much time as signing any of my half dozen mortgages.
                     2. Ask a Manager* Post authorMay 22, 2019 at 12:49 pm

                        Oh sure! But all that stuff is optional. (I realize that’s not a perfect argument. I mean, funerals are optional too and we still want people to have bereavement leave. But I don’t think “getting married takes a huge amount of time” is what this is about, because lots other life events do too.)
                     3. Dagny* May 22, 2019 at 1:37 pm

                        Alison, if you think that it’s “optional” for people of faith to get married according to their faith tradition (e.g., by a priest or a pastor), then you need a basic primer on both religion and non-discrimination.

                        I was required by the church in which I wed (my husband’s) to fill out paperwork and put in a deposit six months in advance; work with a church wedding coordinator; attend a half-dozen premarital counseling sessions; select readings and music, and get the same approved by the church; be appropriately attired; attend a rehearsal the evening prior; and a lot of other things.

                        My faith is not optional, and my faith has requirements for what constitutes a valid marriage ceremony. Sorry.
                     4. Ask a Manager* Post authorMay 22, 2019 at 2:08 pm

                        Sorry, I was too flip there. You’re right that religious requirements can make it take longer. I still don’t think it takes significantly more time than many other significant things in life.
                     5. JM60* May 22, 2019 at 5:31 pm

                        @Dagny

                        Even for religious weddings, most of the things you mentioned are optional for most religions. For instance, a valid Catholic wedding doesn’t require that it take place in a Church, doesn’t require any music, doesn’t require a congregation (just 2 witnesses is sufficient), doesn’t require a rehearsal (the wedding may only be an exchange of vows and that’s it). Since other things such as counseling may be required by individual parishes you wish to get married at, but aren’t required for getting married within the religion. The only organizing that would be strictly necessary for a Catholic wedding would be making arrangements with a minister, who doesn’t necessarily need to be a priest (a deacon can officiate).

                        I realize that not all religions are the same in this regard, but I think it’s safe to say that most work around getting married are for things that are optional, even for most people who need a religious wedding.
                  2. Jen* May 22, 2019 at 1:45 pm

                     Wedding planning may be more time consuming than buying a house, but all of the planning happens in advance, and the actual event is typically on a weekend. But buying a house requires a long day of signing paperwork, which has to happen during normal business hours, and then an intensive move.
                  3. YouGottaThrowtheWholeJobAway* May 22, 2019 at 2:08 pm

                     As someone who will be married in 10 days and am taking 2 weeks of regular PTO: just renting an apartment in NYC takes 2-5x as much time overall vs. planning and attending my wedding have taken thus far, and it is far more time sensitive. Any adult who isn’t currently married can get married in the US, in many states with little to no waiting period from getting the license (*provided it won’t destroy your ability to get benefits like ssdi or SNAP — it’s still a privileged status for people well above the poverty line). It’s a low bar beyond the luck of meeting someone in the right place/timeframe!

                     It is less paperwork than say: getting global entry (needed more documents, a special appointment, had to be booked far in advance), renting a car, doing your taxes, getting a new driver’s license, getting an IUD!, buying a house or buying a new car. Co-habitating was a much bigger life event than marriage will be for me because for the most part things won’t change except our tax forms, hospital forms, and the fact that my really Catholic cousin will let us share a room when we visit. Marriage is a legal agreement in the US and a government form, regardless of your other beliefs.

                     If you choose to devote one to two?! years of your free time planning a blowout with matching napkins and 10 bridesmaids and a bunch of locations/events or whatever, that is your personal desire for a big wedding and not “getting married”, and is no more valid than anyone else’s life choice to buy a house, spend extra time with family (blood or chosen), take a long vacation, etc.

                     And I have now experienced the phenomenon of people suddenly being totally supportive about time off for my wedding vs. other time off (example: multiple deaths in the family in a 2 month window), and while it’s nice I suppose, it’s put in stark relief how judgmental and narrow-minded people I work with are when it comes to anything being important if it isn’t a big ol’ heteronormative wedding, even in a liberal place where it’s fairly normal to be single into your 30s and 40s (or always) and unusual to be devoutly religious.

                     My opinion is still that weddings are not more special than other life events and if anyone a work had given me even a fraction of the empathy or slack when my partner had a major surgery 2 years ago, I might feel differently. I need no slack for this, I am not distressed or caregiving right now.

                     This policy sounds like great way to create resentment and an us vs. them atmosphere among the already marrieds / singletons and the “happening to be wed while employed there”.

                     Autumnheart is exactly right!!!
            2. blackcat* May 22, 2019 at 10:15 am

               A weeks worth of PTO for house hunting/buying would be FABULOUS. Intermittent time off to deal with the buying process, and then two or three days to move?
               YES PLEASE.
               1. Autumnheart* May 22, 2019 at 11:42 am

                  I took a week of PTO to do all that, because it was just the easiest way to navigate all the running around I had to do. I agree that having the time off is really handy.

                  I guess I have a knee-jerk reaction to employment benefits that reward people for adhering to a particular social template. Caregiving in any form is different–someone is dependent on that care. But rewarding people for getting married smacks of bias. It tells employees that being married makes you a better employee, the same way bias tells employees that having kids makes you a better employee if you’re a MAN, but a worse one if you’re a woman. In my opinion, employers should not be rewarding employees for their life choices, and it’s clear that this PTO is a reward, not a personal need. People get married every day without taking a honeymoon. If they want a honeymoon, they should use their PTO for it. Employers should not be reinforcing social bias with inequitable compensation.

                  That being said, I have no problem with coworkers contributing to a person’s life event on an informal, non-sponsored basis. We have a card/collection for people who have babies, get married, suffer a bereavement, etc., and managers may certainly offer additional flexibility to those employees to help them get through the rough spots, but it’s not a formal change in their compensation.
                  1. Liz* May 23, 2019 at 12:15 pm

                     I agree! And while I agree with giving EVERYONE an extra week off for whatever, another huge “life event”, well, some of us, myself included, simply don’t have those. I’m not married, i don’t have kids, so no graduations etc., i dont’ own a house, nor will anytime in the near future, and so on. So I think i would prefer the “every three years get an extra week of PTO” for everyone, regardless of what’s going on in their lives.

                     Because if it were limited to “life events’ however defined, I doubt I would ever qualify for it.
         3. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 11:11 am

            Though the marriage leave in the OP isn’t doing that, since it can be taken anytime during that year. That maximizes the optics that this is a reward, not a utility.
      4. Dontlikeunfairrules* May 22, 2019 at 4:19 am

         Deleting this and the resulting debate about maternity leave because it’s derailing and off-topic.
         1. Sylvan* May 22, 2019 at 8:08 am

            Bold of you to assume any of us will benefit from Social Security.

            Anyway, how about that OP and marriage leave, folks?
         2. Not So NewReader* May 22, 2019 at 8:09 am

            These little beings will also grow to be the ones who cut our hair, doctor us, help us with our taxes and so on. It’s all stuff we need. Living in a group has its expenses/costs. I used to picture living alone on an island. How would that go for me? NOT well.
         3. China Beech* May 22, 2019 at 8:27 am

            Because there aren’t enough people on the planet stretch our limited resources as it is?! The zombie apocalypse hasn’t yet happened; we don’t really have to worry about “the human race continuing” just yet.
         4. TheFacelessOldWomanWhoSecretlyLivesinYour House* May 22, 2019 at 8:39 am

            Please explain how it helps society when the planet is overpopulated, animals are going extinct save humans, and humans are destroying everything in their paths? X having a child doesn’t help me in the slightest.
            1. Mystery Bookworm* May 22, 2019 at 8:50 am

               I would imagine there are broader arguments we can have about global warming and sort-of re-hauling our whole society…But overall our current system is set-up VERY much around younger generations supporting the old. We don’t have a society that would allow for a smooth transition to a “Children of Men” situation – it would be incredibly difficult on our infastructure and likely mean that adults today would have pretty terrible elderly years.

               On a much *much* smaller scale, this has been a problem in some developed countries where the elderly population outnumbers the younger generations (who are generally the ones paying into systems like Medicare and providing healthcare to the elderly) — so you can google around about that if you’re curious.

               There’s also the point that, assuming people are going to continue to have children, it benefits us all if they’re given the tools and resources to be good, caring parents – since involved parents are more likely to raise children that are contributing to society.
            2. GreenThumb* May 22, 2019 at 8:51 am

               The planet is not overpopulated. We *produce* enough resources for everyone. The problem is that the bulk of those resources are hoarded by a small number of very rich people, and that people in rich countries are consuming FAR more than we actually need.

               I don’t have kids, but I would never begrudge a parent extra time off to spend with their newborn (beyond the bare minimum needed to recover) even if I never get the equivalent. I really do not understand the incredible bitterness some have to parents and children.
               1. JJ Bittenbinder* May 22, 2019 at 9:27 am

                  I really do not understand the incredible bitterness some have to parents and children.

                  I don’t, either. There are some very ugly places (online and in real life) where people who hold these viewpoints say some pretty horrible things about people who choose to have or who end up having children, and it’s very disheartening. Some day, that child you refer to as a “f*ck trophy” or “Cr*tch fruit” spit out by “breeders” might be the person who cares for you in your old age, manages your finances when you retire, or somehow contributes to your life. Even if that weren’t the case, that type of bitterness is ugly and hateful and leads me to believe that the person expressing it has problems much deeper than we should be getting into in the comments section of a work advice column.
         5. TheFacelessOldWomanWhoSecretlyLivesinYour House* May 22, 2019 at 8:42 am

            I paid into my own Social Security. That’s my money I’m taking back. The fact the US government has set it up the way it has in no way means that child is paying me–I paid my own Social Security. Plus, if that kid goes to public school, well, I paid for them.
            1. Jules the 3rd* May 22, 2019 at 9:21 am

               In the US, this is incorrect. Your money that you paid in went to retirees at the time you paid it (or within about 5 years). Any money you get at retirement is from people who are working at the time you get paid.

               Yeah, you paid for the kid’s public education, and they are paying you back with social security. Most developed countries’ support networks are set up like this, which is why the question of population growth / support is tricky. Balancing resource consumption and depletion among different constituencies is complex and multifaceted.
            2. Brandy* May 22, 2019 at 9:24 am

               Thank you, TheFacelessOldWoman. I love this so much. We pay into SSI to take it out. People aint paying or us. The statement “we’re paying for your SSI” act like we didnt pay in ourselves.
            3. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 9:30 am

               @Jules–I agree that it’s not essentially a government-run IRA, but it’s also true that if you don’t pay into Social Security (or don’t pay in enough), you don’t get Social Security. (You all are welcome for the money I paid in and will never get back or get benefits from :-).)
               1. Jules the 3rd* May 22, 2019 at 9:48 am

                  mmm – many spouses didn’t pay in, and can get SS based on spousal earnings even if divorced. But you only need to have worked for 10 years, $6K/year, to be eligible (or be married to someone who did that). If you earn more, sure you get more, but it’s still being paid for by current workers. If all the current workers stop working / paying, payouts end. The money’s not saved up for you / me.

                  And yeah, I am very happy to be paying for my parents’ retirement through this low-overhead govt run plan with lots of people’s help.

                  Right now, projections are that SS can cover at least 75% of my currently projected benefits when I retire in 20 years, and if we increase the SS tax to the 1st $150K of income (not just salary) or 1st $250K of salary, US would be able to pay 100% of current projected benefits indefinitely. Means testing puts us at 90%. I actually think some form of tax increase is likely, though I’m not including SS in my retirement planning.
         6. TheFacelessOldWomanWhoSecretlyLivesinYour House* May 22, 2019 at 8:44 am

            Again, if people stopped having children right now, how would my life be impacted? Maybe 10, 20 years from now. Maybe I wouldn’t get SS but we may not get that anyway.
            1. Mystery Bookworm* May 22, 2019 at 8:54 am

               I answered you elsewhere on the thread, but frankly there’s a considerably more to supporting the infastructure that runs our society than just SS. This gets a bit beyond the scope of this blog, but there’s plenty of research and coverage on issues in developed countries where the elderly significantly outnumber the young if you’re curious. (That’s not to say you couldn’t argue that you would prefer an overhauled system that didn’t work the way our current one does – I suppose you could.)

               But more to the point, people are likely to continue to have children, and we all benefit if those people are given the resources to be involved parents, since those are the parents likely to raise contributing members of society. Arguably more than we benefit from people having lavish weddings.
         7. TheFacelessOldWomanWhoSecretlyLivesinYour House* May 22, 2019 at 8:46 am

            But that can be said about any choice. Choosing to marry, have pets, etc. Everyone juggles PTO versus what they have going on in their lives.
            1. Jules the 3rd* May 22, 2019 at 9:33 am

               But we can also say that there’s a difference in value to society (in economics, the term is ‘externalities’) of these choices. For a lot of complex reasons, ‘having a child’ is usually considered a net positive value to society, and we put social resources towards it. (See: Germany, Japan for reasons why it’s net positive)

               We also usually consider ‘marriage’ to have a net positive effect – usually as a step in pooling resources to make it easier to raise children. But because the children are hypothetical in the ‘marriage’ calculation, and certain in the ‘parental leave’ calculation, we give ‘parental leave’ more social value, and more consistent paid time.

               Ironically: paternal leave reduced childbirth rates in Spain. Men who understood the challenges of raising a child decided they preferred raising few well to raising many. So, if you’re worried about overpopulation, you should push for paternal leave; pretty sure that ‘wedding leave’ doesn’t have the same effect. (Other effective, non-coercive population reduction measures: female education, free long-term contraception, and rural electrification so that people watch TV at night. I find the diversity of this list hilarious.)
         8. Junebug* May 22, 2019 at 8:53 am

            Just here to say amen to your comment and also your company policy fucking blows.

            I wish you the best of luck, all the health possible to you and your whole family, and sending ALL of the sympathy for the decisions you’re being forced to make to balance taking care of you and your family with earning the money so that you can afford to take care of you and your family.
         9. ???* May 22, 2019 at 9:03 am

            Are you thinking of a different country? In Germany you get up to 1/3 of your salary, capped at 1800EUR, for 12 months, which is paid by the government, not the company. You can take two more years of unpaid leave where the company has to hold your job for you, but no one is paying you (=UNpaid leave).
         10. JJ Bittenbinder* May 22, 2019 at 9:18 am

             Thank you for this well-articulated viewpoint! I think many people fall to if I can’t use it myself, it doesn’t benefit me at all that it’s given to anyone and therefore I am against it, without thinking of the downstream effects of taking away such benefits and the overt or subtle messaging about the value of the people for whom the benefits were created. I really appreciate your ability to look at the larger picture despite your situation of being inconvenienced by the coworkers’ leaves.
         11. Manchmal* May 22, 2019 at 9:25 am

             If you are feeling overworked, the correct place to direct your resentment is toward the company who didn’t hire a temp or otherwise allocate the correct resources to the situation.
      5. Wintermute* May 22, 2019 at 7:03 am

         It’s not a vacation but it is time off work that someone who doesn’t have a child won’t get… because they don’t need it, obviously.

         I think the point Toomanybooks is making is that sometimes people get focused on whether things are “fair” in a very narrow sense of getting the exact same amount of everything as everyone else: bosses worrying about people getting upset someone is getting an ADA accommodation that might be seen as a benefit of some kind, people that get work-from-home arrangements because of the nature of their work or good negotiation at hiring, employers forcing everyone to punch a clock at exactly 7:00 sharp because they don’t want to be “unfair” to employees that have to provide continuous coverage when they could give the rest of the office some flexibility…

         It’s not a healthy approach to being equitable, we should be focused on “are people getting what they need?” rather than “is someone getting a few days off I’m not”.
         1. TheFacelessOldWomanWhoSecretlyLivesinYour House* May 22, 2019 at 8:50 am

            It’s easy to see why the resentment starts, however. Allowing everyone flexibility in starting times save a few–that’s bound to get people annoyed UNLESS you make up for it in other ways. If someone has to be 8 -5 and the rest f the staff don’t, give those 8-5 people extra. Perhaps they get breakfast free, more PTO, first crack at scheduling, a lot of leeway on appointments, etc.
            1. Karen from Finance* May 22, 2019 at 9:29 am

               People get flexibility if/when they need it.

               If you don’t end up getting flexibility, yay for you, you don’t have complications or circumstances where you need it. When one comes up, you’ll get it.

               It’s about basic compassion.

               There’s a gut, selfish reaction of “oh but when do I get MINE?” – and the simple answer is “when you need it”.
               1. Ask a Manager* Post authorMay 22, 2019 at 10:01 am

                  Except that’s not true. As others have pointed out, lots of people DON’T get flexibility like this when it would really help.
                  1. Karen from Finance* May 22, 2019 at 10:53 am

                     I understand that it may be way too idealistic to expect employers to always be reasonable when granting these requests, myself working in a place that’s full of bees.

                     I do think that this is an ideal to aspire to, and I like the compromise that’s implied in your 1-week-for-all suggestion, I think it’s a good place to start. But my concern is more at the misdirected rage: don’t get annoyed that a person gets the time off, get pissed that you don’t get it when you need it.
               2. Dragoning* May 22, 2019 at 10:27 am

                  But…well…a honeymoon is a fancy vacation. You don’t *need* that.
                  1. Karen from Finance* May 22, 2019 at 10:58 am

                     Fair enough.

                     My comment was more following the flow of the thread, that was a more general view of leave and not specific to OP’s particular situation, where we’d probably be in agreement.

                     But Alison’s already called out that general discussion for being derailing so I’m going to drop it now.
               3. JM60* May 22, 2019 at 5:48 pm

                  The issue isn’t just that the employer is being more flexible with PTO for those who are getting married, but that they’re giving out more PTO. If my employer denied my PTO request in favor of granting someone else’s PTO request for their wedding, I would be understanding. However, if my employer gave them extra PTO for their wedding/honeymoon, but didn’t give me extra PTO for my once-in-a-lifetime vacation, that would be unfair.
      6. Grapey* May 22, 2019 at 10:28 am

         I think allowing a new married couple to bond after their marriage is important too.
         1. The Original K.* May 22, 2019 at 10:57 am

            Haven’t they bonded throughout their relationship, though? The parent/child bond is brand-new because the child is brand-new. Married people have been together for a time before marriage and are bonded enough to marry.
         2. Just Elle* May 22, 2019 at 10:57 am

            Agreed. Honestly, I’d compare this to paternity leave in terms of need-versus-want. No, the all inclusive resort in the Maldives isn’t necessary. But time together to de-stress and bond is important. Going back to work the Monday after my wedding (because I didn’t have any vacation time) totally sucked.
            1. JunieB* May 22, 2019 at 8:27 pm

               I’m sorry, but I strongly disagree. My husband and I had a day and a half together between the wedding and the return to work, and it did suck, but not to anywhere near the degree that it sucked to have him return to work only six days after our child was born. He missed out on vital bonding time, and she and I were both left without the help we needed.
            2. Ego Chamber* May 23, 2019 at 9:10 pm

               Wow. “Paternity leave?! What’s that for? Is the baby coming out of him?” is a gross and misogynistic perspective we should all be pushing pack on. Not to mention lower income households who use the strategy of tag-teaming FMLA to avoid paying for childcare they can’t afford, in addition to the importance of allowing both parents to bond with a new infant.
         3. Karen from Finance* May 22, 2019 at 10:58 am

            Do people not use vacation time for this, though?
      7. Working Mom Having It All* May 22, 2019 at 1:17 pm

         I mean… to be honest neither is the time most people take off to get married.

         I don’t know anyone who has taken extra vacation to go on their honeymoon (I mean, cool if you can, but I’d assume the 10 days most companies offer is plenty for that use).

         I do know that weddings require a LOT of planning, logistics, and sometimes travel. That’s not really a vacation, at least for most people (like… would you consider picking up family at the airport, overseeing that the tables are delivered to the venue, or standing in line to pick up your marriage license a “vacation”?).

         I didn’t get any PTO at the job I had when I got married, and my boss was an asshole who literally wouldn’t give me a DAY or even let me leave early for anything. (Seriously, even getting my marriage license was a nightmare because it meant I had to come in like an hour late, which was a whole thing.) My mom left her wallet in the airport when she flew out, and I remember getting the stink-eye as I stepped away from my desk to walk her through the process of dealing with that in a strange city. And no way in hell was I going to be able to leave the office to help. I kept having to delegate stuff (picking up flowers, quick Target run for last minute miscellany, etc) to people in my life whose job it was not, because my work schedule wouldn’t allow for any of the basic logistical stuff that getting married involves.

         I would have LOVED to work at a company that had some kind of “life event” PTO policy. Though I agree that calling it “wedding extra vacation time” is kind of BS.

         (I say all of the above as someone who also has a baby and knows that maternity leave isn’t a vacation.)
      8. Tie* May 22, 2019 at 3:00 pm

         I don’t think you need to think they’re the same to accept the relevance though. TMB is right that it’s an accommodation made to people that not everyone is going to take advantage of.
   2. SS Express* May 22, 2019 at 12:27 am

      Framing parental/maternity leave as a fun perk similar to additional vacation time is problematic and extremely harmful imo.
      1. TheFacelessOldWomanWhoSecretlyLivesinYour House* May 22, 2019 at 8:54 am

         It is a perk. People chose to have kids. People chose to get married. People don’t chose cancer, etc. I have no issue with parental leave but we need to stop acting like parenthood isn’t a choice. It is. If we want great parental leave, families cared for, those families with no children need the same amount of care.
         1. LegalBeagle* May 22, 2019 at 9:08 am

            Having children is a choice. Needing time off work to physically recover from childbirth and care for a newborn is a necessity.

            You don’t have to like kids, want kids, whatever. But comparing maternity leave to a free vacation is offensive, and I wish people would consider how deeply sexist (dare I say misogynistic) it sounds.
            1. LaDeeDa* May 22, 2019 at 9:31 am

               +1000000 It is so American to believe that paternal leave is a “perk” and not a necessity- every other country has at least a year. But here we have people complaining about a woman taking 3 months off, your body isn’t even recovered yet.

               It is like people are so concerned about what they get that they forget this is a society in which we should all be concerned about the greater good. GRRR.
               1. Karen from Finance* May 22, 2019 at 9:47 am

                  Amen to that.
               2. Ain’t Miss Behavin’* May 22, 2019 at 9:40 pm

                  EVERY other country?
                  1. anon-on-the-way-past* May 23, 2019 at 12:52 pm

                     Apparently the US is one of only 3 countries in the UN that doesn’t have some form of mandated parental leave, so perhaps not technically “every”, but close enough. I suspect to those of us from countries WITH parental leave – likely to be every, or almost every, non-US commenter – it is a little startling to consider something that tends to be a basic right (like sick leave etc) along the same lines as extra vacation time for fun stuff, so we’re going to run into some really fundamental differences in expectation and interpretation around work and parenting. To me, it’s as culturally alien as it would be reading a set of comments from, say, a place where people couldn’t guarantee being paid for their work, and it was just a nice perk that some employers offered.
         2. SarahTheEntwife* May 22, 2019 at 11:01 am

            I really don’t want this to get political, but in many cases, in many areas, it is effectively not a choice once you end up pregnant.
         3. Buckeye* May 22, 2019 at 11:07 am

            Having a child often requires a medical procedure. It’s not a vacation. Any person who has a medical procedure, elective or otherwise, requires time off to recover and heal.
         4. Ann Furthermore* May 22, 2019 at 11:24 am

            If you want to be child free, that is absolutely your choice. But if we all choose to be child-free, eventually we’ll all cease to exist completely. Recovering from childbirth is not a “perk.” Surely you’re not suggesting that all women give birth on Friday and be back at work by Monday?
            1. Autumnheart* May 22, 2019 at 11:48 am

               Having kids is not doing the world a favor. Let’s just stop that line of discussion right there.
               1. biobotb* May 22, 2019 at 1:01 pm

                  She didn’t say having kids is doing the world a favor.
               2. Ann Furthermore* May 22, 2019 at 1:35 pm

                  Wow. There’s choosing to be child-free, and then there’s actively begrudging anyone who chooses to have children. I was free to make the choice to have a child, and I did. You are (or were) free to make the same choice, and you didn’t. Can’t we leave it at that? Or do I need to beg your forgiveness for deciding to foist another human life upon the world?
               3. SS Express* May 22, 2019 at 11:37 pm

                  Do you realise that if nobody had kids, we’d soon reach a point where there was nobody young enough to provide medical care for us, produce our food, maintain our waterways and power grids, enforce our laws or do any of the other things that humans living in an interdependent society need each other to do?

                  I don’t have kids, but I’m glad other people do so that society can continue, and I’m happy that my government, like the government in every other industrialised nation in the world besides the USA (and most developing nations too), provides them with a certain level of support and requires employers to do the same.
                  1. Ego Chamber* May 23, 2019 at 9:19 pm

                     Implying that we could ever reach a point where “nobody had kids” is disingenuous at best and has a lot of gross political connotations.
                     1. SS Express* May 24, 2019 at 2:10 am

                        I’m not sure if you misread my comment, but I’m not suggesting that we will reach a point where no humans reproduce any time soon, or that people who don’t participate in that (like myself) are doing something wrong.

                        Individually, producing/raising kids is a choice that people should be free to make or not make as they see fit. On a societal level, we depend on a certain number of people to make that choice. So while one person’s decision to have a child isn’t “doing the world a favour”, everyone actually does benefit from the continued existence of the human race. Framing it as a purely personal choice that benefits nobody else is disingenuous, and expecting women to personally bear the enormous economic burden of pregnancy, child birth and newborn care for society’s benefit and begrudging them the tiny bit of support they are offered is what I consider gross.
         5. Pommette!* May 22, 2019 at 11:58 am

            Having children is a choice (and being able to have children after you’ve made that choice is a great luck). Being born is not a choice, nor is living in a society in which some people are babies (dependent humans whose future and development depend on constant + high quality care). I’ll never have children, but I’m super grateful to live in a society that offers parental leave.

            And I agree that it’s important to offer good care to people who don’t have children! But I don’t think that that care should come in the form of an extended vacation. Instead: yes to compassionate care leave for people caring for non-relatives; yes to good social services and a strong social safety net, including good elder care that doesn’t assume that everyone has children who can do the legwork.
         6. Michaela Westen* May 22, 2019 at 2:09 pm

            There are some US states where parenthood is not a choice – they don’t allow an unplanned pregnancy to be terminated. Not trying to get political, but if this trend continues it will not be a choice for even more people. And the members of certain religions feel they don’t have a choice even though legally they do. So it’s not a choice like getting married is – it’s more complicated.
         7. Princess Consuela Banana Hammock* May 22, 2019 at 2:16 pm

            It’s truly not a perk in the same way that health insurance for full-time employees is not a perk. It’s a lifesaving benefit created to prevent people from teetering into compounded poverty. And it’s 100% rooted in combating discrimination that disproportionately affected/affects women, but also has devastating consequences for men, including men who are primary caretakers.
            1. SS Express* May 22, 2019 at 11:38 pm

               Thissssssss
         8. TechWorker* May 22, 2019 at 2:45 pm

            Well it’s a perk to be a child to parents that have decent parental leave so unless you’re going to down the ‘i didn’t choose to be born’ route I think it’s reasonable to consider it as benefitting everyone.
      2. 5 month mommy* May 22, 2019 at 9:48 am

         +one billion. These comments about not having children so will never get the “benefit” of maternity leave are so disheartening. It’s barely a crumb.
   3. Princess Consuela Banana Hammock* May 22, 2019 at 12:28 am

      I don’t think it’s the same as maternity or parental leave, in part because all employees are entitled to FMLA but not all employees are entitled to this vacation benefit.

      Vacation or paid PTO is very different—it’s compensated, and it’s supposed to be related to employee retention, not employee identity. It’s not common for companies to give their employees a “special bonus wedding gift”; that’s something that should happen between real people who know each other. And the extra week, although a boon for marrieds, comes at the expense of non-marrieds and does not advance a reasonable business objective or interest. It would be different if all employees could elect to take an extra week for a voluntary Major Life Event once every X years, but the set-up at OP’s employer is unhelpfully unfair.
      1. Princess Consuela Banana Hammock* May 22, 2019 at 12:31 am

         I should clarify: I realize that parental/medical leave can also help retain employees, but it exists primarily to prevent discrimination in the workplace. That’s very different from paid PTO/vacation, which is often designed to allow a mini-break for employees to do whatever they want/need to do, including relaxing or practicing self-care. Additionally, parental/medical leave is not analogous to vacation in that it’s a ton of work (even if it’s not paid work).
         1. Harper the Other One* May 22, 2019 at 5:57 am

            +1 to this. Parental leave has a very specific purpose, and medical leave is a much better comparison than PTO!
         2. myswtghst* May 22, 2019 at 4:25 pm

            Thank you for both of these comments – this really sums up the difference very clearly.
      2. The Original K.* May 22, 2019 at 12:35 am

         Co-sign. At the OP’s friend’s company, a single person could ostensibly use FMLA to care for a sick parent & have the same time off as someone who has a child, but the same single person does not get this honeymoon PTO week, period, unless s/he gets married. It’s not the same as maternity leave – and I strongly echo what others have said about family leave not being a vacation. Framing it that way devalues caregiving.

         I’m single, which I’m fine with, but this policy would affect my morale if I worked there. Our society tends to tell single people, especially women, that we are less than, and this policy reinforces that.
         1. Dust Bunny* May 22, 2019 at 10:01 am

            +1000 this. FMLA can be applied equitably. The honeymoon perk seems like something that a lot of people would have to go without because their life events were arbitrarily not significant enough.
      3. Marriage leave* May 22, 2019 at 3:41 am

         The way my company does it, is that it’s not supposed to be used for a honeymoon. It’s intended to help people move and prepare their lives together. It’s a little old fashioned and I realize it might be weird nowadays where many people do that moving/preparing part separate from an actual wedding, but that is how it is justified in my non US company.
         1. Just Jess* May 22, 2019 at 8:42 am

            Question: do they also offer PTO for people in the process of purchasing a home or just plain moving apartments? There is definitely stress involved in that as a single person who may not have a household partner.

            Also, I’ve landed on unpaid employment protection (similar to FMLA) for people getting married. You shouldn’t lose your job because you needed a long weekend for a honeymoon and a couple of admin. days to get legal stuff sorted. Same for bereavement.

            What’s a paid perk that all employees can use? How about providing a bankable two days of PTO for every year of employment? Employees who can’t take time off could get it paid out when they leave the org.
            1. Alexander Graham Yell* May 22, 2019 at 11:04 am

               Yeah, I think this is where the “major life event” framing is really useful – moving is hard and requires a lot of logistics, if I worked for a company that had this kind of benefit that I could apply for it would be hugely morale boosting. If I worked for a company where the only way to get this kind of PTO is to get married, I would always be keeping any eye out for a company that treated its employees more equitably.
            2. Marriage leave* May 22, 2019 at 9:20 pm

               Not for just plain moving because you want to, but if you transfer between company branches, then yes. All regular employees get paid leave (which increases every year up to a maximum), sick leave, bereavement leave, extra vacation when you reach a milestone year…as well as parental leave and leave for caring for a sick family member.

               I recognize that the reason for marriage leave is a little old fashioned because people move and partner regardless of that nowadays. I think if this was the only way to get precious extra leave it would feel weird, but the way we do it, I think it’s a nice benefit that some employees can use.
      4. MD* May 22, 2019 at 8:38 am

         Plus it’s inherently discriminatory to LGBTQ if gay marriage is not legal in the country this company is located in. Medical leave doesn’t discriminate based on sexual orientation.
         1. Kelly Bennett* May 23, 2019 at 9:01 am

            This.

            I work for a government organization in Canada, and they changed the marriage leave which used to be one week, one time use of PTO to be taken for marriage. Now it’s just a one-time, one week leave you’re entitled to after a year of employment, to be used to whatever you want.
   4. Lena Clare* May 22, 2019 at 2:14 am

      That’s one hell of a wedding gift!
   5. Daisy* May 22, 2019 at 4:07 am

      Yes I can’t see the problem with it either, seems like a nice policy, and it’s almost certainly going to be a one-off. I hate the ‘it’s so unfaaaaaair!’ viewpoint expressed by OP and AAM – I mean, I guess? Is that a reason to suck every nice helpful gesture out of the world? Seems so petty and bitter. (I’m never married nor likely to be, before people start on that).
      And the ‘what if you wanted time off for a sick parent’ argument AAM puts up seems like a complete non sequitur- many places will work stuff out in those situations, I doubt the kind of workplace that gives out a honeymoon week is going to say ‘screw your dying mother, no time off for you’.
      1. Lena Clare* May 22, 2019 at 4:50 am

         But people who are saying it’s unfair (it is actually unfair, that’s a fact) aren’t saying take it away from people who get married! – they’re saying it’d be nice to have as a perk too even if you’re not getting married. The best way to do that would be to e.g. offer an extra week for everyone after a year. If you wanted to use that for your wedding and honeymoon then great.
         1. Wintermute* May 22, 2019 at 7:05 am

            The problem is the nature of the tragedy in the commons is complaining that other people are getting something you are not is more likely to result in no one getting anything than you getting something as well…
            1. Antilles* May 22, 2019 at 7:52 am

               Yeah, this is the part I don’t understand about the “let everyone have it” chorus. Like, does the commentariat really believe that corporations are likely to become *more* generous when challenged on their perks?
               Maybe I’m just a little too cynical, but I have to think the most likely result of Alison and others’ suggestions is instead this: “Whoa! Let everybody take a free week off every 3 years? We can’t really afford that. The marriage thing only affects like, one employee every year so we did it as a way to say congratulations…but if it’s going to cause resentment, we’re just going to cancel that perk entirely.”
               1. Washi* May 22, 2019 at 8:07 am

                  There are actually several comments below about places that now offer “honeymoon leave” to everyone! It actually doesn’t seem that onerous to me to have each employee get one extra week off , total, in their entire tenure at a company.

                  If we were talking about whether the OP should say anything, I would come down on the side of no, you can’t say anything without coming across as churlish. But the OP is just asking in principle, about a company that’s not even her own, and I think in principle, the company should offer this extra leave to everyone!
               2. biobotb* May 22, 2019 at 1:03 pm

                  So you think perks like parental leave or sick time or whatnot just materialized after workers waited patiently and made not effort to change the system?
               3. Michaela Westen* May 22, 2019 at 3:17 pm

                  In principle, the benefit should apply to everyone even if they never get married.
                  In practice, corporations in which the executives are paid $billions/year will say they can’t afford it.
            2. Dagny* May 22, 2019 at 1:26 pm

               Exactly. This is asking for them to eliminate the nice gesture.
         2. Sylvan* May 22, 2019 at 8:12 am

            +1

            Or have a general “life change”/“life event” leave. That would be great. I don’t think OP has the ability to institute it, though, so to them I’ll just stick with Alison’s advice.
         3. mamma mia* May 22, 2019 at 9:56 am

            Daisy wasn’t saying that it isn’t unfair though? All of the commenters rushing in to say that the policy is unfair are making a very obvious, and in my opinion, redundant, point.

            It IS unfair but life, and especially life in the workplace, isn’t fair! Giving everyone a week off would be a larger financial burden on the company than just giving it to those who got married so I’m confused why everyone is acting like this is the “easy” solution as opposed to something that 95% of companies would dismiss entirely. I might bitch about a coworker getting that leave off to my friends but there is no universe in which I would file a complaint with the company when there’s a possibility that the response would be to remove the perk. Thats the definition of petty.
            1. Dust Bunny* May 22, 2019 at 10:05 am

               There is no reason, though, for your employer to make it even more unfair.

               I might argue that, as a single person, moving and setting up a life in a new home is even more of a burden since I’m doing it all myself. Married people now have two people between whom to divide all that stuff.

               I’m not asking my employer to find me a husband: I’m asking them to make this benefit available for a time when I might also need an extra week. And, frankly, if the company cannot afford to let everyone have it, then, no, they shouldn’t let anyone have it. Theoretically, they could afford it if everyone got married, no?
               1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 10:08 am

                  The other time I’m thinking of is when you’re cleaning out a parent’s home after death or moving into assisted living. That is often some pretty intense work, and I doubt it’s a ton rarer than a wedding.
                  1. Jam Today* May 22, 2019 at 10:16 am

                     Not only is it not rarer than a wedding, its a virtual certainty versus marriage which is like 70% and falling.
               2. RUKiddingMe* May 22, 2019 at 10:35 am

                  “Theoretically, they could afford it if everyone got married, no?”

                  Dong ding ding!
                  1. mamma mia* May 22, 2019 at 11:27 am

                     But that’s ridiculous. Every single employee isn’t going to get married during their time with their company.
                     1. RUKiddingMe* May 22, 2019 at 7:59 pm

                        True but it’s an almost certainty that they will have other things happen that would make getting an extra week of PTO would be a nice bonus.

                        Also until very recently this would have applied only to heterosexual female/male people thus leaving out an entire group of people who were legally barred from getting married. I’m curious if this perk now applies to them as well or if the company still offers it only to heteronormative couples.
                     2. Autumnheart* May 22, 2019 at 8:01 pm

                        A company can’t offer a perk to all employees and then count on people not using it. That’s dishonest. If a company isn’t prepared to fulfill its obligation, then it shouldn’t commit to that obligation.
                     3. Ego Chamber* May 23, 2019 at 9:31 pm

                        So you’re saying it’s another benefit that sounds good on paper, that the employer says everyone is eligible for, but that the employer doesn’t really intend to have everyone use?

                        THAT IS THE POINT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE MAKING.

                        “Optics” benefits are trash and should be called out as such every time.
               3. mamma mia* May 22, 2019 at 11:23 am

                  But no one (including OP’s friend’s company) is saying that single people don’t have their own shares of burdens that are difficult; to react to a married person getting a gift by saying “Oh I also have life events and things to do as a single person (and possibly even MORE problems), why aren’t I getting anything?” comes off as bitter; I’m sorry but it does.

                  I think OP’s company is doing a very generous thing by giving this PTO as a gift. I personally would much rather some people get a perk (even if I’m not using it) then no one gets a perk. So that’s clearly where we differ.
                  1. Michaela Westen* May 22, 2019 at 3:30 pm

                     Reminds me of the Sex and the City episode where Carrie realized she had spent $2,000 on gifts for a friend who had married and had children, but as a single person no one had given her life event gifts.
            2. The Man, Becky Lynch* May 22, 2019 at 10:12 am

               Life in the workplace is constantly challenged and regulations put in place to level the playing field and make it more fair though. So that’s true…ish but exactly the point of those set to challenge that kind of thing.
            3. RUKiddingMe* May 22, 2019 at 10:33 am

               Life as you say is inherently unfair. Workplaces however have an obligation, in many cases a *legal* obligation to institute policies that are fair to everyone.

               It’s not like well “here Candyfloss have a cookie and one for you too Popsicle but yours is broken into two pieces. It’s the same amount but sorry you get the broken one. Sometimes that’s just how the cookie crumbles.”

               It’s saying “ok you who fit X criteria that has nothing whatsoever to do with work do/don’t get this extra bonus.”

               As PCBH (I think it was?) said, in some places discrimination based on relationship status is illegal and *that* is what this is.
      2. RUKiddingMe* May 22, 2019 at 5:24 am

         So you don’t see the innate inequity of giving a certain class of people a specific perk while others who don’t fit that criteria don’t get it?

         In this case it’s like a bonus (because PTO is part if overall compensation) for doing something completely not work related.

         I mean non marrieds do completely not work related stuff every day…some of it even “major life thing” type of stuff and no one is handing them an extra weeks’ pay.
      3. Mystery Bookworm* May 22, 2019 at 6:59 am

         But what’s the problem with the company changing to a policy as advocated by Alison or others? Seems like that would only benefit everyone.

         I also don’t have a major problem with the policy, but I don’t see the harm in advocating for a comparable one.
      4. Washi* May 22, 2019 at 7:45 am

         I think to me part of the trickiness is that even today, being married is generally considered to be better than being single. So society already kind of privileges that type of relationship, and then they also get a special office perk, and I can see how that would grate. To me it’s like deciding to give people an extra week off if they buy a house. That’s great and all, but why not just give everyone a week off instead of trying to decide which random time-consuming milestones deserve special perks?
         1. China Beech* May 22, 2019 at 8:29 am

            Exactly! My company gives everyone six “personal” days each year to do whatever they want with.
         2. RUKiddingMe* May 22, 2019 at 10:48 am

            Exactly. While I am *married and have been since the dawn of time I have always felt that marriage perks were inherently unfair to non married people. Particularly those is long standing, all but the piece of paper situations.

            Personally, for me I don’t see the point in being all *but* married for the most part. I realize there are certain financial considerations for some, but for others…not really.

            But…that’s for me and I don’t have a right/desire to judge others’ choices. Ergo if I’m going to institute a one time ever extra week off for my staff, then I don’t care why/how they use it.

            *Married comes in handy when the medical people say “are you a relative” and I can say “I’m his wife” as they let me into the ER (broken leg…nothing life threatening!) Especially if you don’t share a surname.
            1. Michaela Westen* May 22, 2019 at 3:40 pm

               Marriage has a lot of emotional baggage. I’ve heard of couples who did great for several years – until they got married, and they were divorced in less than two years. All that baggage did them in. I think that’s why some couples never marry. Some do civil union instead.
      5. JJ Bittenbinder* May 22, 2019 at 9:30 am

         Maybe everyone who objects to it should pull a Carrie from Sex and the City and throw themselves a single’s shower/wedding!
         1. Adminx2* May 22, 2019 at 3:07 pm

            Would we get a week off for it?
      6. Case of the Mondays* May 22, 2019 at 9:39 am

         This is what I came here to say.
   6. DivineMissL* May 22, 2019 at 9:05 am

      For some of us, it’s been a more-than-once-in-my-career occasion! :)
      1. Dragoning* May 22, 2019 at 10:37 am

         Oh, that’s a really good point–this perk is, in theory, not a once-in-a-lifetime event.
         1. JunieB* May 22, 2019 at 8:55 pm

            Does the employee get this perk each time they get married? My uncle married four times in five years—twice to the same woman—and I’m curious whether they’d continue offering him this perk each time.
   7. Wing Leader* May 22, 2019 at 11:00 am

      Family leave for new parents? Uhhh, yeah…no. That is NOT a vacation. That is an absolute necessity. It’s not six weeks lying on the beach drinking margaritas.

      I’m child-free by the way, but I absolutely recognize the necessity of maternal leave and such and I don’t hold that against anyone.
4. Princess Consuela Banana Hammock* May 22, 2019 at 12:19 am

   OP#1, depending on where you’re located*, the policy could also violate your state’s anti-discrimination laws.

   (* Discrimination on the basis of marital status (including single-dom) is unlawful in Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, D.C., Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, NJ, NY, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.)
   1. RUKiddingMe* May 22, 2019 at 5:25 am

      Good info! I was gonna mention/ask about this. I’m not OP, just passionate about equity.
   2. FD* May 22, 2019 at 6:16 am

      Yeah I was going to say, “Isn’t this illegal because it’s based on marital status?”

      I forgot that’s one of the state-based laws not federal-based laws.
   3. Union Maid* May 22, 2019 at 7:46 am

      In the UK the extra week off would be in violation of the Equality Act 2010. Marital Status is one of the protected characteristics in the act. Giving people of one marital status (just getting married) a benefit that others don’t have (and, in Northern Ireland, would be impossible for same sex couples as they cannot get married there, although they can in the rest of the UK) would be open to a legal challenge. In fact, I would wonder if it would be possible that a person already married when they joined the company could challenge this.
      1. Fellow brit* May 22, 2019 at 10:35 am

         We do have matrimonial leave in the UK though without it violating the Equality Act.

         I think it’s a slightly difficult situation to comment on from a UK perspective, because I’m always perplexed that in the US there isn’t PTO as a default. I’ve never worked anywhere which gave me fewer than 25 paid days off a year (excluding bank holidays) – but I was v surprised when I learnt that wasn’t a default in the US.
         1. RUKiddingMe* May 22, 2019 at 10:56 am

            Oh honey the US is still stuck in a Puritan work ethic, “up by your own bootstraps,” “I did it all on my own with no help from anyone,” work for work’s sake, work, work, work, the company is all important, what do you mean you don’t want to work in the mines 18 hours a day six days a week and eight hours on Sundays…you’re such a lazy freeloader mindset.
            1. Michaela Westen* May 22, 2019 at 4:19 pm

               Yes – and the elites exploit this attitude to get people to work long hours for low pay.
               1. RUKiddingMe* May 22, 2019 at 8:07 pm

                  Yup!
   4. Clisby* May 22, 2019 at 8:26 am

      I can’t find any indication that South Carolina (where I live) bans discrimination based on marital status. It does ban housing discrimination based on familial status, but that’s more aimed at not letting landlords refuse to rent to people with children.
      1. Princess Consuela Banana Hammock* May 22, 2019 at 8:47 am

         You’re right! My apologies—all the practitioner guidances mention familial status. I went back and read the statute, and you’re right that in the employment context it’s limited to pregnancy discrimination (but it’s different for housing discrimination). So South Carolina falls off the list.
   5. MD* May 22, 2019 at 8:39 am

      Plus AAM has a global audience, and it’s also discriminatory to LGBTQ people if the company is located in a country that gay marriage is not legal in.
      1. Kelly Bennett* May 23, 2019 at 9:03 am

         This!
   6. OP1* May 22, 2019 at 9:20 am

      I didn’t know this! But, the state I live in isn’t listed above.
   7. Not Me* May 22, 2019 at 10:20 am

      There are a few circuit courts that have sided with employees that gender norms are protected as well. Getting married could easily be considered a gender norm.
   8. Case of the Mondays* May 22, 2019 at 10:40 am

      Just a quick fyi that the protective legislation around marital status was intended to not discriminate against an employee for getting married. The intent wasn’t to protect single people. In the olden days, it was presumed that once a woman married, she was about to have kids so employers would get rid of her. Some states may be applying it to protect single folks too (if a married man makes more than a single man for example) but the original intent was to protect women from being terminated for getting married.
      1. Princess Consuela Banana Hammock* May 22, 2019 at 2:01 pm

         That’s not entirely accurate. In several states as far back as the 1950s–70s, the marital status provision was created to protect unwed mothers from discrimination in the workplace and in housing. Today, most courts in states that provide this protection have interpreted their state statutes to protect against discrimination on the basis of being unmarried as well as married.
         1. JM60* May 22, 2019 at 7:51 pm

            Even if you were wrong about the intent of these laws (which I don’t think you are), antidiscrimination laws generally go both/all ways. For instance, in states that have such legislation, “gay people” aren’t a protected class. Rather, the protected class is sexual orientation, and it applies to straight people too! It’s just very rare for a straight person to be fired or denied service because of their straightness.
   9. RUKiddingMe* May 22, 2019 at 10:50 am

      Oh I just counted. That’s 27/50 states, so a slim majority understand this simple concept.
      1. Michaela Westen* May 22, 2019 at 4:25 pm

         They understand. They just don’t care.
   10. Maya Elena* May 22, 2019 at 1:33 pm

       Would you really sue for discrimination though if this was a policy at your company? A sure recipe to make sure everyone loses the benefit!
       1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 1:37 pm

          I’d sure consider contacting the state EEOC if I were in a state where this was illegal discrimination. Why should I countenance illegal discrimination?
       2. Princess Consuela Banana Hammock* May 22, 2019 at 2:02 pm

          I think you could easily complain that the benefit has to be made available to everyone or eliminated. If it persisted, you could file a complaint, but I suspect most folks would not want to incur that hassle unless the lack of access to PTO had a significant detrimental effect on the complainant’s work and life.
       3. RUKiddingMe* May 22, 2019 at 8:07 pm

          Sure we could all just stick our fingers in our ears and sing “lalala” pretending nothing is amiss so that only a certain group if people keep getting this while others keep not getting it because fighting against injustice is just so hard.

          So yeah. Sue and everyone loses it? So? I’d be all kinds of broken up over people losing a special privilege that they did nothing to merit, that has zero to do with work considering the alternative is that it stays just like it is now.
       4. SS Express* May 24, 2019 at 2:22 am

          Making a benefit like this available only to some people *disadvantages* other people, so yeah, if it can’t be extended to everyone they should lose it.
   11. Ain’t Miss Behavin’* May 22, 2019 at 9:55 pm

       Add Colorado to this list.
5. Bunny* May 22, 2019 at 12:23 am

   As someone that frequently has to interact with people that want unproductively prolonged discussions with me, my biggest trick is the business card. No need to exchange and make it a “ceremony”.

   “Well, here is my card, if you have any other questions please feel free to reach out to me!”

   If they try and still drag it out, just refer back to the business card, it may take a few times but people get the message, plus you have handed them something physical so there still feels like there is a connection and they know how to contact you in the future so there isn’t the perception that they have to fit everything into this one interaction.
   1. Ask a Manager* Post authorMay 22, 2019 at 12:40 am

      Right, it’s not an actual ceremony. That’s just me poking fun at the ritualistic aspect of it (poorly, apparently).
      1. Artemesia* May 22, 2019 at 3:55 am

         As you know in lots of countries it is a ceremony with very strict rules about keeping two hands on the car when it is presented, having it face a certain way, looking at it carefully before reverently putting it in your pocket etc etc so calling it a ‘ceremony’ sort of recalls that to me.
         1. Jasnah* May 22, 2019 at 4:09 am

            And in Japan (where this is a thing) you should put it in your business card holder, not your pocket!
         2. LW 2#* May 22, 2019 at 4:35 am

            The business card advice was a surprise – I’m currently working with a customer from Japan, so business cards are given at the beginning and treated with respect. I hadn’t thought of them as an ending move!
            1. Lilian* May 22, 2019 at 4:53 am

               Yeah, working in a Japanese company, it wouldn’t be a closer in that case. But with Japanese business people, reading between the lines is part of the job, so a it was nice to meet you, possibly accompanied by putting the card away if you were still holding it, would work perfectly.
         3. Seeking Second Childhood* May 22, 2019 at 8:38 am

            >two hands on the car
            I know it’s autoINcorrect, but my mind jumped to every cop show in the universe: “Put BOTH hands on the VEHICLE please.” And, well, I am easily amused.
      2. Karen from Finance* May 22, 2019 at 9:27 am

         FWIW, I got what you meant :)
   2. KTM* May 22, 2019 at 1:56 pm

      Yes I also use a similar line with my business card to close out conversations. In situations where I know the person/they already have my card (which is more often where I get stuck in lengthy conversations), I rely on “I’m going to go check out the food situation” or “I’m going to meander a bit, but I’ll be around”. Most people realize that networking events involve mingling so I don’t think it’s too awkward to simply state something that you’re going to go mix a bit.
6. JSPA* May 22, 2019 at 12:24 am

   The only problem with “use a week as you wish” is that dutiful people can burn out, saving their leave for when they’re needed. I’d make it clear that the goal is to have an enriching / uplifting / celebratory life event.

   Wedding? Solo spiritual trek? Giant family reunion? Going with sick parent on a bucket list trip their ancestral homeland? Yes, yes, yes, and yes.

   Hospice care / excess sick days? That goes under family medical leave, not celebratory leave. (You can’t forbid the use, but you can probably discourage it, culturally and in the labeling.)
   1. SS Express* May 22, 2019 at 12:30 am

      Wouldn’t that be a problem with offering any type of vacation leave though?
      1. AcademiaNut* May 22, 2019 at 1:18 am

         Yes – there is no way you can control how people take their time off, and regarding certain uses of it as spiritually superior is likely to cause morale problems. Some people simply have more demands on their time off, and others have fewer resources. Someone with a chronic illness might always use up their PTO on being ill and doctor’s appointments, while someone else might never have the money or freedom from responsibilities to do big enriching events (like solo treks or visiting their homelands), and would use an unexpected chunk of time off to spend time with their kids in the summer holidays, or catch up on household repairs.

         Ultimately – give people enough time off that a typical employee can still have time off for vacation without having to come into work sick, and have provisions in place to handle unusual situation. The ability to take an extended chunk of time off occasionally is an excellent benefit, but don’t police what people choose to do with it.
         1. Womble* May 22, 2019 at 1:33 am

            “Ultimately – give people enough time off that a typical employee can still have time off for vacation without having to come into work sick, and have provisions in place to handle unusual situation. The ability to take an extended chunk of time off occasionally is an excellent benefit, but don’t police what people choose to do with it.“

            Yes! Exactly.

            And some people would still complain if you did this…
            1. Oh So Anon* May 22, 2019 at 11:44 am

               This is precisely a big part of why I left my previous job – an officious manager who acted as though there was something wrong with me and my life for needing to use my PTO for things other than “fun”.
         2. Lena Clare* May 22, 2019 at 2:21 am

            I want to put lights andbells around this comment!
         3. JSPA* May 22, 2019 at 5:26 am

            Always strongly in favor of that! I should have again said so, explicitly. All NEEDED leave should be available as needed. Allowing people to take vacation as vacation. And positive life event leave as such, too.

            My extended family and friends in europe (in four+ countries, both EU and non-EU) consider that a fairly normal situation. Not some ridiculous pipe-dream. A few select US friends have, at times, had similar employment conditions. So it’s a stretch, but not a ridiculous stretch, to bring it up here.

            Point isn’t to police the final choice. After all, under the current newlywed policy, I suppose there are occasional cases where one or both of the newlyweds end up caring for sick relatives or having medical treatment, rather than in couple- focused activities, like honeymoon travel or moving in together. But the norm with newlywed leave is to do something couple-ish and focused on a positive future, whether that’s honeymooning, house shopping, moving, cocooning, etc.

            Having access to all the other sorts of leave is absolutely crucial! But the stated motivation of the “special” leave isn’t immaterial, either. It’s one part of a bigger picture.

            The employer needs to both create the conditions and set the expectations where people will feel safe, supported and encouraged in using the special leave for something directed towards current and future actual happiness. With all relevant overtones of emotional resilience, contentment, joy, hopefulness, etc.

            It can’t be (societally or individually) healthy to have so many people whose self-concept and goals don’t include the possibility of having a happy, thriving life. Occasional glints of happiness and a reduction in one’s misery quotient may be the best achievable goal while recovering from adversity! No shame to that. But it’s actually much healthier to encourage people to expect / demand more from life. Not more stuff; more happiness.
         4. RUKiddingMe* May 22, 2019 at 5:29 am

            Or spend the week just doing the Netflix, chill, order pizza, nap, repeat shuffle.
            1. Lena Clare* May 22, 2019 at 5:36 am

               I find myself agreeing with so many of your comments!
               This is one of my favourite types of holibob.
               1. RUKiddingMe* May 22, 2019 at 6:07 am

                  Aww thank you. Sometimes I feel like my …crankiness … annoys people.
                  1. Lena Clare* May 22, 2019 at 6:31 am

                     Nah!
                  2. Scarlet2* May 22, 2019 at 9:16 am

                     Fellow cranky person here saying you’re not alone!
                     1. RUKiddingMe* May 22, 2019 at 10:24 am

                        Wooh!! Cranky People (TM) unite!
         5. CheeryO* May 22, 2019 at 9:53 am

            Yes, this. I know this is unrealistic in some industries, but I really feel like everyone should get 3-5 weeks’ vacation depending on seniority, plus separate sick days. Give people the flexibility to use a week or two at once as long as the timing isn’t horrendous. If your benefits are so terrible that someone needs a bonus week to be able to take a honeymoon, then that’s a problem.
            1. londonedit* May 22, 2019 at 10:53 am

               That’s pretty much how it works in most industries in the UK. 20-25 days’ holiday is the norm, plus public holidays, and unless you’re working on something time-critical then it’s not at all unusual to take two weeks’ holiday in one go. Most places I’ve worked will ask for special approval from an upper manager if someone wants to take more than two weeks in one block, but taking a two-week summer holiday is practically the norm, or at least is rarely an issue (certain industries excepted, obviously). Sick days are also not part of your holiday allowance – different companies deal with those differently, but most will offer a few paid sick days and then for long-term sickness they usually come to an arrangement with the employee or there’s Statutory Sick Pay (which isn’t much but which helps for longer-term illness).
   2. Dana B.S.* May 22, 2019 at 9:50 am

      I don’t want my employer to dictate how I spend my PTO – even if it’s a “bonus” week. If I want to take a couple days off to KonMari my storage unit, I’d rather not have my boss say it’s not enriching enough.
      1. ThisColumnMakesMeGratefulForMyBoss* May 22, 2019 at 10:10 am

         Which is why this type of “bonus” PTO is a bad idea. If companies would just give a good amount of vacation to begin with, they wouldn’t need to offer life event PTO, because no matter what you call it, or how you allow employees to use it, you’re going to single out some people.
   3. Sunflower* May 22, 2019 at 10:19 am

      I think Alison’s suggestion of making it open and capping it makes the most sense. The other option I think the company could offer is for employees to buy an extra week of vacation.
7. Polyhymnia O'Keefe* May 22, 2019 at 12:28 am

   I have a friend whose job offers “honeymoon leave”… to everyone, in their second year at the job, as a one-time extra week of vacation. It’s not actually tied to a honeymoon, but it started years ago when there was a lot of actual honeymoon leave being taken around that time in many new hires’ careers. She’s pretty excited about having an extra week next year.
   1. Polyhymnia O'Keefe* May 22, 2019 at 1:50 am

      I should say, it’s not actually tied to a honeymoon *anymore*. It used to be, and then they extended it to everyone at a set time in their employment rather than tied to any given life event.
      1. Flarkyponk* May 22, 2019 at 3:11 am

         See that’s the way to do it
      2. nonymous* May 22, 2019 at 10:09 am

         My husband and one of his friends are both employed at different companies that call this a sabbatical. The difference being that if the employee separates without using it, they don’t get it paid out like unused PTO.
   2. Harper the Other One* May 22, 2019 at 6:05 am

      That makes me giggle because now that it’s separated from the original thought, it sounds like the company is saying “now that your honeymoon with your job is over, your gonna need some extra leave!”
      1. LCH* May 22, 2019 at 7:27 am

         Hahaha yes
      2. Environmental Compliance* May 22, 2019 at 8:01 am

         I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought that!
   3. Joy* May 22, 2019 at 6:58 am

      This is the case in the Canadian federal public service! It used to be a honeymoon week, decades ago, but after people realized that that was discriminatory, they switched it to a bonus week in your third year of employment.
   4. kittymommy* May 22, 2019 at 10:54 am

      I like this way as well. Regardless of the name it’s not tied to an actual life event and thus is applicable to all.
   5. LawLady* May 22, 2019 at 11:17 am

      I wish we did this. I got married younger than most, but I’m a second year a large law firm, and 6 people in my starting class are getting married this year.
8. Maya Elena* May 22, 2019 at 12:31 am

   LW1 is an example of “why we can’t have nice things” situations.
   How come the married people get to bring their spouse to the fancy party but I can’t just bring any plus-one I want? How come the pregnant ones, who are being a lot less
   1. Princesa Zelda* May 22, 2019 at 12:47 am

      Based on what you have here, I think you’re trying to say LW1 is out of line and/or entitled? I don’t think that’s the case at all. There’s no etiquette or social norms at play; in fact, the extra leave is *against* social norms. It *is* very much a benefit, unlike plus-ones and maternity leave, and only being provided on the basis of relationship status. That’s both weird and potentially legally discriminatory.
   2. One too many hours as a ship steward* May 22, 2019 at 1:04 am

      I don’t think LW1 is out of line, and I do think that if LW1 worked at their friend’s workplace, pushing back would – after reflection on the social dynamics – be a good idea.

      A) The look isn’t great from a employee relations standpoint for all the reasons Allison has stated.

      B) Block PTO (such as vacation) is a deceptively expensive benefit. If the person makes $20/hr, this benefit is worth $800, and probably costs the company somewhere between $800 and $2400 to offer (depending on the nature of the work), all told. If a company gave a $1500 wedding gift, the staff would be up in arms, and the owners would likely not be happy.

      C) The number of policies that this would require is already making my head hurt.

      D) GLBTQIA people who qualify for this would be required to put themselves to use it.

      On another note, I commend OP1 for asking, that’s how you figure out what’s normal.
      1. One too many hours as a shop steward* May 22, 2019 at 1:08 am

         Autocorrect really got me on this one.

         *shop in the handle

         *out in the body
         1. JJ Bittenbinder* May 22, 2019 at 8:51 am

            I really thought you worked on a ship, though!
            1. One too many hours as a shop steward* May 22, 2019 at 10:31 am

               Some days I wish I did. “Walking the plank” as a non-metaphor would certainly reduce repeat issues.
      2. Jasnah* May 22, 2019 at 3:47 am

         Question, why would D) LGBTQIA people be required to out themselves to use it?
         Couldn’t they just say “I’m getting married on X date and I’d like to use my week of marriage leave for that week”?
         Of course I can see follow up questions as to who and how and when, but maybe they could take Alison’s approach on using sick leave when you don’t want to disclose why. Are you imagining that they would have to turn in a copy of the marriage certificate in order to qualify?
         1. Loot* May 22, 2019 at 4:39 am

            Because the other option is them lying about the gender of their spouse-to-be, which can get into some very tricky territory if their coworkers starts wanting to see wedding pictures or pictures of the honey moon after they come back. (Imagine how it looks if you gave an employee an extra week off for their honeymoon, but then they refuse to show *any* wedding photos when they come back? Or any photos *at all* of them and their now-spouse? You might not lose your mind over it, but it would likely make you think a little less of them.)

            Lying about their spouse-to-be’s gender wouldn’t just affect the wedding/extra honeymoon week, either. “Oh, we’re having a fancy dinner with plus ones, you need to bring your spouse.”

            Then there’s the constant low-level grind of always having to pretend that you’re straight (if you’re a man married to another man, imagine how draining it would become when all the other married (to women) men always talked about/referred to your wife and “wimmin, amirite!” and you just have to grin and bear it).

            And you could never let your coworkers meet your spouse (because they’re the opposite gender of what your coworkers think they are), never show them pictures of you and your spouse together, never invite coworkers to any parties or anything like that (or at least think very closely about who you invite so that you aren’t outed by them). You’d risk coming off as really stand-offish to your coworkers because you cannot let your coworkers too close or you’d end up outed. Even if the workplace turns out to be wholly supporting, you still have to deal with the whole “why didn’t you tell us sooner?” line of questions.

            LGBT acceptance is on the rise, but let’s not pretend that being outed or coming out cannot have quite detrimental effects on your career, depending on where you live or who your coworkers/bosses are. People don’t stay in the closet for shits and giggles.
            1. alldogsarepuppies* May 22, 2019 at 10:45 am

               How are any of these problems related to the leave though. That seems the general issue of being married to someone of the same gender. You’d be lying about using your vacation, or your marital status, or why your spouse won’t be plus one to events, etc. Definitely unfair burdens, but not unique to getting leave.
               1. Loot* May 22, 2019 at 4:44 pm

                  Because the person would have to lie about something like that since the leave is tied to a honeymoon?

                  The commenter suggested that they just say “I’m getting married on X date and I’d like to use my week of marriage leave for that week”. And the fact is that “just” saying that is going to lead to a lot of problems for the person who says it, which wouldn’t have been a problem if the extra week wasn’t honeymoon-only.
                  1. Jasnah* May 22, 2019 at 9:32 pm

                     Like I said, I can see follow up questions causing problems. And if you have to submit a marriage certificate which says your spouse’s name, I can see that outing someone if their partner’s name is clearly of the same sex (which wouldn’t necessarily out someone who is trans or asexual or has an ambiguous name). If same-sex marriage is legal where this is happening then regardless they can’t legally discriminate and would have to offer the leave… though I know it could possibly happen anyway.

                     If someone is in the closet at work then unfortunately I don’t know if they could 100% safely use specifically marriage leave, or invite their spouse to a +1 event, or anything else involving their spouse and work.
         2. Perse's Mom* May 22, 2019 at 9:44 am

            Are you imagining that they would have to turn in a copy of the marriage certificate in order to qualify?

            Given the letters we’ve all read here about the hoops some employers make their employees jump through for much smaller benefits (and, in fairness, the number of employers who have written in about employees clearly taking advantage of their trust over such things), the idea of an employer requiring proof of marriage for a marriage-related benefit surprises you?
            1. TheFacelessOldWomanWhoSecretlyLivesinYour House* May 22, 2019 at 8:49 pm

               I had to turn in a copy of my marriage certificate for job benefits. All employees do. And I did this at more than one job. (At a non profit, at two government jobs).
         3. Nephron* May 22, 2019 at 10:51 am

            My department sent flowers when my father passed away. When I came back to work the admin asked about funeral announcements or other proof he had died because our employer tracks things purchased on company cards. In this case it worked out because the amount was low enough to not be flagged, but she was surprised and has decades working here. Asking for a copy of the wedding announcement or program could even be seen as showing an interest in your employee.
            1. I Wrote This in the Bathroom* May 22, 2019 at 11:09 am

               (apologize for the off-topic comment) Holy cow, how thoughtful of the company to send flowers and then immediately demand proof. /s

               We had a very low-key funeral for my dad (per his will, which stated “I want the cheapest funeral”) and there were no announcements. I guess I did have his death certificate, but it would’ve irked me to have to provide one to my employer over a flower arrangement. Now that I think of it, they gave me my bereavement leave no questions asked and never requested proof. They did not send any flowers or sign any cards, which happened to be exactly the way I wanted it.
            2. The Man, Becky Lynch* May 22, 2019 at 11:18 am

               It’s so OTT that you have to supply evidence of death/marriage, I’d rather eat glass than work for any company with that policy. I know this is a thing for some places with bereavement leave.

               I almost cried after a coworker wasn’t sure if a FIL counted for bereavement leave because other places wouldn’t have allowed it because it wasn’t /their/ parent.
               1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 11:53 am

                  I gotta say, that doesn’t seem that horrible to me. Bereavement leave isn’t a measure of who you grieve for, because it’s not about grieving; it’s a euphemistic term for dealing with the logistics of the death. You get more days for next of kin, whose funeral, etc., you have to handle, than for relatives whose funeral you’re attending but not planning. It also doesn’t mean you can’t take more days–it’s just those would come out of personal days rather than bereavement leave.
               2. TheFacelessOldWomanWhoSecretlyLivesinYour House* May 22, 2019 at 8:51 pm

                  My spouse couldn’t claim bereavement leave when my father passed away. She had to use PTO–because we’re women. That was in 2003 and we weren’t considered a ‘real’ couple although her boss and department all treated us as married. HR did not.
         4. kittymommy* May 22, 2019 at 11:01 am

            I would very much think they would have to turn in some sort of documentation (license, announcement, etc.) to verify an extra week of paid leave. I’d be rather surprised if a company did not request that as the benefit is specifically dependent upon a particular situation and thus not something everyone can (depending upon where they live) or will be able to use.
   3. Princess Consuela Banana Hammock* May 22, 2019 at 1:08 am

      I don’t think this is a “can’t have nice things” situation? It sounds like a situation where the solution is to allow everyone to have the nice thing instead of limiting the nice thing to people who get married. It’s not the same as +1 reservations.
      1. snowglobe* May 22, 2019 at 6:54 am

         If non-married employees complain about the unfairness of it, then it could quickly become a “can’t have nice things” situation, when the company cancels the honeymoon leave and doesn’t offer any extras at all.
      2. lawschoolmorelikeblawschool* May 22, 2019 at 9:53 am

         I agree with you. I am married so I could have theoretically benefited from such a policy, but that doesn’t make it fair. A week of paid vacation is huge to most people (Americans).
   4. WS* May 22, 2019 at 3:07 am

      Well, why can’t you bring a partner to whom you’re not married to the fancy party? That would be illegal discrimination here in Australia!
      1. RUKiddingMe* May 22, 2019 at 5:39 am

         Just a work party right? Not like someone’s…wedding or something? I mean yeah I think it sucks to exclude someone’s actual SO regardless of marital status. Just …asking for a friend.
         1. WS* May 22, 2019 at 6:09 am

            Yeah, just a work party or anything official like that.
      2. Thankful for AAM* May 22, 2019 at 7:13 am

         At many work events, there is no plus 1 but at some work events, spouses are welcome but not anyone else.
         1. The Cosmic Avenger* May 22, 2019 at 9:49 am

            Which I kind of understand — we’ve seen blog posts and comments about some employee bringing their roommate or BFF, who gets WAY too drunk and misbehaves, or if the party is fancy, the company might just not want to pay for some random friend of yours, but might be willing to have someone important to you, and fair or not, marriage or blood relation are widely recognized ways of defining closeness.
         2. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 10:00 am

            That’s based on the old-school social rules. That’s not necessarily appropriate for the workplace, but the offices aren’t making it up out of thin air, either.
      3. Zephy* May 22, 2019 at 10:24 am

         As a social convention, the +1 doesn’t have to be a spouse per se, but the understanding is that you and your significant other are a social unit, in a way that you and your [best friend/sister/neighbor/cousin/dog] are not. Whether you’re actually, legally married or not is immaterial.
   5. General Ginger* May 22, 2019 at 9:53 am

      An extra week of vacation available only to married people is nothing like bringing a spouse to an office party.
      1. lawschoolmorelikeblawschool* May 22, 2019 at 9:54 am

         +1
   6. Genny* May 22, 2019 at 10:07 am

      Out of a pool of five admins, one is randomly selected to get a company car. The other four admins think this is unfair and raise their concerns to management. How dare they! This is why we can’t have nice things.

      “Nice” things that are arbitrarily exclusionary aren’t nice things, they’re privileging one group over another. It’s not the less-privileged group’s fault when they naturally get upset over inequality and unfair treatment.
      1. Anonymous 5* May 22, 2019 at 10:46 am

         One more time for the people in the back! +1000
      2. Name Required* May 22, 2019 at 11:33 am

         Absolutely this comment right here. I don’t understand how folks could see this as anything less than unfair. I’m also married.
      3. Pommette!* May 22, 2019 at 12:08 pm

         Yes. Also: Yes.
         Add as many exclamation marks as necessary.
   7. I Wrote This in the Bathroom* May 22, 2019 at 11:03 am

      That’s an extra week of paid vacation, i.e, 1/52 of your annual pay, just being dropped into your lap for getting married. Not the same as bringing a guest to a work-sponsored party that most attendees probably don’t really want to be at in the first place.
9. Womble* May 22, 2019 at 12:34 am

   #5 Your VP is worried that you’re not going to prioritise his work. You’re reacting by pushing it to the bottom.

   If you want him to change what he does, then step one is to actually start prioritising properly. Why on earth would he change anything he’s doing in this current situation?
   1. Maria Lopez* May 22, 2019 at 1:50 am

      The point is she has already asked him to put the papers in the inbox, and he doesn’t care to do that. By prioritizing his work when he puts it on her chair is just reinforcing his bad behavior, not encouraging him to change it. And it IS bad behavior.
      So in this current situation he somehow thinks his work is being done faster, when in effect it isn’t.
      1. My cat is my alarm clock* May 22, 2019 at 1:58 am

         The VP is not the person behaving badly here.
         1. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 2:05 am

            Hard disagree. He’s being deliberately obnoxious and ignoring his admin’s clearly stated preferences. Op is reacting in a petty way in response, sure. But he’s being an obnoxious, entitled brat.
            1. Princess Consuela Banana Hammock* May 22, 2019 at 2:14 am

               I think this attributes way too much malice to the VP. It’s incredibly common and not inherently obnoxious for folks to leave high-priority items on a person’s chair. And although there are many folks who find it irritating and rude, as OP does, there’s a good number of folks who aren’t bothered by it.

               When you’re dealing with someone up the chain who has an annoying-but-not-obviously-wrong method, to a certain extent you have to let it go and detach from your feelings about that method. When you’re working in a hierarchy, there’s some built-in entitlement based on the chain of command, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If someone’s up the chain’s preference isn’t obviously wrong or abusive, then folks down the chain sorta have to accommodate the higher-up’s preference. I get that OP is annoyed that the VP won’t accommodate OP’s preferences, but this is a situation where the VP trumps OP.
            2. Artemesia* May 22, 2019 at 3:59 am

               That is pretty heavy reaction for such an innocuous behavior. How big a deal is it to pick up the papers in your chair and put them in the in -box. I wish my worst boss had had this as his ‘worst’ behavior.
               1. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 7:24 am

                  How big a deal is it to put the papers in the in-tray?

                  I don’t think it’s a strong reaction. OP serves multiple people, and has specifically asked him not to do this. He’s continuing because he thinks he’s more important than everyone else, and because the preferences of his admin don’t matter to him.

                  What he’s doing is the equivalent of a guy snapping his fingers at the waitress to get quicker service – is anyone surprised when Snappy subsequently gets served last?
                  1. Colette* May 22, 2019 at 8:33 am

                     The thing is that when you and your boss have different preferences, your boss wins. That’s the nature of having a job.

                     If I hire you to mow my lawn and want you to cut the grass diagonally, it doesn’t matter if you think going straight across is better or more efficient – I win, because I am hiring you to do what I want you to do, even if it seems pointless.
                     1. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 4:42 pm

                        Wow. And I thought the British had a service mentality.
                     2. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 4:50 pm

                        It seems like you think “service” is a bad thing. But for a lot of us it’s not–I’m in a service profession and I’m proud of that.
                     3. Kettles* May 23, 2019 at 12:47 am

                        I don’t think service is a bad thing. I think servility is bad. If your gardener asked you to leave your mower in a particular way and you deliberately ignored him, that isn’t acceptable because you’re his employer. That’s deliberate rudeness toward someone with no recourse against you.
                     4. Colette* May 23, 2019 at 9:10 am

                        @Kettles – I’m not sure how the British come into it.

                        And I disagree that not leaving a mower in the gardener’s desired location/state is necessarily disrespectful. I (as the employer) have other things to be concerned with that the gardener doesn’t know or care about. If it’s a preference on her part, I can decide that I have a different need or preference, and I am paying her to adapt to my way of doing things. If it’s because leaving it in a specific way will make her more efficient, I can decide that I am OK with paying her to take longer.

                        If that’s unacceptable to her, she can find a job working for someone with different needs or preferences.
                  2. Jessie the First (or second)* May 22, 2019 at 10:30 am

                     Well, she is an admin, and so the preferences of the people the admin has been hired to support are in fact more important than her own personal preferences.

                     The VP obviously cannot be rude about it, but declining to follow her preference here and sticking with his own is not rude. OP asked him to do it a different way, he explained that he does it the way he does it to ensure his papers don’t get missed, so…. that’s how it is.

                     She can be annoyed because it is a pet peeve, but the VP is not doing anything wrong. It’s the nature of having a boss.
                  3. NotAnotherManager!* May 22, 2019 at 1:22 pm

                     Well, continuing to deprioritize his work that’s not conveyed in the way she prefers isn’t going to solve the problem or give her a good case for doing it her way, either.

                     My boss likes to leave me hand-marked paper copies of things. I find it inefficient and would much prefer to receive things in an electronic format — but she’s busier than I am (and not as confident with technology as I am) and she gets to decide how stuff comes to me because her time is in more demand (and more valuable) than mine. She knows my preference and, when it’s possible, she’ll shoot me track changes rather than hand-marking, but it’s not a personal affront to me that she has a system that works most efficiently with her insanely busy schedule, and I have to adapt to that.

                     Of all the bullshit I’ve encountered in the working world, I just cannot imagine reading someone leaving work in my chair as demeaning. OP is doing no one favors by being that rigid and interpreting it as disrespect. This is not something that rises to the level of wasting political capital on, particularly if OP needs this job.
                     1. Pomona Sprout* May 22, 2019 at 6:25 pm

                        I agree 1000+%! I’m gobsnacked that multiple people seem to think this is a hill to die on. I’ve had plenty of bosses who liked to leave things on my chair, and it never even ALMOST entered my mind to be offended by it.

                        Bottom line: bosses get to decide things like where to leave stuff, because they ARE the boss.
            3. Lynca* May 22, 2019 at 7:31 am

               He may very well be. But the OP does not have standing to force a change. They are also being petty in a way that could get them in a bind.

               The only thing I would differ from Alison in saying is that if they don’t have a defined triage for the work between the VP’s they need one. Having been a shared admin, it helps a lot to have it defined what work is high-priority vs. low-priority.
               1. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 7:59 am

                  Oh I know. Her choices are to tolerate it or move on. And I don’t endorse the pettiness. I just find it odd that people are insisting that choosing to disregard the expressly stated wishes of a subordinate – in a way that does not affect your business – is *not* disrespectful.
                  1. Colette* May 22, 2019 at 8:44 am

                     I don’t think being respectful means doing what the other person wants when you have a different preference, necessarily. You can respect someone and still disagree.
                     1. Lucette Kensack* May 22, 2019 at 9:06 am

                        Right. If she had a preference for the inbox, and he has a preference for the chair, it needn’t be her preference that is automatically elevated (even setting aside the hierarchy issue).
                     2. Princess Consuela Banana Hammock* May 22, 2019 at 2:11 pm

                        This is where I come down on it. Is it annoying to her? Yes. Is it possibly inconsiderate in light of OP’s request? Yes. But is it inherently disrespectful? No. Is it disrespectful to continue after OP asks him not to do it? For a lot of folks, the answer is no (and for many, it’s yes). When reasonable minds can differ this way, I think doubling down can make OP look wildly out of pocket.

                        OP is of course allowed to feel how they feel, minus the petty retaliation. But I think the situation will be more tolerable to OP if OP is able to reframe in order to get a little emotional distance from the interaction. It will probably be harder to deal with if OP internally doubles down and then stews/marinates in their frustration and feelings of being disrespected.

                        (I also think it will look banana pants to outsiders if OP quits over this. But if there are other factors that suggest to OP that maybe this isn’t a great fit or enjoyable, it’s also ok to decide to move on for those non-papers-on-chair reasons.)
                     3. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 2:30 pm

                        @PCBH–I’d also recommend the OP consider her job trajectory in making that decision. I don’t know how long she’s been there, but given that she mentions stepping back to the role, I was thinking not very long (though longer than the VP). If she’d be applying to another admin position, there’s a risk that a short-term job here after longer-term work in non-admin roles would suggest that she struggled with the transition to being an admin. That doesn’t mean she can’t look, and maybe looking will make it clear that she’d have an easy time getting another position–but it could also be a struggle, and it’s worth weighing that before taking any leaps.
                     4. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 4:46 pm

                        Deliberately disregarding an innocuous preference? Disrespect.
                  2. Lady Blerd* May 22, 2019 at 8:49 am

                     If LW quits over this, that would be a major overreaction. It is not a big deal and it’s up to the suborbinate to adapt to their boss if it’s within reason. This is not a hill to die on.
                  3. Jessie the First (or second)* May 22, 2019 at 10:34 am

                     But…. he has an expressly stated wish as well, a clear preference, with a reason he prefers it one way. Just as she has an expressly stated wish, and a clear preference, with a reason she prefers it the other way. Why would it be that her preference trumps his? I don’t understand your position here. They *each* have a preference, and so someone is going to “win” in this scenario, and as neither preference is actually harmful/costly/discriminatory/illegal/whatever, it would stand to reason that the preference of the VP would trump the preference of the VP’s subordinate here.
                     1. Maria Lopez* May 22, 2019 at 1:38 pm

                        You all have your opinions on this, but the admin is not necessarily bad because she has these THOUGHTS. Nowhere does it say she doesn’t do her work properly and timely.
                        Apparently many people think the papers in the chair is ok. She does not. That does not make her unreasonable or a bad admin, and ok admin does not mean bad admin.
                        It is amazing the extremes in the opinions here, and how unwilling others are in seeing another point of view.
                     2. Maria Lopez* May 22, 2019 at 1:43 pm

                        Replied to the wrong post below.
                        If the VP wants the work to be prioritized, and the admon has explained that the best way to do that is to place the papers in the inbox, the the VP is shooting himself in the foot by obnoxiously ignoring this person who he NEEDS to do his work.
                     3. Mr. Shark* May 22, 2019 at 2:21 pm

                        I get the VP is the VP, but it’s not the way he’s organizing his work, it’s the way she organizes his work that is key. So having him put it in her inbox is completely reasonable, as it helps her be more efficient (which is the bosses job). The fact that she doesn’t want it on her chair shouldn’t be a negative, and shouldn’t bother someone else–the VP or a boss. Why does it matter to them?
                     4. Kettles* May 23, 2019 at 12:55 am

                        The thing that is bothering me here is that a lot of people are assuming the VP is a sound, rational person. Most admins and assistants, and everyone below c-suite, have had to do the “Yes, you are important but Wakeen’s heart surgery trumps your ball game” dance with senior execs. Every person alive thinks their stuff is the most important. It doesn’t mean they’re right.
               2. EPLawyer* May 22, 2019 at 9:50 am

                  I have to wonder how much OP’s view of her job is influencing her reaction. She says it is an okay job and she is okay at it. She also sees it as a step back. Which are all valid things to think about a job.

                  However, OP, I think because you are not thrilled with the job, the VP’s action is more annoying that it really is. If you loved your job, this might be seen as a quirk you work around. But because you are not happy in your job, it is at the BEC stage.

                  I won’t say try to reframe this in your mind because I can’t see how to do this. Just be as professional as possible (which means not putting his stuff at the bottom automatically because he irked you) while looking for a new job. Remember you might need this reference someday. You don’t want them saying ” she deliberately deprioritized a VP’s work because he didn’t put it where she wanted it.” Written out from their point of view, see how bad that sounds? If you want to move on and up, you need to be professional in every job, whether you like the job or not.
            4. KP* May 22, 2019 at 8:49 am

               He’s the VP. His work is the priority. He wants it prioritized. OP is the subordinate, is being deliberately obnoxious, and is ignoring the VP’s clearly stated preferences.

               It can be so hard to maintain emotional control and let something unimportant like this go once a person becomes fixated on taking this personally. OP is dangerously on the edge of the professionally cliff, entertaining CHUCKING IT OUT (WTF!? I hope that was a joke, but it doesn’t read as one). Which of course would be insubordination and could possibly get OP fired.
               1. Lucette Kensack* May 22, 2019 at 9:15 am

                  Well, we don’t actually know that his work is her priority. She supports multiple people; he might not be at the top of the heap. (And, even if he is, his expense report that isn’t due for two weeks likely isn’t a priority over, say, pulling together the packets for a client meeting happening this afternoon for another person she supports).
      2. My cat is my alarm clock* May 22, 2019 at 1:58 am

         To elaborate, the problem is not that you have papers on your chair. The problem is that you have a VP who is worried about things getting done. There are lots of things you can do to solve that, and none of them involve petty insubordination.
         1. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 2:09 am

            The problem is that the VP is disrespecting his colleague and assuming his work takes precedence over everyone else’s. If he were worried about his work getting done, he could have a polite conversation with OP, like an adult.
            1. Princess Consuela Banana Hammock* May 22, 2019 at 2:18 am

               But we don’t really know the hierarchy, right? All we know is that there’s a new VP, OP is that VP’s admin, and OP also provides support to three other folks. If they’re all VPs, then you’re right that the new VP is not being conscientious (I don’t think it’s as severe as disrespect, but it’s certainly problematic and, as you noted above, entitled). But there’s also a world in which the VP is the highest-up person in the team’s hierarchy, in which case his work might really take precedence. If that’s the case, then it’s not disrespectful for him to signal that his work requires higher priority by using his chair-as-inbox method.
               1. Insubordinate* May 22, 2019 at 3:16 am

                  If VPs work is so special, get a second inbox labelled “VP in”.

                  Otherwise accidentally leave a bag or a large file on your chair.
                  1. valentine* May 22, 2019 at 3:36 am

                     get a second inbox labelled “VP in”
                     This may work. Make sure it’s a different color. If there’s no space, a three-tiered box with this infuriating tool’s inbox on top, then the regular inbox, then the outbox.
                  2. Maria Lopez* May 22, 2019 at 1:44 pm

                     Or put the inbox in your chair when you are not in it.
               2. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 3:45 am

                  It’s not disrespectful to indicate his work is high priority. It *is* disrespectful to continue using that method when the admin has specifically asked him not to. I feel like the higher you are, the more important it is to be respectful of things that make your subordinates’ lives a little easier / happier. It wouldn’t kill him to politely ask OP to prioritise his work. It’s a direction, but there’s a reason why we say “Jane, can you send the TPS report?” and not “Minion! Report now!”
                  1. Jasnah* May 22, 2019 at 3:50 am

                     Unfortunately I think that is the privilege of being a VP. If you decide that it’s better to do things X way, then people below you have to start doing it that way.
                     1. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 7:29 am

                        Oh, as I said below, OP won’t ‘win’ this, and I suggested they look for another job elsewhere.
                     2. Moray* May 22, 2019 at 9:27 am

                        Do you really think someone should quit over someone ignoring her inbox?

                        By that standard, I’m pretty sure everybody should be quitting their job, because none of us can get our way all the time and there will always be minor disagreements that we’re overruled on.
                     3. pleaset* May 22, 2019 at 10:16 am

                        “I suggested they look for another job elsewhere.”

                        Seriously?
                  2. Ask a Manager* Post authorMay 22, 2019 at 10:07 am

                     You are reading things into this that are just not there, and it’s doing the OP a real disservice to encourage her to continue seeing this as an act of disrespect. Quitting her job over this?! There are things that are worth quitting one’s job over. This is not one of them. This isn’t even worth expending energy on. He wants to make sure she sees some papers. That’s it.
                     1. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 4:53 pm

                        Ok. Deliberately ignoring a subordinate’s wishes is deliberately disrespectful. Maybe this is a British thing. We live in a class society. Admins have zero power. Giving them power over things that dont, in a material way, matter, is a sign of respect. His deliberate ignorance is a power play. Unless you are a weak, ignorant individual, why not respect your admin’s preferences? They have no power. Respecting their views is a sign of respect and politeness.
                     2. Ask a Manager* Post authorMay 22, 2019 at 5:21 pm

                        Maybe because there’s a reason this way works better for him. There’s no reason her preferences have to win out over his (in fact, given the hierarchy, it’s likely the other way around).
                  3. Mr. Shark* May 22, 2019 at 2:27 pm

                     Exactly. People keep saying why is she annoyed with this, and you could ask the opposite question–why can’t he just put the information in the inbox as she requests. She has her system organized so she can complete her work in the best possible way, and it is her desk, so he should respect those wishes.
                     Now, if she is not completing his work on time, that is a separate discussion that needs to be had between the two of them.
                  4. Mediamaven* May 22, 2019 at 3:05 pm

                     The word disrespectful is way overused in describing work relationships. He is not being disrespectful. He’s the boss. He makes the rules. She needs to acclimate to him. Not the other way around.
               3. Yorick* May 22, 2019 at 9:08 am

                  Even though VP might be the top person on the team that OP supports, this thing he placed on her chair may not be the highest priority. She’s still going to have to prioritize it, and putting it in her inbox allows her to do that properly.
                  1. Clisby* May 22, 2019 at 10:39 am

                     Seems to me it just highlights that new stuff has come in. If it had been put in the inbox, she’d still have to take it out to go through it. I’m also surprised that she thinks of something so common as a pet peeve rather than an office norm, but I guess we all have our quirks.
                  2. Kettles* May 23, 2019 at 1:02 am

                     This! Jesus wept. VPs are not infallible judges of their own importance.
         2. Dontlikeunfairrules* May 22, 2019 at 4:24 am

            I also have to wonder what OP’s “in-box” looks like. If it’s overflowing with papers and disorganized looking, maybe he’s just being on the safe side. I often leave things on coworkers’ chairs if their inbox is a mess.
            1. WellRed* May 22, 2019 at 8:40 am

               My boss’s desk is quite neat. I still leave papers on her chair.
            2. Lily Rowan* May 22, 2019 at 9:15 am

               I don’t think I’ve ever actually worked with anyone who had an active well-organized in-box on their desk! So while I believe it’s possible to use that as an organizing system, it would take me a while to really understand that adding my paper to a pile would result in anything getting done.
         3. Fieldpoppy* May 22, 2019 at 8:37 am

            This.
         4. Behild my field* May 22, 2019 at 4:51 pm

            Yes. Annoying or normal, justified or not, the VIP is calling attention to a matter, and OP is responding with petty insubordination. It’s entirely possible that if OP keeps it up, OP will receive the invitation to discuss their PIP via chair mail.
      3. Mongrel* May 22, 2019 at 5:31 am

         It’s not bad behavior, it’s annoying behavior and like it or not the VP has got the authority to say “This is how I like to do things. Tough”
         I don’t like papers on my chair as I’ve sat on a few when it has happened and I dislike working off crumpled paper (which is totally a me thing).
         Can OP compromise and ask the offender to place the offending documents on their keyboard? I was always much more likely to see stuff there when I walked in, especially first thing. Chairs got stuff dumped on while I sorted out a cuppa, docs on keyboard I looked at immediately.
   2. Sue* May 22, 2019 at 3:24 am

      I would be sorely tempted to place my inbox on my chair when I was away from my desk.
      1. valentine* May 22, 2019 at 3:39 am

         Me too. Or to have three chairs.
      2. Traffic_Spiral* May 22, 2019 at 3:54 am

         I think I’d try sitting on the files – but I’m petty AF.
         1. Carlie* May 22, 2019 at 6:12 am

            That was my first thought. A few days of handing back crumpled papers would be my temptation. And at least once it actually would be an accident.
      3. Rusty Shackelford* May 22, 2019 at 10:14 am

         Ooooh, this gets my vote.
   3. Accountant Lady* May 22, 2019 at 8:37 am

      It could also just be his long-standing preference of communication. It was like that when I came to my current job, people would leave almost all correspondence on your chair and it drove me batty. I’m going to SIT on your very important report, Bob, why do this? But since I was the new guy, I had to suck it up and go with their flow. For my workplace, it’s typical and accepted. Do I like it? No. I don’t like it any more than someone shoving loose papers under my office door (I’m going to STEP on your very important documents, Bob!), but this is the way people do things in this office.

      I think because he’s a VP, he gets to set the standard for how he leaves things for you. Leaving something on your chair, while annoying to you, isn’t disrespectful or out of line. Purposefully relegating his assignments to the bottom of your to-do pile as punishment, unfortunately, is.
      1. Spreadsheets and Books* May 22, 2019 at 9:08 am

         It was the standard at my old job, too. I didn’t get it at first, but it did start to make sense – papers don’t generally go on chairs, so anything left there will be immediately noticeable. It’s easy for even those with clean desks to miss papers if they’re left without warning.
         1. General Ginger* May 22, 2019 at 9:55 am

            Yeah, same. Honestly, I was befuddled reading this question, because we just leave stuff on people’s chairs in my office, and everyone is OK with it.
            1. Clisby* May 22, 2019 at 10:42 am

               I know – I hadn’t read the earlier post someone mentioned, so this was the first time I’ve heard of someone objecting to papers being put on a chair. It was absolutely normal every place I’ve worked.
      2. iglwif* May 22, 2019 at 9:57 am

         Papers on chair (or on keyboard) was standard in my old office, too. (I now work at home, and essentially without paper.) Putting a bright-colored file folder or a white sheet of paper on a black desk chair is a great way to make sure the person it’s for notices it’s there! I don’t think I ever sat on anything, but I may be wrong about that — I worked there for a LONG time so I’ve undoubtedly forgotten some stuff XD

         I can understand why it’s annoying to say “please use my inbox” and have someone keep putting their stuff on your chair instead, but I feel like OP’s reaction is waaaaay over the top.
         1. Kettles* May 23, 2019 at 1:06 am

            “Please respect my wishes,”
            “Haha, nope.”

            You don’t see why that’s annoying? I think it’s key that OP is used to jobs with more autonomy and power too. I think this is highlighting the fact that people expect admins to put up with things that they don’t expect more senior employees to ignore.
            1. iglwif* May 23, 2019 at 9:39 am

               I see why it’s annoying.

               I don’t see it as worth sabotaging your own and/or your boss’s work over, or worth quitting over.

               But, of course, everyone has different ideas of what things, despite being legal, not unethical, and acceptable to lots of other people, are worth quitting over, and that’s fine!
10. Womble* May 22, 2019 at 12:36 am

    #4 It makes sense to prioritise at-risk staff who don’t have another job. This company has acted really decently.
    1. Jen S. 2.0* May 22, 2019 at 1:13 am

       Yeah, I’m … not seeing the problem here. Why did you negotiate keeping your other job if not for this exact situation? Losing a job is never ideal, but it sounds like this one was always temporary. Wasn’t this always going to happen? As far as I can gather, LW 4’s feelings are hurt that they are letting her go at all, and then it’s insult to injury (in her head) that it’s over the inferior employee. But they apparently had to let someone go, and they considered the big picture and not just LW 4’s work ethic.

       However you slice it, though, they’re not throwing LW 4 out the door because they hate her and she sucks and they can’t wait to humiliate and embarrass and point and laugh at her on the way out. It sounds like … just business.
       1. Lynca* May 22, 2019 at 6:55 am

          No one ever wants to be forced out of a job they enjoy doing (which it sounds like the OP does) but that happens. It may not be a rational reaction, but I can understand how it would make you feel like this.

          The company didn’t “pick” the co-worker because they were better. It’s not about that. They made the decision to minimize damage when faced with having to lay off someone. Which is a very good thing for a department to do. It shows they see the big picture and that’s something you absolutely want a department to do. While the OP may have wanted them to pick him/her over the co-worker, I think they need to really focus on the fact the department chose something compassionate.
    2. T3k* May 22, 2019 at 1:59 am

       This. I wish the job I first had out of college was like this company. Instead I was the one laid off (with no other side job) and then a couple months later I heard they hired full time someone who started after me while I was still there and who had another job already. Getting laid off sucks period but the company sounds considerate and chose the slightly softer option (both LW and other employee will still have income instead of leaving one of them in a bind on how they’ll pay bills, rent, etc.).
    3. Escapee from Corporate Management* May 22, 2019 at 8:44 am

       “I’m being laid off from a temporary posting because I have a job to go back to…I negotiated keeping my home position prior to taking this temporary position.”

       OP4, are you sure your management agrees with you that this is a lay-off? I’ve had temporary roles end and neither my management nor I considered those to be lay-offs. I was in place to do one job, the job ended, and I returned to my permanent position. If your management always saw this role as temporary–even if you did not–they are likely to not understand your reaction. Leaving a temporary role is usually part of the agreement to take it in the first place.
       1. Lw#4* May 22, 2019 at 9:27 am

          LW#4 here – I believe you are right and will not be a lay off, but would be a much earlier ending of my posting. I wrote this below: it is in a different branch of the company, completely unrelated. The reason I’m so upset is that I was told they were going to keep me but now the funding earmarked for me has moved to this new person and even though I have actual work to do, they went to find *new* non budgeted work for this person. So literally went from keeping me, to keeping newbie. I thought decision not to keep newbie was because newbies role was over – aka completely independent decision.
          It’s just being tough keeping my chin up and being the only one to have my posting end early.
          1. Observer* May 22, 2019 at 9:54 am

             I still don’t get the problem. I mean I DO get that you liked the work and would have wanted to stay for the whole posting. But to be demoralized because your employers are actually decent people who prioritize actually keeping someone employed over keeping someone in work that they enjoyed more than their regular job when they had to deal with a budget cut, makes no sense to me.

             You are basically complaining that you lost a perk so that someone could keep their job, and not even a perk that’s going to transform your life. While it’s not pleasant to lose a perk, your reaction comes off as being way over the top.

             Be glad you work for decent employers who try to minimize harm. One day it might help you, too.
          2. Escapee from Corporate Management* May 22, 2019 at 10:01 am

             Hi LW#4. I completely understand how you feel. I’ve left temporary assignments that I thought could go longer or become permanent. However, that’s why employers set up temporary roles: no commitments. Most managers expect you to share their perspective on how temporary roles work, especially if you are have a permanent job in the organization.

             That doesn’t mean you cannot express a certain level of disappointment to your manager. In fact, it could be helpful for you to say “I enjoyed working here and I’m disappointed my assignment is ending early. Please let me know if there are any permanent roles when they open up–I would love to work here.” Just don’t (1) call it a lay-off, or (2) let it impact your work for the remaining period of time you are in the role. Doing well may be the best way to getting a permanent position, one where the expectations are clear to both sides.
       2. DreamingInPurple* May 22, 2019 at 9:35 am

          Definitely this – if the role was always billed as a temporary posting, they aren’t going to look at sending you back to your previous role as a lay-off, they’re going to look at it as the natural end of the process.
    4. iglwif* May 22, 2019 at 9:58 am

       Agreed.
    5. Pomona Sprout* May 22, 2019 at 6:34 pm

       Yeah, as someone who got laid off from a long term job when the economy went bust in 2008, was never able to find anything but temp gigs after that, got laid off from each one of those in turn (because that’s the nature of temp gigs), and finally gave up on the whole thing once I was old enough to start collecting social security, #4’s attitude REALLY rubbed me the wrong way. The sense of rntutlement there is …. argh, I can’t even.
11. Womble* May 22, 2019 at 12:44 am

    #4 Honestly I think you’ve lost perspective a bit. Which is understandable, but you may risk burning bridges and coming across badly to people you need for references etc if you continue to view this in the way you are. It was temporary, they’ve been decent, and you need to stop taking it so intensely personally.
    1. Lemonwhirl* May 22, 2019 at 7:14 am

       +1
       Being laid off happens. I entered the workforce in 1996 and have been laid off 5 times. I even have the distinction of having been laid off in two different countries.

       It sucks, but it’s not personal. And you make it a lot worse for yourself when you choose to view it through a personal lens.
    2. Alianora* May 22, 2019 at 7:59 am

       Yeah — the alternative is that the coworker is unemployed, and the company STILL has to find a replacement for the LW in however many months. This is the best solution.
    3. Marthooh* May 22, 2019 at 8:01 am

       I’m hoping the language OP used just reflected their immediate response to being laid off, because being “heartbroken” that the department picked someone else is a massive overreaction. I can understand being horribly upset at losing a job, but the whole letter came across as “My bosses dumped me for another employee, how could they?!?!”

       Step back and assume they had a good reason for letting you go. Maybe they were being compassionate to the one who needed the job most, maybe they have budget constraints you don’t know about, maybe they think the other employee is more likely to stay in the job longer. Losing a job sucks, but it’s not an actual slap in the face.
       1. Clisby* May 22, 2019 at 8:38 am

          Plus, if this was a temporary posting, it seems like they were always going to let the OP go (or, rather, have her return to the earlier job.) She’s just going back to it sooner than expected.
          1. Escapee from Corporate Management* May 22, 2019 at 8:45 am

             Yes, that happened to me. Neither my management nor I thought of it as a lay-off. If I had complained, my management (and my peers) would have considered my reaction to be out of place.
             1. Lw#4* May 22, 2019 at 9:31 am

                Exactly! That’s the tough part, not being visibly sad and keeping my chin up!
                1. Shirley Keeldar* May 22, 2019 at 10:26 am

                   I get it–it’s always tough to look happy when you’re not. Maybe it’s okay to let a bit of your disappointment show? “Aw, I’m bummed, I’ll really miss this place,” and “This work has been so interesting, it’s tough to let it go!” are fine things to feel and say. Even, “It’s such a shock; I was really expecting to be here for months. It’s taking me a little time to adjust.” Nobody would think worse of you for expressing these feelings and maybe you’ll feel better if you don’t feel like you have to smile through gritted teeth all the time. You just don’t want to let a hint of “Gosh, I’m seriously disappointed because Bobbina over there still has a job,” show. (I’m not saying you feel that way–I’m sure you don’t! I just don’t want your colleagues to get that impression of you.)
                   1. Lw#4* May 22, 2019 at 11:14 am

                      That’s a really good way to put it. Being overly stoic is hard on me right now and yes I wrote the letter in the heat of the moment but at the time, just said how happy I was for the newbie (which I am). I think I am putting too much pressure on myself go keep a stiff upper lip at all times. I would like to be able to say I am a bit disappointed as I wanted to stay but I understand (disappointed especially as there were other positions I could have applied for but did not since I was told I was staying).
12. alienor* May 22, 2019 at 12:44 am

    #2, my former husband ended conversations he was finished with by saying “Well, I’d better let you go.” It worked like magic every time–people would react as if they genuinely thought they were the ones who wanted/needed to leave!
    1. Womble* May 22, 2019 at 12:45 am

       I don’t think they genuinely believed that, necessity. I’ll let you go/I’d better let you go is just the universal signal for “Please go”.
       1. Womble* May 22, 2019 at 12:46 am

          ^Necessarily
       2. TassieTiger* May 22, 2019 at 12:55 am

          Yeah, When people say “I better let you go” to me, I get out of their way as graciously as quickly as possible because I’m embarrassed that I overstayed my welcome
          1. valentine* May 22, 2019 at 3:45 am

             I know someone who says they have to go, so I feel bad, but then they keep talking and may cycle through that several times. What works is if I literally don’t stop to chat, but it’s hard to focus on that and surrender particular comments I want to make.
             1. brighteyes106* May 22, 2019 at 4:54 am

                I worked for a politician for a while who was an absolute master at cutting short conversations with the many people who wanted to speak to him (not to say he didn’t listen and engage, just that he had a lot of demands on his time). He’d end interactions with “Well, I’ll leave you in peace”, which I always thought was a nice touch. It flattered people by inferring he had been imposing on their time, and they tended to move off quickly.
    2. Writerboy* May 22, 2019 at 8:26 am

       I loved the way a character on the TV series, “Cheers” handled this. He said, “Well Mr. Malone, you’re starting to become tiresome. I’m going to stand over there for a while.”
       1. Exhausted Trope* May 22, 2019 at 10:45 am

          Love this!
    3. M. Albertine* May 22, 2019 at 10:03 am

       How about “Well, I don’t want to monopolize your time, I’m sure you have other people you’d like to talk to.” That implies the other person’s importance rather than your own.
    4. Snarktini* May 22, 2019 at 12:24 pm

       Ooh, people saying that is a peeve of mine! They’re the one trying to end the conversation, not me, and it’s bullshit to make it sound like they’re doing me a favor. Why can’t people simply someone own it and say “I have to go now”?
13. Beth* May 22, 2019 at 12:54 am

    #5: This would bother me too–it would feel patronizing, like my boss didn’t trust me to notice the message if he didn’t put it literally in my way so I couldn’t sit down without handling it. But I’m ultimately with Alison that it’s not worth making a big fuss over. Most things aren’t worth putting bad feelings between you and your boss, really; this isn’t discriminatory, it isn’t a sign that your boss is upset with your work, and it isn’t keeping you from doing your work well, so it’s probably in your best interest to just take it as an odd quirk and roll your eyes and move on.
    1. Magenta Sky* May 22, 2019 at 1:01 am

       I suspect he has (and perhaps still does) dealt with people who *won’t* notice it unless they can’t sit down without moving it, because they don’t go through their inbox in a timely fashion, and as Alison points out, he’s not going to bother remembering different procedures for every employee.

       In a perfect world, he’d put it in the inbox, and all employees, every last one, would notice and prioritize it in a timely fashion, and act on it appropriately. If you ever find a perfect world, keep it secret or other people will show up and it won’t be perfect any more.
    2. My cat is my alarm clock* May 22, 2019 at 1:37 am

       He can’t trust them though. The LW is currently demonstrating exactly that.
       1. Jem One* May 22, 2019 at 7:35 am

          I don’t think so. She’s demonstrating that if someone is obnoxious to her, she’s not above being petty in response.

          She’s not in any way demonstrating that if VP puts his paperwork in the in-tray, where it should go, that it won’t get done in time, because it sounds like VP has never given her a chance to prove otherwise.
          1. Falling Diphthong* May 22, 2019 at 9:28 am

             If someone is obnoxious to her, she’s not above being petty in response.

             The human race in a thimble right there.
             1. WorldsOkayestAssistant* May 22, 2019 at 6:30 pm

                So well said!
       2. Beth* May 22, 2019 at 9:59 am

          There’s nothing here to suggest that OP is neglecting messages from this VP to the point where they’re running late. They put it at the bottom of their inbox when they get it, sure–but while that’s petty, it may well leave plenty of time to get it done before it causes problems.
          1. CanuckCat* May 22, 2019 at 12:46 pm

             I think that’s hard to say though because the sense I got was the LW was just automatically dumping anything left on her chair to the bottom of the inbox, which could mean there was high priority things being shunted underneath much lower priority documents.
14. Cee Bee* May 22, 2019 at 1:06 am

    #5 – You are way over-reacting. and consider why you you consider yourself only an “okay” admin. Don’t have a chip on your shoulder. Prioritize it properly and perhaps they’ll realize you are really up on things and not just being an “okay” admin who needs money and is resentful that they “took a step back”
    1. VictorianCowgirl* May 22, 2019 at 1:26 am

       This was exactly my thinking which I couldn’t phrase quite as well. #5’s letter seeps resentment and bitterness, it actually left a bad taste in my mouth. That bitterness is no doubt obvious to the VP who wants their work prioritized properly. If I was this VP and saw an “okay” admin putting my papers to the bottom of the inbox, or even chucking them, they’d have no warning before being let go. It’s just not how you act. OP #5 my only advice is to seek some gratitude for what you do have so that you don’t turn every day into a negative experience for yourself.
    2. Jen S. 2.0* May 22, 2019 at 1:26 am

       This. The bits about burying the work out of spite, and having taken a step back in this job, are very telling. If LW 5 adjusted his* attitude a bit, the papers on the chair might be less irritating. The chip on his shoulder is … sizable.

       I don’t get why people get so upset about papers on the chair, even though I have heard people say they hate the presumptuousness of letting you know that you can’t even SIT DOWN without addressing this work. That’s just not usually how it’s intended. Put it where you want it and get on with your day. This is not worth spending your energy.

       *using male pronouns, despite convention on AAM, because somehow I automatically assumed that a perpetually disgruntled admin who uses spiteful organization tactics and thinks the job is beneath them (while admitting that they are mediocre at said job) was a dude. This is particularly odd because I was once a mediocre admin myself, and I’m a woman. Go figure.
       1. My cat is my alarm clock* May 22, 2019 at 1:39 am

          I think this LW is also missing the question of whose needs should be met here. The VP wants his papers to be noticed. You can’t change things unless you are solving that problem for him in some way.
          1. Jen S. 2.0* May 22, 2019 at 2:19 am

             Agreed. Meeting your boss’s needs, the way she needs them met, with, if not a pleasant attitude, then at least neutrality, is what being an admin means. That’s pretty much the whole job.

             The VP’s needs involve, among other things, not being real picky about where she leaves papers. The VP also apparently doesn’t think putting stuff on a chair is rude or insulting or demeaning or a big deal, so, here we are.

             Note: this is also why I was not a good admin. A great admin needs to be able to get fine details and requests correct to someone else’s specifications and preferences, even when those specs fly in the face of your own instincts and preferences. I didn’t care where people put papers, but whoo, I sucked at that other piece.
             1. valentine* May 22, 2019 at 4:04 am

                I don’t get why people get so upset about papers on the chair
                It’s blatantly disrespectful. He’d probably be annoyed if OP5 sat on them or put the inbox on the chair before leaving and sat on the desk upon their return. If OP5 had a post-tornado desk, we’d say to clean it and get an inbox. There’s already a place for the stuff, yet VP has to be different. It’s an extra task just because he can.
                1. MissGirl* May 22, 2019 at 8:15 am

                   But it’s not. And that attitude urges her to find offense where may be meant. All of us have to bend to the priorities of those above us. I prefer email so I have a record of requests I can track; my boss prefers IM. I do IM.

                   She’s risking her job over papers on her chair. Think about that for a second. Take out all biases and personal preferences and that’s what it boils down to.
                   1. 2horseygirls* May 22, 2019 at 9:24 am

                      A-freaking-men.

                      Not everything is about you, Karen.

                      Would I love it if my boss did not interrupt the Very Important Call he directed me to make to stand over my shoulder while he gave me his CE certificate for the month (which can just get left on my desk, inbox, or be put directly in the first file folder in the drawer that he can easily access), or read his latest poetry piece to me?

                      You betcha.

                      Am I going to act like a child, throw out the CE, and get fired because he interrupted me?

                      No. Because I am an adult, not a toddler.
                   2. General Ginger* May 22, 2019 at 10:00 am

                      This. You’re not going to always love your boss’s methods of communication, or how they delegate, or whether they use IM, e-mail, or leave papers on your desk (or chair), but either you adjust to it, or you don’t.
                      1. CanuckCat* May 22, 2019 at 12:45 pm

                         One of my former big bosses liked everything sent by e-mail so she could have a record of it, but she also got so many e-mails that if anything needed her attention in the next 1-3 days, we needed to print the e-mail out and put it on her keyboard with a red sticky. Was it (to me) a counter-intuitive process? Yup but she was my boss and that was how she liked things done, so that’s how I did it.
                   3. LQ* May 22, 2019 at 12:37 pm

                      There are so many letters about I prefer communicating with email/phone/whatever. This is just another form of that. And the answer is always, you can try to explain why your preference is better, but in the end it’s just preference and sometimes you just have to communicate with your boss the way your boss prefers rather than the way you prefer. This is just a physical manifestation of that.
                2. Rikki Tikki Tarantula* May 22, 2019 at 9:26 am

                   If she’s going to sit on papers she has a vision problem and should get that checked out.
                   1. JJ Bittenbinder* May 22, 2019 at 9:35 am

                      Yeah, I’m surprised by the number of people who sit on papers and cupcakes and glitter bombs because they just plop into the chair without looking.

                      I also feel like this is completely not a hill to die on, despite it being annoying. It’s not harming her or her chair, and I feel like the amount of mental energy and resentment the OP is churning out reacting to this far exceeds the energy it takes to just move the damn papers.
                      1. Clisby* May 22, 2019 at 10:50 am

                         Me too. However, my cats trained me long ago never to sit on anything without looking. Maybe these are dog people.
                   2. The Gollux (Not a Mere Device)* May 22, 2019 at 9:53 pm

                      If she has a vision problem, she may already have gotten it checked out, and be doing as much as is possible. Or as much as she can afford: corrective lenses for some vision problems can cost several hundred dollars, and may not get the person close to 20/20 vision.
                3. Yarrow* May 22, 2019 at 9:49 am

                   Could be. But it could also just be a difference in culture. I worked in an office where leaving stuff in chairs was pretty normal and people would specifically ask me to leave things in their chairs so they would see them first. Either way, it’s a pretty small hill to die on.
                4. Turquoisecow* May 22, 2019 at 10:26 am

                   It’s really not. As a person who has left papers on chairs and had papers left on my chair, I assure you no disrespect was intended in any of those instances, and none of us read it that way.

                   It’s not personal. The VP leaves stuff on the admin’s chair because he wants to make sure it gets seen. How difficult is it to glance at it and put it in the inbox? Not at all. OP is taking this personally and it’s not personal.
                   1. CMart* May 22, 2019 at 11:00 am

                      Even adding in the layer of having asked the VP to use the inbox and him ignoring that, I still wouldn’t round this up to “disrespect” or even a personal slight.

                      Chances are incredibly high that all it is, is “I really want to make sure these get seen.”

                      It likely has zero bearing on whether the VP thinks the LW is disorganized or not, whether the VP trusts them or not, whether the VP thinks the inbox system is good or bad or not. It’s just “have important papers, put somewhere obvious”.

                      It’s annoying I guess, but not some sort of deep commentary.
       2. Maria Lopez* May 22, 2019 at 1:42 am

          “That’s just not usually how it’s intended.” No, that is EXACTLY how it is intended. It is actually very rude on the VP’s part, but since the OP is admin to the VP she can’t do anything about it except to request the VP not do it.
          It really has the opposite effect that the VP thinks he is trying to effect, meaning the OP will NOT prioritize the work. And saying the OP is not a good admin as some other commenters have suggested is pretty unwarranted.
          1. Jen S. 2.0* May 22, 2019 at 1:51 am

             People, including me, are saying LW 5 is mediocre at the job because LW 5 said it: “I’m an okay admin.”
             1. CmdrShepard4ever* May 22, 2019 at 12:03 pm

                I have worked as an admin, all admins but especially admins who support multiple people need to be need to be on top of their game almost 100% of the time. For most places being an admin is like a pass/fail grade, anything short of being a good admin is being a bad admin. I have supported multiple people and the biggest key of that is being able to properly prioritize work and part of the is knowing immediately when a new assignment comes in. When you are juggling 10 tasks, and a new task comes in you need to know about it right away to know where to stick it in the que. Sometimes you have what seem to be two equally pressing matters from two different people and you need to go back to both of them and confirm if they really are both pressing then find a way to do both right away.

                I say this as someone who was also an okay (aka bad) admin in my first job during the first 6 months, at my probationary 6 month review I was told about this. I worked hard to shape up and was able to become a good admin, so that when I left I was given a good reference.

                The letter leaks resentment at having to take an admin job. Similar to people who think having a PhD in Microbiology make them overqualified to be an admin, when in reality you could be a terrible admin.
          2. My cat is my alarm clock* May 22, 2019 at 2:00 am

             The LW said that.

             Also, sorry but I’ve never worked anywhere where someone with this level of attitude could be viewed as a good admin. That’s a really key part of the job.
          3. Insubordinate* May 22, 2019 at 3:30 am

             LW is doing rebellion the wrong way round. They should maliciously prioritise the VPs chairleft work.
             1. valentine* May 22, 2019 at 3:49 am

                How does that work? He’ll just think he’s right.
                1. 2horseygirls* May 22, 2019 at 9:27 am

                   The VP is right, because he is the boss in this scenario.

                   It is PAPER, people.

                   LW5 is not being sexually harassed, or made to wear 5” stilettos and tight low cut clothes, or dragged out of bed at 2am to pick up VP from the airport.

                   Perspective is sorely lacking here.
                   1. President Porpoise* May 22, 2019 at 10:30 am

                      The VP is right, because he’s the boss in this scenario

                      This is the key. You are paid to do your job, and the boss tells you what work to do, how he wants it done, and how to prioritize it. You are blatantly and insubordinately not doing your job to his specifications. This makes you a terrible admin – and employee – and puts your job at risk. You need to seriously retool your attitude, OP.
                2. CMart* May 22, 2019 at 11:39 am

                   The key there is “maliciously”. It would work in the same way I would operate with malicious compliance in one of my past serving jobs.

                   I would be in the middle of answering Person B’s questions about the menu when Person A would blurt out “are you going to bring bread???” or “we all need waters” or “can you bring us bread?” (it was 90% of the time about bread).

                   So I would immediately stop what I was doing, apologize to Person B and cheerfully say “oh gosh of course! Be right back!” and Person A would then splutter “wait what oh I didn’t mean NOW” and I would call over my shoulder “oh it’s no problem, it’s clearly important to you!”

                   They were usually chastened and realized how rude they’d been/how unnecessary it was to interrupt since they didn’t actually mean right the hell now. In this office scenario, seeing the VP’s papers and dropping everything to do it, rushing back to say “I did the thing you left on my chair! I pushed back ordering lunch though I hope that’s okay, I didn’t want to lose sight of the priority!” is malicious compliance.

                   I do not recommend actually doing this as it is equally petty, but aggressively prioritizing everything dropped on a seat would likely get the point across.
                   1. DreamingInPurple* May 22, 2019 at 2:23 pm

                      To be honest I’m kind of surprised they were/acted chastened, because that’s pretty transparently passive-aggressive.
          4. Observer* May 22, 2019 at 10:05 am

             No, that is EXACTLY how it is intended.

             Maybe that is how YOU intend it, but others have had other experiences. Which means that we don’t know what the OP’s boss intends. On the other hand we DO know that the OP’s attitude is such that it is totally not unreasonable to suspect that their judgement in the matter is compromised. So.

             It really has the opposite effect that the VP thinks he is trying to effect, meaning the OP will NOT prioritize the work

             That’s not on the VP. It is TOTALLY on the OP. You simply don’t respond to your boss trying to get you to prioritize things by refusing to do your job. And, if the OP escalates to throwing out the VP’s papers, they will get fired, and it WILL be for cause.

             nd saying the OP is not a good admin as some other commenters have suggested is pretty unwarranted

             Considering that the OP has admitted that they are “ok”, that they are refusing to prioritize their Boss’ work and they are threatening to throw out their Boss’ work(!), I think it’s a very warranted comment.
       3. Jasnah* May 22, 2019 at 3:55 am

          I agree with you, but I’m also confused why you explicitly state that you assumed it was a dude? It reads kinda like you assumed that because of how the LW acted? I’m sure that’s not what you meant. We know the VP is a woman but I don’t see LW’s gender confirmed anywhere.
          1. WellRed* May 22, 2019 at 9:23 am

             Actually, it says the VP is man.
       4. Rusty Shackelford* May 22, 2019 at 10:17 am

          I don’t get why people get so upset about papers on the chair, even though I have heard people say they hate the presumptuousness of letting you know that you can’t even SIT DOWN without addressing this work.

          As someone said upthread, it’s the equivalent of marking every email “URGENT.” It’s annoying. I wouldn’t do anything about it, but it’s annoying.
       5. Ico* May 22, 2019 at 10:51 am

          It seems really odd to note you are using a male pronoun against convention because when you heard about a person acting badly you assumed they were male.
          1. lawschoolmorelikeblawschool* May 22, 2019 at 10:58 am

             The letter refers to the VP as “he.”
             1. lawschoolmorelikeblawschool* May 22, 2019 at 10:58 am

                My bad you were referring to admin.
    3. Data Analyst* May 22, 2019 at 2:00 pm

       Agreed. I think it feels especially demeaning because there’s some underlying sense of shame or anger about now being “just” an admin. It is pretty annoying to insist on putting papers on the chair, but OP is making it unnecessarily charged.
15. AcademiaNut* May 22, 2019 at 1:21 am

    The country I live in has legislated bonus marriage leave, which must be taken within a few months of the wedding. I think it’s partly an attempt to boost the birth rate – people generally don’t have kids here without being married, and the birth rate is really, really low (1.2). The amount of leave depends on the classification of the job, which led to my husband getting more leave than I did when we got married, which was amusing.
    1. Artemesia* May 22, 2019 at 4:05 am

       My SIL got paternity leave for each of their kids and he always got more paternity leave than my daughter got maternity leave although she was the one recovering from childbirth (a physical challenge that a lot of people underestimate when thinking about ‘equalizing’ maternity and paternity leave.) He just happened to work for more generous companies than she did — different companies each time too.
       1. Grapey* May 22, 2019 at 11:02 am

          “‘equalizing’ maternity and paternity leave.”

          The equalizing is meant to force employers to cover time off for both parents. Therefore men can’t fall back on the excuse that they have no physical need to stay home, which would reinforce society’s idea that non-birth parents are more financially valuable to employers.
       2. Pommette!* May 22, 2019 at 11:05 am

          Interesting note: some jurisdictions that work to equalize maternity and paternity keep things fair by offering pregnancy/birth leave, which is a distinct category from parental leave, and is meant to recognize the reality you describe.

          New parents get access to parental leave, which can be split up as desired, without regard to the parent(s)’ gender. People who go through pregnancy get access to the pregnancy/birth leave, without regard to their legal status as parents/to whether or not they take a baby home. A surrogate parent or person who places their child up for adoption will be eligible for pregnancy/birth leave.

          So for instance in Canada, if a heterosexual couple have a bio baby, the mother would have access to birth leave, while both parents would have access to parental leave.
          1. Grapey* May 22, 2019 at 1:23 pm

             Does the birth leave stack on the parental leave so that the birth parent stays home longer? That still seems like an incentive for employers to (illegally) be biased towards hiring workers that don’t need the longest leave.

             I feel like until men are required to miss important meetings/career advancements/force employers to hire temps just as much as those that give birth, there won’t be true equality. I don’t know what the best answer is though.
             1. Valprehension* May 22, 2019 at 4:24 pm

                The parental leave can only be taken by one parent at a time! So, the birth parent gets 15 weeks of pregnancy leave, and then following that, there’s a bank of parental leave weeks that the parents can split however they want.
16. Chocolate Teapot* May 22, 2019 at 1:25 am

    1. Not sure about all EU countries, but here there are additional paid days off for major life events, such as your wedding, your offspring’s wedding, births, adoption, bereavement and moving house. The number of days vary depending on the event.
    1. My cat is my alarm clock* May 22, 2019 at 1:39 am

       What country are you in? Can’t be UK as we have no right to bereavement leave.
       1. Ponytail* May 22, 2019 at 2:08 am

          I got bereavement leave in my jobs, and so did my partner. It might not be a right but it’s a benefit, same as the original letter. If anyone felt they were being discriminated against by not having the only member of their family die, they’d better not have said it to my face!
          Also wedding leave, moving house leave, emergency leave (limited) and sick leave plus all the usual paternity/maternity/adoption leave.
       2. Kate Daniels* May 22, 2019 at 2:19 pm

          This is very much not on topic, but your username is the best!!!!
    2. Akcipitrokulo* May 22, 2019 at 2:33 am

       Maternity/paterntiy/adoption leave and bereavement are different to leave for getting married – the first isn’t discrimination, and the second is probably illegal in whatever EU country you’re in (it definitely goes against 2010 equality act in uk).

       Having a “special occasion” holiday allowance that you can use as a one-off for something that you think is important enough is fine – which may be how they are using it?
       1. Ponytail* May 22, 2019 at 1:00 pm

          I don’t know if this was linked to my statement but I do work in the UK. And I know of people who have got wedding leave, because it doesn’t discriminate against people – anyone can get married in the UK (save Northern Ireland, perhaps).
       2. Maria* May 22, 2019 at 2:45 pm

          No, not illegal in Spain, we get two weeks of paid leave for marriage or civil union by law
    3. MK* May 22, 2019 at 3:33 am

       Additional days off for major life events (two in my country) is usually about dealing with the beaurocracy: registering your marriage or the birth/death in the municipal registry, filing paperwork with the insurance, etc.
    4. Jasnah* May 22, 2019 at 3:57 am

       Japan also has a system like this.
    5. Aew* May 22, 2019 at 4:27 am

       In my EU country we have by law two paid weeks of leave for marriage or civil union. Even if I don’t plan to use it, I never questioned it.
    6. Mathilde* May 22, 2019 at 4:41 am

       I’m in France and we get that by law, although companies have the right to be more generous (but they can’t be less generous than the required time off).

       This year, I got two days for my grandmother’s funeral, and I will get four days at the end of the year for my civil union.
       It is also four for a wedding, 3 if your child dies, 2 if a parent dies, 1 if it’s a sibling. I think you get 1 if your child gets married.

       Moving days depends on the trade branches agreement though ; I don’t get any, for instance.
       1. Mathilde* May 22, 2019 at 4:45 am

          I will add that I totally get how such company policies can feel unjust in a country where paid leave is not regulated and is generally way too restricted.

          Days offs for life events feel like a bonus* when your annual leave is already fair, and I never really questioned it when other people got it, although I just recently had to use this.

          * although the two days for my grandmother’s funeral were hardly fun or resting.
          1. Harper the Other One* May 22, 2019 at 6:12 am

             I think you just hit the nail on the head. In a country where people get liberal amounts of leave to use, this policy would probably be considered charming and kind. In places where you’re lucky to have two weeks, giving an additional week of leave only to people getting married is going to leave a bad taste in the mouths of everyone who’s been trying to figure out how to portion their PTO so that they don’t burn out and can still attend family functions etc.
             1. Ret* May 22, 2019 at 6:19 am

                I disagree. I receive a liberal amount of leave and I would still be annoyed if a coworker got more just for getting married. Its about fairness, not just getting enough leave.
                1. Harper the Other One* May 22, 2019 at 6:41 am

                   True – maybe it’s more that it would feel less egregiously unfair.
                2. MK* May 22, 2019 at 10:35 am

                   There will be some people like you who are concerned with the fairness of the policy on principle, but also a lot (maybe the majority) who really won’t care all that much, as long as they themselves have liberal time off.
                3. WillowWeep* May 22, 2019 at 6:23 pm

                   I could have really used divorce leave – that was a pain in the @$$, emotionally draining and logistically a nightmare!
    7. Bagpuss* May 22, 2019 at 5:08 am

       I’m in the UK, and there is no automatic right to time of for any of those things other than births / adoption .

       many employers will however include them either as policy or on a discretionary basis.

       For instance, where I work, there is no automatic right to bereavement leave but we have provisions for discretionary compassionate leave and would typically give 2-3 days paid leave in those circumstamces.

       I’ve never come across anywhere that offers additional paid leave for things like weddings or moving house, the presumption is generally that you will plan and use your normal paid holiday for those sorts of things. Of course, there may be UK companies which do offer time off for those kinds of events, but I’ve not personally heard of any!
       1. Lena Clare* May 22, 2019 at 5:43 am

          As a teacher in the UK you can get a day off in term time to exchange contracts when home purchasing. I think this may even apply to renting too. I always assumed it was because estate agents’ hours don’t suit schools’ hours.
          1. doreen* May 22, 2019 at 9:11 am

             I would assume it’s also because teachers don’t get much time to take off when school is in session. For example, teachers in my city get 3 personal days per year ( and 10 sick days) while other city employees get twice as much. But those employees don’t get a paid week for the various breaks ( Christmas , winter, spring) like teachers do.
       2. londonedit* May 22, 2019 at 9:06 am

          I’ve worked for one company in the UK that gave an extra day’s leave as a ‘moving day’ when someone bought a house. At that time it was only for people who bought property, I guess because with renting you could end up moving once a year or even more frequently. Though in London it’s practically impossible to buy a house, so it does feel a little unfair to renters!
          1. Ponytail* May 22, 2019 at 1:04 pm

             Ooh, I wonder if we worked for the same organisation- ours had the same strict criterion. I couldn’t use it when I moved 50 miles, from a city to a small town, but when I bought my house, and moved 5 miles, I got a day off!
17. Drago Cucina* May 22, 2019 at 1:43 am

    1. I’m married and don’t like this at all. Getting married is great, but people who don’t get married or come to work for the company married don’t get extra time. When I celebrate BIG anniversary should I get an extra week? When single person celebrates big life event should she can an extra week? They are just as valid.

    5. I feel your annoyance and can relate. I had co-workers and a boss who did this all the time. It took lots of explaining that this actually slowed down my work. Instead of diving into my work I had to deal with the stuff left on my chair and prioritize it. I did have things fall off my chair (really!) and land under my desk. It didn’t get addressed as quickly as it would if put in my box. Unfortunately you may not have much luck pushing back.
    1. Working Mom Having It All* May 22, 2019 at 1:30 pm

       But isn’t that true for all benefits or forms of PTO?

       I have a child. I am not planning to have another child. Does that mean that my company should stop offering a generous maternity leave policy, stop the extra fertility or adoption benefits they offer, etc, because I didn’t work here when my child was born?

       If I just had jury duty and am unlikely to get it again anytime soon, does that mean my next job should stop giving PTO for jury duty?
18. Iron Chef Boyardee* May 22, 2019 at 1:46 am

    In response to 5. My VP insists on leaving papers in my chair instead of my inbox:

    I sometimes leave papers on my boss’ chair. There’s a lot of paperwork on his desk already, and he doesn’t have a formal, physical inbox, so leaving them on his chair is the best way to make sure he knows he’s got something new.

    On occasion, I even leave my work on my chair as a reminder that it’s something I need to take care of! (Or finish up with, whatever the case may be.)

    OP, I agree with the others who say you’re making too much of this. On the other hand, there are some things my boss does that I don’t like how he does them, that I’d rather do instead of him, but if I were to write and ask Alison for advice about how to go about making that happen, I’d probably get a similar response to what you got (and are getting here in the comments section). So while the specifics differ, I get where you’re coming from. A pet peeve is a pet peeve, and it’s still a big deal to you.

    You prefer the new VP uses an inbox, but he doesn’t want his work to be lost in the shuffle of your other work. So, let’s see… is it any kind of an idea for you to set up a separate inbox, in addition to the one you already have, and prominently label the new one “RESERVED FOR [name of the VP]”? That way, you get the inbox, he gets a place just for his work where he knows you’ll see it, and everybody will be happy.
    1. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 2:18 am

       VP: Does a thing
       Employee: Please could you not
       VP: Imma keep doing it because I’m obviously more important than everyone else, including all the other VPs and CEO
       Employee: Well, if you’re going to act like a toddler…
       1. valentine* May 22, 2019 at 3:55 am

          Imma keep doing it because I’m obviously more important than everyone else
          Yes. It wasn’t a big ask and shouldn’t have been necessary.
          1. Artemesia* May 22, 2019 at 4:08 am

             I am the VP and this is how I like to do things to make sure my AA is aware of new material immediately. Why does this have to be such a giant big deal? The job of the AA is to make the Boss’s job easier.
             1. Bagpuss* May 22, 2019 at 5:14 am

                I think the reaspn it is a bg deal is because it assumes that your AA would not be aware of the material if you just put in in her inbox, so it defaults to assuming that she isn’t checking her inbox regularly, or that she isn’t able to do her own job, which presumably includes ensuring that she deals promptly with tasks you give her, effectively.

                Out of interest, have you ever asked your AA what her preference is? It may be that she is happy to have stuff left on her chair, or that she doesn’t care either way, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

                While I think the the LW here probably needs to accept that her boss isn’t going to change, and she should be aiming to do her job as efficiently as possible rather than retaliating, if it had been her boss who was writing in I would have said that he should listen to his AAs request and not carry on intentionallydoing something she has asked him not to do.
             2. Carlie* May 22, 2019 at 6:52 am

                Because the admin is another human being with their own brain and work methods? Think about it this way: you are saying that the reason you leave papers on the chair is “to make sure my AA is aware of new material immediately”. If this system works for both of you, great! However, if they have already expressed a desire that you not do that, and that a different place to leave them is where they will notice it immediately, what you are actually communicating is, at the very least:
                I don’t care what you prefer
                I don’t care how you do things
                I don’t trust you in your own decisions about what work flow works best for you
                I know how to get your attention better than you think you know how to get your attention
                I refuse to even let you SIT DOWN before having to address my work first
                And you are communicating those things to the admin every single time you do it that way.

                Yes, the boss has the right to require priority levels and attention, but every person has their own style of filing/organizing/coping with their work space. The admin ought to be able to set theirs up in a way that maximizes their ability to do their job well. I mean, seriously. “The job of the AA is to make the Boss’s job easier” – and how exactly can they do that when the boss keeps subverting even basic “where things go on the desk” requests?

                I guess I… have very strong feelings, on this subject that I didn’t even know existed until 15 minutes ago, because I can’t even fathom a system in which people leave important documents on other people’s chairs. It seems like some kind of violation of private space in a way that leaving papers on a keyboard doesn’t. I can’t imagine not being able to sit in a freaking chair without someone having possibly stuck things there that I shouldn’t sit on. What’s next, walking up and taping a document to their face so they can’t see until they’ve dealt with it?
                1. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 7:32 am

                   This! Thank you for articulating why I find it so disrespectful.
                2. Antilles* May 22, 2019 at 8:31 am

                   I can’t even fathom a system in which people leave important documents on other people’s chairs.
                   For what it’s worth, this seems to be a fairly common practice. I’ve had people leave stuff on my chair for years, at multiple different companies, and I’ve left stuff on people’s chairs too. I’ve visited client’s offices and seen stuff on chairs there, I’ve personally watched a couple people in the office of our local government do it.
                   Even in companies where inboxes exist, the leave-it-on-a-chair thing happens – it conveys a level of “I needed to make sure you saw this because this is critically urgent” that being one of the 12 documents in the inbox doesn’t. Though this does rely on people being generally reasonable and comprehending the difference between something that really is read-ASAP-urgent and something that can wait the extra few minutes till I get to it from my inbox; if everybody leaves stuff on your chair, this loses its’ purpose because you effectively just have a second inbox.
                3. MissGirl* May 22, 2019 at 8:34 am

                   I’m confused. But doesn’t this imply the boss would know the admin’s organizational schema? Doesn’t leaving it on the chair and not messing with the admin’s stuff give the admin the opportunity to organize it to her preference. I worked at a job where people constantly left huge stacks of paper on my chair and that enabled me to put them where I needed them.
                   1. Lizzy May* May 22, 2019 at 9:49 am

                      In this specific case, the VP knows because the Admin has asked him to use the inbox. The reaction of putting the work at the bottom of the pile or thinking about throwing it out are too much, in my opinion as someone who hates chair piles, but it doesn’t feel great to have a boss ignore your own stated preference for how to organize your work.
                4. doreen* May 22, 2019 at 9:18 am

                   I can never quite understand how people think there’s a way to solve the problem of contradictory preferences without resorting to hierarchy or something similar. Otherwise, how else do you decide when I want a phone call and my subordinate ( or manager) prefers email or vice-versa.

                   I mean, ” I don’t care what you prefer ” works in both directions.
                   1. Yorick* May 22, 2019 at 9:24 am

                      It’s not that difficult to work out different preferences. If you prefer phone calls but your subordinate likes email, you could start emailing her with some stuff but still call when you think it’s truly necessary.

                      And “I prefer to leave stuff in your chair” is not the same sort of issue. The action that he’s doing is the same whether he leaves it in the inbox or the chair.
                      1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 9:38 am

                         I could, but I’m probably not going to (though in my head I’m switching the examples around because I’d definitely email), nor would my boss if I had a preference.

                         I do think that sometimes people who object to things like this think it’s a lower-level indignity and that once you become any kind of supervisor you call every shot. But short of CEOs (and even they often have external masters) everybody has people in the workplace whose preferences they conform to. If I’m asked to call by people whose time costs my employer more than mine, you bet I call, even if I’d prefer email. If I’m asked to come to their office to talk, then I come to their office to talk. It’s not disrespectful; it’s just traffic control.
                5. PersephoneUnderground* May 22, 2019 at 12:57 pm

                   Thank you for the good explanation- it’s a matter of working together to get the work done most efficiently, and ignoring such a simple direction makes it clear she cares more about hierarchy than actual productivity, or she’d adjust to what the admin says is most efficient for her work. If this made any difference in the VP’s productivity I’d say it’s her call, but it doesn’t, it only effects the workflow of the admin. So logically she should just follow simple requests that make everything run more smoothly.

                   Oh, and the method we always used at my office if we wanted a new thing visible in an inbox was to put it in sideways, so it is in the inbox but obvious. Then there’s a visual difference but it’s still in the right place. Once the paper was looked at the person could deal with it however or put it back straightened out etc. I used that system myself too.
                6. Mr. Shark* May 22, 2019 at 2:41 pm

                   +1 on what Bagpuss and Carlie said.
                   To disregard the system in place that the AA has in order to organize her work and in turn, make the VP’s life easier is disrespectful. It doesn’t take any extra effort on the VP’s part to put the papers in the inbox, so that the AA can organize their work effectively.
                   The VP just ignoring the request because it has to be his way is ridiculous.
       2. Grand Mouse* May 22, 2019 at 4:09 am

          I’m not seeing where you’re getting this? I could make a request of my boss but I could not insist on it and failing to accommodate them would make me look bad, not them (assuming it is not a illegal or otherwise serious thing). And I’m all for worker’s rights and standing up for yourself!
          1. Grand Mouse* May 22, 2019 at 4:13 am

             For example, right now I text my boss for quick questions or updates (he is not on site). This is easier for me because of my communication style and there has been no complaints on his side. If he insisted on phone calls, I might ask why once and see if there was a compromise but other than that? Phone calls it is.
          2. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 7:41 am

             He’s acting like a toddler because he’s behaving as though he’s the most important person in the room and must be catered to. Processes exist for a reason and have usually been formulated to facilitate the smoothest work possible. Insisting on putting his work on her chair says that a) he doesn’t trust her to handle the work b) he thinks he’s more important than everyone else, including the other VPs c) he doesn’t respect her opinions or processes.
             1. Rabbit* May 22, 2019 at 8:23 am

                But he’s a VP – he may very well be the most important person in the room. You are also making an unfounded assumption that the other people who OP is assisting are also VPs
             2. WellRed* May 22, 2019 at 9:28 am

                We don’t know that at all. He probably isn’t even giving this any thought. However, if the OP wants to be thought of as capable, the OP should stop acting childish and strive to be better than “OK”
             3. Mr. Shark* May 22, 2019 at 2:44 pm

                +1 Kettles!

                Just because the VP is important doesn’t mean he can’t respect those who work under him, and has to have everything his way, even when it doesn’t affect his work at all, and is affecting what is on the AA’s desk and her area.
       3. Susie Q* May 22, 2019 at 6:36 am

          I actually LW #5 is acting like a toddler. The VP gets to set the tone for how she does business and handles work. That’s why she’s the VP. It’s no different than a VP setting other operating or business practices. It falls within her realm of jurisdiction. LW #5 can either deal with it and let go of her bad attitude or she can find a new job.
          1. Lynn Whitehat* May 22, 2019 at 7:30 am

             I agree. You don’t have to do the work right then, just take two seconds to put it where you want it and get on with your life.

             Full disclosure: my husband has a complicated filing system I don’t understand. When I need to be 110% sure he saw something, I put it on his chair.
          2. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 7:41 am

             He’s acting like a toddler because he’s behaving as though he’s the most important person in the room and must be catered to. OP has multiple people she reports to and he is not more important or special than his peers.
             1. Susie Q* May 22, 2019 at 7:58 am

                No where in the letter does it state that the LW supports only VPs. She states she supports 4 people. Those could be the VP and 3 people who report to him. Therefore the VP is more important.
                1. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 8:01 am

                   ‘could be’ – ‘therefore the VP is more important’.

                   *If* your supposition is correct. You really don’t know.
                   1. WellRed* May 22, 2019 at 9:29 am

                      You don’t know either, though.
             2. Lucette Kensack* May 22, 2019 at 9:35 am

                Kettles, this is a genuine question (not a snarky one): how is the LW behaving any differently than the VP?

                They each have a preference about how to handle papers that flow from the VP to the LW. Why does the VP’s insistence on his preference mean he is “acting like a toddler,” while the LW’s insistence on her preference is OK?
                1. Ask a Manager* Post authorMay 22, 2019 at 10:14 am

                   Yes. They both have a preference. One of those preferences is going to win out. It’s not weird or disrespectful that the preference of the person higher in the hierarchy gets deferred to. The whole job of an admin is to support people above them and make those people’s lives easier.

                   You could not be a good admin with the attitudes I’ve seen in some comments here. It’s mind blowing.
             3. Observer* May 22, 2019 at 10:12 am

                He actually DOES need to be catered to by his AA, though.

                If the OP could honestly have said “I’m a rock star AA, and having him put it in my in box rather than chair enables me to do my job more easily”, that would be one thing. But “I’m ok” and “I just don’t like it” doesn’t make a compelling case for THEIR preferences to take precedence over that of the boss.
                1. Mr. Shark* May 22, 2019 at 2:48 pm

                   It’s obvious that having it put in her inbox is making her job easier.
                   It’s also just a matter of giving respect to people who work under you. Yes, the boss could come in and throw papers all over my desk if he wanted to, and as the assistant, there’s nothing you can do, but that’s not respectful at all. If the AA has a system on HER desk, to get HER work done, and it doesn’t affect the VP, why can’t he simply comply with that. Now, if it was causing more work for him, I’d agree. But there is no more work for him to put the papers in her Inbox.
                   If there is a separate issue where the AA is not completing the work in a timely manner, that is a completely different situation, and the VP needs to handle that directly, not by putting papers on her chair.
       4. Observer* May 22, 2019 at 10:08 am

          VP: Does a thing
          Employee: Please could you not
          VP: Imma keep doing it because I’m obviously more important than everyone else, including all the other VPs and CEO
          Employee: Well, if you’re going to act like a toddler…
          Employee: I know! I’ll act like a CRANKY toddler!
          1. CMart* May 22, 2019 at 11:48 am

             Or even:

             VP: Does a thing
             Employee: Please could you not
             VP: Please could I though, imma keep doing it.

             And that really should be the end of it. The VP isn’t coming to the LW’s desk to get all their farts out for the day, they’re putting papers in a different spot.
             1. Mr. Shark* May 22, 2019 at 2:49 pm

                VP: Does a thing
                Employee: It would be helpful if you could not
                VP: Your opinion on your own desk doesn’t matter, and I can’t be bothered to worry about what you think
19. Knitting Cat Lady* May 22, 2019 at 1:47 am

    I’m a non-exempt worker payed via collective labour agreement (via IGM) in Germany.

    We have a list of special leave conditions.

    This contains deaths in the family (amount of time depends on degree of relation), birth of a child (for the not pregnant parent), getting married, moving…

    It’s three days at the most and meant to deal with logistics.
20. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 2:13 am

    #5 – Your VP is being obnoxious, disrespectful, entitled and childish. Thing is, one of the reasons I hated admin is that if senior figures choose to disrespect you, you have very little recourse. He shouldn’t get a free pass on rudeness for being a VP, but in practice he will. This isn’t going to change and you aren’t going to win this. Your best bet is to polish your cv.
    1. Grand Mouse* May 22, 2019 at 4:16 am

       If you choose to see it that way, then that is what you will take out of it. I’m all for fighting injustices but this is not it. This attitude makes it harder on everyone, especially yourself. It is very difficult and draining to believe every action is a slight against you.
       1. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 7:51 am

          I never said this was an injustice that needed to be fought. I said it was obnoxious. Also please don’t put words in my mouth; (someone else is now slamming me for calling it an injustice, which I did not do) – I never raised this to the level of ‘worker’s rights’; that would be hyperbolic and ridiculous.

          All I said is that he is choosing to disrespect her, (which he is), that he’s not going to change, and that if she doesn’t like she should move on. We all have our own tolerance level for this sort of behaviour. It doesn’t bother you – great! It obviously does bother OP, which is why they wrote in, and their feelings are just as valid as yours.
    2. Susie Q* May 22, 2019 at 6:39 am

       This is not injustice, puh-lease. Children working for pennies a day is an injustice.

       LW#5 does like a workplace policy that her boss has put in place that falls directly in the VP’s realm of jurisdiction. It’s not different than another boss saying I need you to write the TPS reports, convert them to a PDF, then email them to me. LW #5 can either do her job according to the policies that her VP has established or find a new job.
       1. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 7:45 am

          I didn’t use the word injustice. I said obnoxious and entitled, which it is. Please don’t project the idea that I’m saying this is like child labour. It is acceptable to object to an obnoxious boss without them being an overseer at a sweat shop.
       2. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 7:46 am

          Also; no, it’s not like the format of a report. It’s more like the VP ordering an admin to print documents when he has his own printer. Can he do it? Sure. Is it a raging injustice? No. Is it an indication that they neither respect nor value you? Yes. And OP is certainly entitled to look for another job if she feels undervalued and disrespected.
          1. Antilles* May 22, 2019 at 8:57 am

             It’s more like the VP ordering an admin to print documents when he has his own printer.
             …?
             Printing documents for higher level management is part of the expected job description of an admin, even if he’s got his own printer.
             If it’s a short and simple print job, then the VP probably should do it himself for efficiency’s sake – if he only needs one copy of a memo, it’ll take more time for the VP to actually explain the request than it would for him to just click print himself.
             But beyond the extremely short-and-sweet stuff, the VP actually *should* be ordering the admin to do it, because it frees him up to do stuff that’s more critical to the business – selling to clients, project management, planning the department strategy, etc.
          2. Colette* May 22, 2019 at 9:14 am

             That’s a really harsh view of something that’s just not a big deal. The VP could too busy to figure out how to get the document to print correctly, or stuck on calls and unable to walk to the printer, and her assistant’s job is to assist. Even if the VP is just incompetent at printing – so what? If the admin refuses, I wouldn’t think the VP is the one with a disrespectful attitude.
             1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 9:27 am

                It’s also a pretty narrow construction of respect and valuing. I can hire somebody to do things I could do myself and still respect and value them.

                Different workplaces and different fields will have some conventions on what’s a culturally acceptable delegation, but having an admin print something would be acceptable in most workplaces I know (assuming the admin is actually tasked with supporting you, of course).
          3. Jessie the First (or second)* May 22, 2019 at 10:50 am

             “It’s more like the VP ordering an admin to print documents when he has his own printer.”

             This is literally a thing that admins do for people. Yes, even when those people have their own printers.

             When I worked in a big office and had my own admin, I would have my admin print out things for me all the time. That was expected at my firm – because even though I had a printer and even though we all of us respected the admins in our firm as human beings and valued them greatly, my non-clerical work time could be billed to clients and so the firm did not want me doing any clerical work.

             I see you feel strongly about this, but I really get the sense that you have never been an admin, or never had an admin. Because I feel like you are fundamentally misunderstanding the role of an admin in your comments.
          4. Mr. Shark* May 22, 2019 at 2:52 pm

             Kettles, I agree about the paper on the chair thing, but yeah, I don’t get the VP asking the AA to print something. That’s not a big deal, and not really a great comparison.
    3. Thankful for AAM* May 22, 2019 at 7:27 am

       The thing is tho, not everyone defines putting items on a chair rude (or an injustice). We dont have a shared “rule” about this, what we have are preferences and the VP’s preferences trump the assistant’s preferences.

       Higher level staff preferences trump lower level staff preferences is practically the definition of work. I can certainly say I prefer another way or ask for clarification, but in the end, my boss defines my work.
    4. Anononon* May 22, 2019 at 8:07 am

       If someone is willing to quit over this issue, they’re not going to succeed very well in the workplace. Yes, it’s frustrating and annoying, but it’s not that big a deal in the grand scheme.
       1. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 8:13 am

          Ummmm… ok. I quit an admin job because I didn’t like being ordered to print documents, when my boss had their own printer. I found that disrespectful and a waste of my time. I have had several, far better jobs since. Deciding you don’t want to be treated like a personal servant isn’t a moral or vocational failing.
          1. MissGirl* May 22, 2019 at 8:30 am

             I understand now why you’re so angry and commenting on so many different threads. This feels very personal to you. Others, though, are allowed to have different perspective and offer different advice.

             I don’t think your story demonstrates the VP is wrong; I think this demonstrates you hated being an admin. I’m glad you found better-suited work. But everything you described and the OP described falls under the umbrella of being an admin. If that’s work she doesn’t want, she should definitely hunt for different roles.

             In the meantime, her dislike of the work and boss is coloring her ability to do it well. If she does want to move on, it would behoove her to do the job well, please her boss, and keep the reference and relationship in tact.
          2. Moray* May 22, 2019 at 9:46 am

             “Servant.” Seriously? I don’t pull “ists” often, but do you know how classist that sounds?

             This seems very, very personal to you, and you aren’t being objective. You simply weren’t going to be compatible with any admin job and it doesn’t sound like you understand how anyone could. An admin (and yes, I’ve been one) is supposed to do what their boss asks them to do in the way their boss asks them to do it.

             There are things some admins are asked to do that I think aren’t okay–I would probably push back on regularly fetching lunch, for example–but pretty much any office task is fair game. They get to “waste” your time, because that is what your time is for.

             And it very much sounds like you’re judging people for being okay with that, or God forbid satisfied in that kind of position. Some people like being helpful and flexible and patient, some people like low-stakes work. The type of jobs you took later weren’t “better.” They were better *for you*.
             1. iglwif* May 22, 2019 at 10:23 am

                ^^This.

                My first full-time job had a title that included the word “assistant”, and it was amazing to me how often people seemed to think that was like … demeaning, or made my job unimportant, or lacked dignity. I *loved* that job. (well, except for my immediate supervisor, who was kind of a tool … but I figured out how to handle her, eventually.) I supported people who appreciated and valued my work. I learned a ton of stuff (software skills, admin skills, people skills, new knowledge of all kinds). I felt useful — I *was* useful.

                And yes, the ways in which I was useful included printing stuff for people who undoubtedly had their own printers, and stuffing envelopes, and printing labels, and putting things in the mail (this was the mid-1990s lol), and sending emails and letters “on behalf of so-and-so” and signing letters “per so-and-so”, and collecting expense reports after meetings, and tons of other admin stuff. *Could* the folks I supported have done all that admin stuff themselves? Sure. But then they’d have had much less time for the parts of their jobs that *only they could do*. My role existed to give them time to do those parts. That is literally what an admin role is. And I’m not gonna lie, I found the whole experience deeply satisfying: it was a job I could do really well, and I did, and I was appreciated for it.

                And like … it’s fine if that’s not for you! Not everyone enjoys the same things, and that’s great! But there is absolutely nothing wrong with being happy in an admin or support role, and if you hate working in such a role so much that you are willing to sabotage yourself to get petty revenge on your boss *for putting papers on your chair* then … maybe look for another job. Not because your VP is being horribly offensive and disrespectful, but because it seems like an admin role is maybe not for you.
             2. Kettles* May 23, 2019 at 1:23 am

                Bull. It’s the opposite of classist. It’s about specific bosses treating their admins like personal servants. I also worked admin jobs where I was treated with respect. It doesn’t cost anything. I’ve also worked multiple jobs in factories – where again, I was treated with respect. My overseer at the packing factory never expected bootlicking. That particular boss (at a prestigious university) did. Why is mutual respect – even in an unequal relationship- such an alien concept?
          3. lawschoolmorelikeblawschool* May 22, 2019 at 10:03 am

             Good lord, I’m a lawyer and sometimes my boss asks me to print stuff to bring to a meeting. Am I supposed to say no, I went to law school, print your own damn papers?
             1. President Porpoise* May 22, 2019 at 10:37 am

                Hell, sometimes my peers ask me to print something, because their printer login isn’t working or something. I’m not going to get pouty about it – I’m going to do the two second task that leaves my coworkers grateful to me and permits business to continue smoothly – because I’m a professional who understands how an office is supposed to work, and because it is such a low stakes thing. Golly.
             2. Missy* May 22, 2019 at 12:33 pm

                Same. I actually was an admin for a decade before I went to law school and became an attorney. I’ve had to be TRAINED to use my admin staff instead of just doing everything myself because I didn’t want to impose on staff to do things that I could do. My boss literally had to take out a calculator and explain that when I was spending 10 minutes printing out a file and making sure it was all correct it was costing much more (at my rate of pay) then having admin do it. And take all those phone calls and print jobs and everything all up and it was a waste of money.
          4. General Ginger* May 22, 2019 at 10:10 am

             Printing documents is literally part of an admin’s job in my office, even though we have multiple printers. Your boss may very well have their own printer, and it’s still perfectly reasonable for them to ask you to print documents, if you’re their admin. It’s not about being a servant, it’s about the boss’s time needing to be spent on stuff other than printing documents. FWIW, I’m a manager, not an admin, and my boss has asked me to print stuff for her last minute for unplanned meetings while she prepped other stuff, because sometimes that’s just how it is, and the work needs to get done.
          5. Spreadsheets and Books* May 22, 2019 at 10:59 am

             I’m a manager in a finance field and I’m asked to print things for my director to prep for meetings from time to time. Sometimes, she’s working on things and I’m not. Plus she’s my boss and walking 20 feet to the printer is not a big ask.

             You have an extremely aggressive and biased take on this issue. The role of an admin is literally to simplify the lives of the people at the top, and that often includes changing communication styles or (gasp!) printing documents for them while they focus on higher priority duties. Clearly, that was not the right role for you, and it’s great that you moved on to something else.
             1. Antilles* May 22, 2019 at 11:15 am

                The role of an admin is literally to simplify the lives of the people at the top
                Honestly, this is effectively the role of pretty much *every* employee – even in management.
                Why does the CEO employ a Director of Sales? Because she has an entire company to run and can’t do that effectively if she has to deal with managing the day-to-day needs of the sales department. The Director of Sales has his role exist to simplify the life of the CEO.
                Further down the chain, why does the Director of Sales employ mid-level managers? Because he can’t personally manage the every sales rep at once, so he hires mid-level staff. Those managers exist to simplify the life of the Director.
                1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 12:11 pm

                   Yup. And I do things the way all my bosses prefer when I’m dealing with them.
             2. Kettles* May 23, 2019 at 1:31 am

                I was treated with more respect in every role before and since, including other admin roles. The point – which you, and many other commenters in senior and very important roles seem to be missing – is that she had a printer next to her desk and it would have been easier for her to hit ‘print’ than to make a phone call. What’s also fascinating is that when this exact same issue was brought up in another thread, a lot of y’all said it was completely ridiculous not to print your own documents because that would be quicker.
       2. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 8:17 am

          Also; not everyone is the same. People have varying tolerances for behaviour and aptitudes for different kinds of work. A bad admin assistant could be an incredible accountant and vice versa. I would find this irritating to the point of looking elsewhere; you clearly wouldn’t. Neither of us are *wrong*; just different.
    5. Rabbit* May 22, 2019 at 8:29 am

       The idea that the VP must be “choosing to disrespect” OP seems a bit hyperbolic, and playing into OP’s over-the-top reaction. I mean maybe they are sitting their thinking “Aha! Another brilliant way for me to grind the lowly peons beneath my heel and reminding them how much more special I am! Now, when should I deliberately get their name wrong just to rub it in….”

       I mean I think the VP is probably thoughtless, and might well be rude, but hey might just not be paying attention. Or maybe their work really is a higher priority than everyone else’s.

       Or maybe they would have been happy to change but OP’s deliberate delays are now giving the impression that they are slow or don’t know how to prioritise…
    6. Shan* May 22, 2019 at 12:06 pm

       This seems extremely personal to you, and I think it’s causing you to have a very strong opinion that maybe doesn’t reflect the reality of the situation.

       If a person feels someone leaving papers on their chair (which I do, btw – not only is it the norm in my office, I deliver things to around 40 people and quite frankly I’m not going to make note of each person’s personal preference) warrants leaving that job… well, I don’t think admin work is for them.
    7. Alma* May 22, 2019 at 8:34 pm

       Lol, you sound like the admins where I work. My class of workers were told we have to alphabetize, label with identical location, and staple our own papers before we turn them in to the admins. So now I’m paid around 400$ dollars a year to sort papers, that could cost 100$ to have an admin do it. Also I don’t spend that four hours doing the work that require my two university degrees to do. I do it and smile, but sometimes I wonder….
21. Anónima* May 22, 2019 at 2:27 am

    1. We used to get a “gift” of an extra day’s leave on the 24th December as the office is closed on the 25th – except all non-management office staff are part time, but if the 24th happened to be your non working day you were not allowed to change it so you could benefit from the extra day off. You basically worked 1 day more than everyone else that week.

    After a few years I think they realised that this was unfair and now everyone gets it as a day off.

    That’s not quite on the scale of your friend’s office though!
    I’m sure they’re being nice but they’re not really thinking it through.
    I’d be tempted to pull a ‘Carrie’s friend’ and announce I was marrying myself.
    1. londonedit* May 22, 2019 at 11:04 am

       This is often a bit of a contentious issue in the UK – here the 25th and 26th are public holidays, so most people get those off work, but when the 24th falls on a weekday companies have all sorts of different ways of dealing with it. Some just give everyone the day off as a perk, others close at lunchtime, others still are just open all day as normal. There are also differing approaches about whether people have to use annual leave – some companies will shut down for the whole Christmas period and not require anyone to use their annual leave to cover the shutdown, whereas others will be closed but everyone knows they have to use 3 days’ holiday to cover the time between Christmas and New Year. All that is to say that you often have scenarios where the official line is that the company is open all day on Christmas Eve, so anyone who wants that day off needs to book it as one of their holiday days. But then 9 times out of 10 the boss will say ‘Hey, it’s Christmas Eve! Let’s close at lunchtime!’ Meaning anyone who didn’t book the day off, and who came to work in the morning, gets a ‘bonus’ afternoon’s holiday that other people didn’t get. You could say that’s fair, as they made the effort to come and hold the fort despite it being Christmas Eve, but you can also see how the people who used a whole day’s holiday for the 24th might be annoyed.
    2. Missy* May 22, 2019 at 12:38 pm

       The more analogous situation is when a skeleton staff is needed on those light days (in the US the day after Thanksgiving is one of them since Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday and so many non-retail businesses will close for a 4 day weekend). When I worked in places that were open those days it was assumed that single people would be scheduled since “they didn’t have family to spend the time with”. As a practical matter it meant single staff with family members that lived elsewhere wouldn’t be able to see them for the Holiday, or would have to cut it short, to come and work on a day when very little was happening.

       A better solution is to have people volunteer to work that day instead of assuming based on marital status, and to add in certain perks if nobody was volunteering (maybe higher Holiday pay or time off to use on another day) until you could get enough staff that was needed.
22. Akcipitrokulo* May 22, 2019 at 2:35 am

    OP1 – if you are in a position to suggest it, expanding it to a “significant happy life event” week off and include “has been with us for X years!” as one of the triggers may work.
23. I coulda been a lawyer* May 22, 2019 at 2:38 am

    We once hired a new receptionist right between her college graduation and her wedding. She asked for and was granted 2 weeks unpaid for her honeymoon; it was for a 10 day European vacation, paid for by the grooms parents. The Friday one week before the wedding the VP called her into his office and gave her the wedding week off with pay. She asked if she could take it as part of her honeymoon instead but he said no … you are driving us all crazy and if you show up next week you will either be fired or murdered by a coworker.
    1. Alianora* May 22, 2019 at 8:07 am

       That sounds super unprofessional of the VP. Why on earth would you say that to an employee?
       1. Kesnit* May 22, 2019 at 8:36 am

          The last few days leading up to a wedding are stressful. I have no doubt that this receptionist was trying to maintain control, but was a bundle of nerves about the wedding – esp things that she would have to deal with after working hours. (“OK, I need to stop by the florist and make sure the flowers are set. And I need to a final fitting on my dress. And Bridesmaid #1 is flying in tonight. And did the church move the flowers from last Sunday’s service out of the way so we can put our decorations up?”)

          In other words, it sounds like the VP was giving the receptionist a good-natured ribbing.
          1. Lily Rowan* May 22, 2019 at 9:22 am

             Yeah, agreed — it’s saying, We like you and can see you aren’t at all focused on your job right now, so please, go with our blessing (and money!).
             1. Beth Anne* May 22, 2019 at 11:43 pm

                Yeah I was thinking that this system in #1 is probably in place more because lots of times you need the week of the wedding off to do last minute wedding stuff and then the week after for your honeymoon. And maybe what was happening was ppl were just taking the week after off and driving everyone crazy the week of LOL
24. The Wall Of Creativity* May 22, 2019 at 2:42 am

    OP#5. When you’re away from your desk, leave your inbox on your chair.
    1. Luna* May 22, 2019 at 6:39 am

       Then OP forgets they put the inbox there, sit down, and CRUNCH…
25. Just a thought...* May 22, 2019 at 2:44 am

    #2 – as someone who has, on occasion, accidentally said “well, I’m just going to go… over there…” at a networking event, I can confirm Alison’s answers are MUCH better! :)
26. Bilateralrope* May 22, 2019 at 2:44 am

    I think #5 needs a small robot to spin the chair if it detects movement when nobody is close to the chair.

    VP walks in. Chair spins
    VP gets close to chair. Spinning stops.
    VP walks away. Chair spins and the papers scatter.

    Though a robot that moves the papers to the inbox is probably a better idea.

    No. I’m not serious about either of these ideas.
    1. Book Badger, Attorney-at-Claw* May 22, 2019 at 3:26 am

       Now I’m picturing something like Ron Swanson’s spinning chair in Parks & Rec, but automated. Every time he tries to put the paper down, it spins out of reach.
       1. valentine* May 22, 2019 at 4:07 am

          No. I’m not serious about either of these ideas.
          But you’re really on to something with the second one.
27. Jimming* May 22, 2019 at 3:06 am

    #5 Someone leaving papers on my chair would drive me crazy. Another reason I’m grateful I can work from home.

    There’s got to be a way to flag VP’s work as priority without them leaving it on your chair – maybe ask them to leave it on your keyboard instead? Or put a certain color post-it on the paper? Then VP knows their work will be prioritized and you won’t sit on paper. But as others have pointed out you’ll need to build enough trust so they know you’re not ignoring their work.
    1. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 3:46 am

       I like the post it idea.
28. GGU* May 22, 2019 at 3:11 am

    How bitter do you have to be to be upset about someone else getting extra time off , no matter what the event ? It is not unusual where I work to get days off for wedding , funeral and extra days of vacation for each child . If I hear news like this , I think congrats / condolence whatever appropriate , if the first thing that pops in your mind is jealousy. That’s an issue IMO
    1. I heart Paul Buchman.* May 22, 2019 at 3:48 am

       I agree. Complaining about this would be a big misstep in my area (not USA). We all use leave at some time or another and what goes around comes around. A person who doesn’t get married might adopt a child or need bereavement leave or time off to have dental surgery or any of a number of other things. Having an employer who offers this benefit indicates they are probably generous in these situations as well.
       1. valentine* May 22, 2019 at 4:16 am

          Having an employer who offers this benefit indicates they are probably generous in these situations as well.
          Not necessarily, especially when they’re choosing not to be inclusive, and a honeymoon just isn’t like your other categories.

          It’s not necessarily jealousy to feel negatively about a benefit you don’t get to use because your employer wants to reward a particular “choice”. It’s a lot like the golf letter.
    2. Bagpuss* May 22, 2019 at 5:56 am

       I don’t think it is petty, and I don’t think it is necessarily that people are jealous of the co-worker getting married, on a personal level.

       I think that there is the added issue that in lots of situations and countries, married couples already get benefits and advantages that single people and those who live together but aren’t married don’t get – tax breaks, social status etc. I think it can ‘read’ as giving further benefits to an already privileged group.

       It’s perfectly possible to be happy on a personal level that your colleague is getting married, to sincerely congratulate her and wish her well, but also to recognise that there is an inherent unfairness in rewarding her with extra holiday just because she getting married.

       Marriage is different from other types of life event such as having a child or dealing with a bereavement as there are no physical issues to deal with, and it is something you can plan for in a way you can’t with sickness or death.
    3. Lena Clare* May 22, 2019 at 6:23 am

       I disagree!

       We’re not talking days off for funerals or family emergencies and illness – time off for those things is necessary. Nobody begrudges a day off or a few weeks off to their coworker because their mum died for heaven’s sake.

       I don’t even personally begrudge them having a week off for their wedding. It’s just that we’re talking about a perk for a lifestyle choice that not everyone gets to participate in, which IS discriminatory even if it doesn’t affect or bother you.

       Nobody wants to take that away from the couple either, but it would be fairer if everyone had that opportunity of an extra week’s leave to do with as they wish. If the company can offer it, it’s just as easy to say “extra week off after 2 years at the company” rather than “extra week off for those who get married while working here”.
       I mean lovely thought yes, but inequitable.
    4. Rusty Shackelford* May 22, 2019 at 10:22 am

       Eh. It’s pretty easy to become bitter when others are consistently handed benefits that you are not.
    5. wanderlust* May 22, 2019 at 11:07 am

       Parental leave for a childbirth is not “extra vacation days”, but a necessary medical benefit which I don’t begrudge anyone. If, however, an employer was simply offering extra vacation days based on the number of children in the family, I would certainly be bitter as parents at my office are already leaving early to pick up these kids from daycare and taking extra from our basically unlimited personal time pool (for appointments, etc.) to bring these kids to anything and everything, while the rest of us have to pick up the extra work with no benefit.

       It’s gotten to the point where the childless at this workplace make up appointments, or deliberately plop real appointments at times that are inconvenient for the office to achieve an equitable balance. Discrimination against singles is alive and well and shows no signs of going away because there’s no one fighting the fight.
       1. GGU* May 23, 2019 at 3:10 pm

          Wow , it sounds like a toxic workplace. I’m a parent so maybe biased but how do you expect kids to take themselves to dental appointments? Parents struggle to play catch-up too and some places don’t promote them due to them having to leave early or stay home with sick kids …so we too can argue the discrimination angle . I think adults should be able to ask for time needed off without having to resort to making appointments up just to screw with everyone . Kids who are taken care of by their parents due to having the opportunity hopefully grow up to be adults that pass these kind of perks along to their employees one day :)
    6. Grapey* May 22, 2019 at 11:10 am

       I agree. I don’t like Louis CK that much anymore, but one of his greatest scenes on his show was when he taught his oldest daughter to look at her sister’s bowl to make sure she has enough to eat before complaining about what’s in her own.

       If she doesn’t have enough of her own, that’s a problem, but it’s not her sister’s problem.
    7. Scarlet2* May 22, 2019 at 12:11 pm

       See, the jealousy/bitterness/pettiness “argument” often gets trotted out when people complain about unfairness. No, it’s not being “bitter” to complain about a perk that’s given to some people and not others based on a lifestyle choice.
       And let’s not compare bereavement or parental leave with an extra week of vacation, please. (And yes, I also think extra days of vacation for each child is a problem. It’s not just unfair, it’s salting the wounds of people who struggle with infertility).
    8. Kelly Bennett* May 23, 2019 at 9:08 am

       As someone who couldn’t have gotten married legally ten years ago, I 100% get being upset at this. Sorry, giving one person leave over the other isn’t okay. You need to be even-handed.
29. Phil* May 22, 2019 at 3:12 am

    #2 “Aaaannnnnnyway…”
30. LizArd* May 22, 2019 at 3:18 am

    …do people really hate papers left in chairs that much? Because I do that all the time. Nobody in my office has an “inbox” per se, and half of them have desks where if I just set something down amid all the other papers, it would never be seen again. I was under the impression that this was utterly normal office practice.
    1. Angus MacDonald, Boy Detective* May 22, 2019 at 4:11 am

       Agreed! I see leaving papers on chairs as a completely neutral act, all the person is signalling is “here is something new for you”.
       1. valentine* May 22, 2019 at 4:23 am

          Remember the butts on desks letter? I should be able to collapse, carefully set food/beverages down, and ritually put my stuff away before handling work materials. For me never to sit on the papers, I would need a second chair and, if I wasn’t allowed to have one at my desk, to rest there on my way in, each and every time, my proper chair having become Schrödinger’s inbox.
    2. Bagpuss* May 22, 2019 at 5:24 am

       I think it depends on the situation.
       Where there is no inbox and the desk is covered in papers, it makes sense to put something on the chair because it avoids the risk ofit getting mixed up with whatever is all over the desk.

       However, if there is an inbox or the desk is clear enough that you can put it down and the person will se it and it remains separate from other stuff, then I think putting it on the desk is more courteous.

       If someone has a desk which looks like a cyclone hit it, then it’s unreasonable for them to complain if people put papers etc on their chair, and equally, if you have someonewho seems never to chekc their inbox, then the same applies.
    3. Asenath* May 22, 2019 at 6:33 am

       I don’t like it, I put up with it because it doesn’t happen often and it is really a minor annoyance.

       What was a major annoyance was the time someone left something on top of my desk, turned over (for privacy, I guess?) so only that blank back showed. I also keep a pile of scrap paper on my desk, turned over so the blank back is available for scribbling notes. That could have been really bad, although fortunately before I’d used and shredded the “scrap” paper I went looking for the important documents and was told “I put them on your desk….turned upside down so no one would read them”. Also – my desk was and is in an office which is normally locked when I am not there, although my immediate coworkers all have keys.
    4. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 7:52 am

       Would you continue to do it if someone specifically asked you not to?
       1. Asenath* May 22, 2019 at 8:36 am

          Probably not.
       2. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 9:02 am

          I might. It depends on the situation. It could be so established a norm in the workplace (it’s really common in mine) that I don’t remember that somebody’s an outlier, or, assuming I’m still the admin’s boss in this scenario, it’s because alternatives aren’t going to work as well for me. If it’s the second, I’d explicitly let them know, same as I explicitly let staff know about other requests that won’t be fulfilled, and give them a chance to propose an alternative that works for both of us.

          But in a situation where two people have clashing established workflows, it’s generally the obligation of the support staff to conform to the boss and not the other way around. (Not just support staff, really, since everybody does some conforming to their boss, including the OP’s VP, but it’s more clealy in the remit for support staff.) I get some people find that very unpleasant and usually they self-select out of support positions; it sounds like the OP might be getting to that point.
          1. Lucette Kensack* May 22, 2019 at 9:26 am

             As you can see from my other comments on this thread, I’m on the paper-on-chairs side (and, mostly, baffled and sort of irritated by the level of ire that folks who object to papers on chairs seem to have).

             So, I agree with pretty much everything you’ve said. Except: I don’t think it’s especially complicated to remember one outlier if that person if your assistant. The VP likely works with the LW daily, meets with her frequently, and has lots of conversations about how to handle various workflows. I’m not going to expect the VP to remember every person’s preferences about where to put papers… but it doesn’t seem like a huge ask to know what your admin prefers. (Which is not to say that you have to do what she prefers; there may be good reasons to insist on a different system — but “not remembering” doesn’t seem like a reasonable explanation.)
             1. General Ginger* May 22, 2019 at 10:33 am

                I agree with both of y’all. I’d also add, if I’m the VP and the admin is showing they’re not prioritizing the work I need them to prioritize, and self-describes as “OK” at best, then I’m probably a lot less likely to do as the admin prefers and to put the papers somewhere super obvious and where I’m reasonably sure they’ll see them and work on them.
                1. Lucette Kensack* May 22, 2019 at 3:03 pm

                   Oh yes. I use chairs almost exclusively, and it’s because I explicitly do not trust them to manage their piles of paper appropriately. If I were the LW here I would first question whether I was giving this VP cause to be concerned about my prioritization or workflow.
          2. Kettles* May 23, 2019 at 1:15 am

             That’s what I meant when I suggested OP look elsewhere. I didn’t mean this is worth quitting over – more that this sort of role doesn’t sound suited to her. I actually disagree on the boss setting the workflow though. We have several admins in our place who *have* to control the workflow because, bluntly, people are not always the best judge of what’s important. Often what’s important to an individual is not the most important to the overall business goals.
    5. MonteCristo85* May 22, 2019 at 9:45 am

       I do. It causes me a great deal of pain to bend to that particular level. I also find it offensive for someone to think that would be necessary in order for me to prioritize their work correctly.

       However, I do have a spotless desk, and a reputation for doing work extremely well and quickly, so there would likely be no reason you would want to put it on my chair. But even if you did, I would ask that you try something else (I usually recommend the keyboard if you feel you must draw attention to your paperwork) so that you don’t require someone to clear off their chair before they can settle back at their desk.
       1. Drax* May 22, 2019 at 11:00 am

          I don’t have a back problem but it drives me up the wall when people put things on my chair or on my mouse. Put it on the fricken keyboard. It’s literally on the way to the chair, centered so I’m not knocking it off my desk and in the way so you can be sure I see it – even though I am a professional who can prioritize my own work without chair reminders.

          It’s a massive pet peeve of mine, but also just life. This isn’t the hill to die on for me
          1. Drax* May 22, 2019 at 11:00 am

             not saying it is for you, this was supposed to be a thread comment but I see I replied to you directly, sorry about that!
             1. MonteCristo85* May 22, 2019 at 11:46 am

                Oh I get what you are saying. “Hill to die on” is probably a bit much, even for me, lol. Usually when it is a one off I just huff to myself in annoyance. However, if one particular person kept doing it, I would go to them and ask to come up with another plan because of the problems it causes me. If they dismissed it, then that would elevated it to “hill” status, but that is more on the outright disrespect, not the actual action of paper on chair. But I also acknowledge that I’m priviledged enough that I CAN make this a “hill” issue.
       2. Observer* May 22, 2019 at 3:36 pm

          Of course if someone has an issue like yours, a decent boss should find some way to accommodate that. “I have a back problem and can’t bend” is utterly different from “I don’t like it.”

          And, in general, when you have a stellar reputation, you have far more standing to ask people to change their ways and actually have them make the effort to do so. Not so much when that reputation doesn’t exist.
    6. lawschoolmorelikeblawschool* May 22, 2019 at 10:05 am

       It’s common practice at my office, I don’t get the disdain.
    7. cataloger* May 22, 2019 at 10:24 am

       It’s very normal in my office. I routinely find new things in my chair (or right in front of my keyboard), and routinely put stuff at other people’s desk/chair that way. It’s a neutral act, signaling no more than “this is for you”. It seems unlikely that it’s intended as a power play; the VP probably just came from an office where this is common and doesn’t remember that some people don’t like it.
       1. uh* May 22, 2019 at 6:54 pm

          Using so much paper or having an inbox (or desk big enough for one) baffles me. We got rid of such a long time ago where I work. Also got rid of most admins.
31. Singlemingle* May 22, 2019 at 3:28 am

    In my country, people get a week off to get married, by law (mothers get time off, some other categories also exist). However, we were hit by the financial crisis A LOT, so people are usually overworked and underpaid, not getting extra vacation days.

    I’m not married or plan to get married, but that’s just petty. The policy is in place because a wedding isn’t just a big white dress, cake and an exotic trip (maybe in America it is). Couples have to go IN PERSON, no authorizations to other people allowed, to a really, really, long list of public offices and other stuff. So, they do really need time off. Also, in our country, there are cultural aspects (not really mandatory as years go by, but still respectable, the same we should respect someone’s religion etc). According to our country’s religion (which I don’t share, by the way) and culture, most couples that have traditional weddings need some days for those extra events. So, if we should respect people needing time for prayer (of any religion) every day/ week/ whatever, then once in their life (usually) for some of them to perform a basically religious/ cultural ceremony is suddenly unfair and should be taken away from them? The actual bureaucratic part is a couple of hours tops (I mean the actual signing of documents that legally make a couple).

    I don’t plan on having kids, so I won’t need a maternity leave. I don’t plan to get a post-graduate degree, so I won’t need extra days off for my exams/ presentations etc. Some circumstances in people’s lives get special treatment, because they should be protected. If someone has a sick parent, it’s usually not a one-time thing. An ongoing situation is different, and a sick child is different from a sick parent. If people can’t see the different circumstances, maybe they should readjust their thinking. Not everything is about you.

    It’s usually a one-time off, 5 extra days, don’t be petty.
    1. Marriage leave* May 22, 2019 at 4:05 am

       Yeah, I think this is a case where how the the benefit is viewed will really vary by culture. I can see the discrimination argument but personally I see it as a benefit among many that not everyone uses or needs to use. To me this is like complaining that someone gets 5 days bereavement leave because their parent died, and it’s not fair because not everyone gets to use it. If this is the only kind of leave outside the regular PTO bucket you offer then maybe it’s unfair but I don’t think it’s discrimination to offer benefits for special circumstances like this.
       1. Ret* May 22, 2019 at 7:05 am

          To me, the difference is that a parent dying is always going to cause a big disruption in a person’s life and people need time to deal with that disruption. Getting married doesn’t necessarily cause a huge disruption in a person’s life. Some people choose to make a big deal out of getting married, but other people choose to make a big deal over building a house or writing a novel. I don’t see how getting married is a special circumstance that requires extra leave.
          1. Yorick* May 22, 2019 at 9:10 am

             But what if your parents died before you took the job, or they don’t die while you work there? Then it wouldn’t be faaaair.
             1. Scarlet2* May 22, 2019 at 12:13 pm

                Nice strawman you got there.
          2. Marriage leave* May 22, 2019 at 9:50 pm

             “I don’t see how getting married is a special circumstance that requires extra leave.”

             All I can say is I disagree. I think that engaging in a major civil, legal, social, logistical, possibly religious act like marriage is a bigger deal than someone pursuing a hobby. In many cases it is a big disruption and the leave is to deal with that. In the same way, someone could make a bigger deal out of their novel than their estranged parent dying. We still choose to acknowledge these Big Life Moments in a different way.
    2. doreen* May 22, 2019 at 7:36 am

       Here’s the thing , though. There are lots of things that require time away from the office and nobody thinks they justify extra leave . OK, getting married requires a visit to a government office during business hours. It does in my state as well – as does renewing my drivers license under some circumstances. I’m not given extra time off to renew my license. When I’ve closed on mortgages, I had to appear somewhere during business hours- no extra leave for that.

       You want to give everybody an extra week off after they’ve been with your company for seven years fine, everybody gets it. Give everyone their birthday off- fine, as long as you make a provision for the Feb 29 birthday. Give an extra week off once every X years for a long list of things including weddings, also fine. But yeah, if my coworker gets an extra week’s leave for her wedding while I have to use vacation to plan/attend my mother’s funeral, I’m going to be annoyed.
       1. Singlemingle* May 22, 2019 at 10:36 am

          It’s not just a visit to a governemnt office, though, it’s a huge process, and even friends and family who choose not to go through with traditional ceremonies still have to go through most of that process.

          (Obviously I don’t mean the following sentence, I’m playing devil’s advocate) but one could say that having a bond with parents that make a parent’s funeral an affair that we should attend is also a lifestyle choice. Maybe cut all ties and never hear about our parents after we turn 18 is a viable lifestyle choice.

          On a more serious note, what if someone’s birthday is on a weekend? Do we keep track in the HR Dept? Actually, I think someone’s birthday doesn’t qualify for a day off, because we are adults and we shouldn’t put that much emphasis on a childish thing like a birthday party, but that’s just me, I know some people feel a huge deal about their birthday.

          What most people don’t get is that you don’t take PTO for your wedding to celebrate (as in an anniversary), or because it’s just a life change or an import event (like moving houses, graduation, exams, for which the employers who don’t give ad hoc days off usually are dodgy for legal PTO for weddings as well). It is a category that falls under different circumstances.

          Until we change our society, as long as being married is such a huge part of the way society is structured, it needs special protection as an institution. I needed time off for a huge surgery, got it from my PTO, and STILL understand why a wedding can qualify for extra days off.
          1. Singlemingle* May 22, 2019 at 12:40 pm

             Clarification: my country allows for paid sick leave, but at 60% or sth of the actual wage, so I asked my boss to take days out of my PTO.
    3. Just Jess* May 22, 2019 at 9:32 am

       Thank you for this comment. I now agree that it could be fair in some regions depending on culture and laws (e.g. everyone gets married in their 20’s, everyone works a full-time job in their 20’s and can access the benefit at that time, marriage in the country is always a huge, long, communal event, and marriage equality exists).

       I feel like I’ve added several points to my HRM professional badge and can have a deeper conversation about this.
    4. Rusty Shackelford* May 22, 2019 at 10:24 am

       The policy is in place because a wedding isn’t just a big white dress, cake and an exotic trip (maybe in America it is). Couples have to go IN PERSON, no authorizations to other people allowed, to a really, really, long list of public offices and other stuff. So, they do really need time off.

       That’s nice that they recognize this, but I wonder if they also give you time off to do other things that require a lot of trips to public offices, such as registering to vote, getting a passport, getting a driver’s license, etc.
       1. Oh So Anon* May 22, 2019 at 11:49 am

          No one cares about those things, and if you’re open about needing PTO to handle that sort of life stuff people will often treat you as though you may not know how to handle your life properly.
          1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 12:08 pm

             Wow, YMMV big time. If you had just moved to the state we’d want you to bundle the trips rather than keep taking half-days off, but this would be utterly unremarkable at my workplace (and I can’t say I care any more about somebody’s wedding than somebody’s voting or travel, and I say this as somebody who likes most weddings).

             I don’t think that means that an employer needs to give a week off to people for those either, but it’s not really a yawning gap to me. And, getting back to the OP’s workplace, it’s not about logistics there anyway, since the week can be taken any time during the year, not just around the wedding date.
          2. Rusty Shackelford* May 22, 2019 at 12:22 pm

             Huh. I don’t understand why needing to visit various offices during office hours to get married is a good thing, but needing to visit various office during office hours to get a passport is “not knowing how to handle your life properly.”
    5. Close Bracket* May 22, 2019 at 12:13 pm

       Except this time off was to be used at any time during the year of the wedding. That’s very different from time off to be used on the days that you need to Do A Thing, like go to a government office about your marriage or go to a funeral home to plan a funeral.

       The actual bureaucratic part is a couple of hours tops

       So they can have a couple hours of leave, not a whole week.

       If people can’t see the different circumstances, maybe they should readjust their thinking.

       Well, yes. You should learn to see the difference between getting married and other life events that have dedicated leave, like bereavement and family leave. I think you should readjust your thinking.
       1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 12:22 pm

          I wouldn’t be surprised if initially the week *was* for the week of the wedding, and then somebody asked if they could use it for their honeymoon that they were actually taking later in the year, so the policy loosened up. And now maybe it’ll loosen up further to cover other events.
       2. Singlemingle* May 22, 2019 at 12:57 pm

          I mean the bureaucratic part of the ceremony, not the preparation. The actual preparation days days of bureaucracy. It says so right above.

          I’m not jealous of other people getting married, so I guess my thinking is just fine.
32. Traffic_Spiral* May 22, 2019 at 3:58 am

    Hmm… how many times can you get married under these honeymoon rules? Seems like I could figure out a sweet little scam with some other coworkers.
    1. Lena Clare* May 22, 2019 at 6:25 am

       Hahaha perfect!
    2. Charlotte Bartlett* May 22, 2019 at 10:03 am

       I was thinking that I would love to watch a rom-com where two platonic friends get married to take advantage of their company’s honeymoon leave…but then they have to go on the honeymoon together to prove it…and then they fall in love FOR REAL!
       1. Lena Clare* May 22, 2019 at 11:39 am

          10/10 would read this book and watch this film.
       2. OP1* May 22, 2019 at 2:02 pm

          @Netflix, make this a movie, stat!
    3. EvilQueenRegina* May 22, 2019 at 11:39 am

       Yes, I have to admit the thought did cross my mind about second marriages!
    4. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 12:09 pm

       Would it raise eyebrows if you married a co-worker but a took a different week off than your new spouse :-)?
    5. Missy* May 22, 2019 at 12:47 pm

       Similarly, there was a couple who figured out that they paid more in taxes as a married couple than being single. IRS rules say that the marital status on the last day of the year determines filing status, so they would get married Jan 1st of every year and divorced on Dec 31st so that they could still file as single. (It ended up not working as the court determined the divorce was a sham and, for purposes of tax filing, was not valid).
       1. Clisby* May 24, 2019 at 9:33 am

          Married people don’t have to file jointly – filing separately is an option. Why would they need to divorce?
          1. Ellen Ripley* May 24, 2019 at 12:57 pm

             Married filing separately and filing as single are two different statuses, when you’re talking about IRS rules. There are a lot of exemptions you can’t take, etc., when you’re filing married filing separately, that you are allowed to take when you’re legitimately filing as single. The IRS closed those loopholes precisely because people were filing as married filing separately to get out of some of the ‘marriage penalty’ stuff. With the recent changes in tax law, the impact isn’t as great, but until last year there was a big difference between being able to file single and filing married filing separately. (Source: I was separated but not yet divorced by the end of 2017, and I had to pay a couple thousand dollars more in taxes because I had to file as married filing separately and wasn’t legally single yet.)
33. MistOrMister* May 22, 2019 at 4:00 am

    OP5, I also absolutely loathe people leaving things in my chair. Unlike what some people are commenting though, I wouldn’t see this as a power play or the boss being a jerk. It might help if you re-frame your thinking to “yes I hate this, but it is accepted as a normal and even potentially helpful thing and I can’t change it.” I have had people at all levels put stuff in my chair even after specifically telling them I would prefer they use my inbox or keyboard. Luckily I’ve changed positions and it doesn’t happen to me much any more. The way I handled it before was to realize I couldnt change the person’s behavior (and honestly, many, MANY people do not have this hang up and consider the chair to be the safesr place for important papers). When I would come back to my chair to see papers/files/whatevee, I would take a moment to seethe and wish a pox on the person who left it there while reiterating in my head that I’d previously told them my seat is not an inbox! I then take what they’ve left and very deliberately place it on top of the inbox and have a moment of “THIS is where incoming items go!!!!” thought while sueveying my desk. Then I move on. It’s really not worth staying mad about, but allowing myself to be annoyed for a few minutes and then putting it out of mind worked really well. In a perfect world people would remember our preferences and follow them, but again, putting stuff in a chair is REALLY common and, in my experience, it is a rare person who prefers to place work that way who will stop but they are (almost never) doing, it maliciously and it just isn’t worth making into a huge deal.
    1. valentine* May 22, 2019 at 4:30 am

       they are (almost never) doing, it maliciously
       You can’t know this and intent doesn’t necessarily mitigate impact.
       1. Asenath* May 22, 2019 at 6:28 am

          Assuming non-malicious intent can mitigate the emotional impact of having one’s wishes disregarded.
          1. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 7:53 am

             Intent really doesn’t matter though – he’s still disregarding her wishes, for no reason.
             1. Rabbit* May 22, 2019 at 8:31 am

                But you don’t know he hasn’t got a reason
                1. lawschoolmorelikeblawschool* May 22, 2019 at 10:06 am

                   Thank you Rabbit
          2. Marthooh* May 22, 2019 at 8:36 am

             Assuming non-malicious intent can mitigate the emotional impact of having one’s wishes disregarded.

             Aka Is this really a hill you want to feel wounded on, never mind dying here?
       2. Alianora* May 22, 2019 at 8:12 am

          I’ve always found that giving people the benefit of the doubt makes my working life much easier.
       3. Traffic_Spiral* May 22, 2019 at 8:23 am

          Disagree. If she hadn’t told him she didn’t like it, then yes, it would be premature to assume malice. But if someone tells you “I don’t like X, please don’t do it,” and you keep doing it, it’s pretty obvious there’s malice.
          1. Asenath* May 22, 2019 at 8:49 am

             Not necessarily. Absent-mindedness can be a reason, as can busy-ness or the difficulty in making exception to complicated procedures. I’ve forgotten or not done things people asked me to for those reasons, and I have no malice against them. In my experience, there are lots of reasons for people disregarding my requests other than malice.
          2. Colette* May 22, 2019 at 9:21 am

             You’re not obligated to stop doing things that work better for you because your employee doesn’t like it.
             1. Yorick* May 22, 2019 at 9:37 am

                But how does putting stuff in someone’s chair work better for you than putting it where they want it? You’re still going to collect the paperwork, walk over to their desk, and move your arm the same way to put it down.

                I guess it might be different if you use their inbox and then find that system doesn’t work. But even then, if your admin isn’t taking care of her work tasks properly, putting stuff in her chair isn’t going to fix that problem.

                Even if the other 3 people OP supports aren’t VPs, their needs might sometimes take priority over the VP’s needs. VP is trying to skip to the front of the line by not using the normal system, and sometimes that’s inappropriate. Especially if he does this with everything and not just with high priority things, which is what it sounds like.
                1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 9:52 am

                   But if it weren’t better for the VP, he probably wouldn’t keep doing it that way. It could be better because it’s his habit, or because of how his old workplace worked, or because he’s suspicious of the OP, or because the inbox is harder to reach without moving the chair, or because it’s next to a bobblehead he’s got a phobia about. It doesn’t really matter.

                   I’m not sure what the VP’s said when the OP has asked him to stop–I can’t tell if he says “Yes, sure,” but keeps doing it or if he’s been clear he won’t–but I think it would be better for both of them but especially her to have a little more of a conversation about this to find out what his concerns are and to note that this action doesn’t change his place in the ticketing system, as it were. It won’t necessarily get OP a paper-free chair but it might help her see his actions as something other than deliberate baiting. Right now I think she’s headed for trouble, and this might allow her to be less unhappy with her job.
                   1. President Porpoise* May 22, 2019 at 10:42 am

                      I’m guessing suspicious of OP – I bet he’s noticed that his work is being treated as low priority, and this is his way of ensuring that it’s seen, so he can take eventual action.
    2. SpellingBee* May 22, 2019 at 8:44 am

       I used to work for an attorney who did this regularly – it wasn’t that he thought his work was more important than anyone else’s, it was just that in his mind that’s where something went that needed to be noticed. And that’s because his chair was where he always asked me to put anything HE needed to notice, because his desk was of the post-cyclone variety. Even though I didn’t love it, I never said anything to him about it. I just did what MistOrMister did – take a moment to be mildly exasperated and then put the papers on my desk where I wanted them. But he was wonderful to work for in all other respects, so I never got to “last straw” territory with him.
       1. MistOrMister* May 22, 2019 at 2:11 pm

          True, I can’t know it for a fact, but I can assume it’s true based on my interactions with the person. The people who have done this to me have all generally been ones I’ve had a pleasant relationship with and had no reason to assume they were doing this ONE piddling, penny ante thing maliciously to annoy me when they would have so many other ways to really cause me grief. And there is no real impact to mitigate, in my opinion. You come back to a paper in your chair and what? Suffer a moment’s annoyance and move on, if you’re reasonable. Taking 2 seconds to pick up the paper before sitting is not a measurable impact. Again, paper in my chair annoys me to the ends of the earth, but in no way is it causing me any actual harm. If it is one “injustice” in a long line of them, that is something that needs to be addressed as a whole. But if this is the only thing the boss does that OP doesn’t like, then I see no reason to ascribe evil motives to the boss and I see no harm being done to OP that would need to be mitigated.
34. Akcipitrokulo* May 22, 2019 at 4:15 am

    OP5 – sit on them before working on them.

    (Not completely serious!)
    1. Rebecca* May 22, 2019 at 6:14 am

       I’m envisioning the OP sitting on the papers, and a few hours later the VP stops by, why Smith, have you typed up that report on the X Project? **OP gives blank stare. VP says, I left them on your chair…OP stands up – Oh, I hadn’t noticed, I’ll start this right away, after tossing them into the inbox.

       Yes, this is snarky, I too had a boss who did this. She left papers on my chair, on my keyboard, and post it notes stuck to the middle of my computer monitors. I had a clearly marked inbox. When I found these things in the AM, I’d take the other papers out of my inbox, put all of her stuff into the inbox, and work on the properly left paperwork first. Her “issues” were never serious or time sensitive, she did this because she was the boss and that’s what she wanted to do, there was no real business reason for it. So glad she’s gone.
       1. Akcipitrokulo* May 22, 2019 at 6:46 am

          I was more thinking returning the completed documents with a definite indentation – but that works too :)
    2. Asenath* May 22, 2019 at 6:26 am

       I’ve done that. And stepped on ones that were pushed under my door (I have a mail slot labelled with my name around the corner). It doesn’t make any difference if I honestly accidentally mistreat the documents, but it doesn’t bother me enough for me to fight it.
       1. Akcipitrokulo* May 22, 2019 at 6:46 am

          Sounds reasonable to me!
35. Lady Ariel Ponyweather* May 22, 2019 at 4:20 am

    OP#5: Honestly, I’m with you. You’ve asked him not to do something, he keeps on doing it. The suggestion of getting him his own inbox is a good one. You can tell him that his papers have fallen on the floor more than once and you understand his concern that you might miss his work, so there’s now one just for him. And if he ignores that, put the inbox on your chair. Good luck!
    1. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 7:54 am

       +1
36. Introvert girl* May 22, 2019 at 4:21 am

    OP 5: I would get a red box and ask the VP to put his papers in the red box so you will see they are urgent and will be prioritized. I would also tell the VP that you already sat a couple of times on the papers you found on your chair and that some had fallen on the ground and were almost thrown away. This way you will create a framework for him to give his work prioritization and warn him that his behavior might have an adverse effect, all without annoying him. I would also send an e-mail about the red box to the rest of the department.
37. Bluesboy* May 22, 2019 at 4:50 am

    #1

    Where I live, the company is legally obliged to give an extra 15 calendar days off to someone when they get married (upon presentation of your wedding certificate). The days have to be taken close to the wedding itself (typically within a month) and essentially count as your being at work (so you are fully paid, and continue to accumulate holidays through the period.

    I never really thought about it being unfair once they legalised gay marriage, but now I think about it, I suppose it is. There isn’t two weeks of bureaucracy to do post-wedding, so it really is just an excuse for extra holiday. Nothing to do here though, since it’s the law…
38. Ms Cappuccino* May 22, 2019 at 5:00 am

    1# It doesn’t shock me.
    In my home country, employers have to give 4 days to people who get married. Preparing a wedding is time consuming.
    1. Ret* May 22, 2019 at 6:10 am

       Preparing a wedding may be time consuming, but its also entirely voluntary. Plenty of people get married without a big wedding or don’t get married at all. I just don’t see how getting married merits a specific type of leave the way bereavement leave or paternity leave do. It seems like a better idea would be to give employees a generous amount of leave and let them decide for themselves how to spend it.
    2. Asenath* May 22, 2019 at 6:24 am

       In my family, in my generation, getting married typically involves a ceremony with the minimum of witnesses and a restaurant dinner for the closest local friends and relatives. That’s so unusual these days that it’s called “eloping” which it isn’t, because except in one case a generation back, none of the people concerned is running away to get married. But it is an option – and I know there are cultures in which wedding ceremonies are even longer and more elaborate than those my relatives have dodged. However, in my part of North America, I don’t see that special time off for a wedding is needed. Well, not if the employer has a decent vacation allowance, which I gather is not always the case.
    3. lawschoolmorelikeblawschool* May 22, 2019 at 10:08 am

       I have a boss presently trying to offer benefits to people with small children (not maternity leave, just extra perks) and he is getting in major trouble with his superiors and our union. I know not everyone has a union to back them up, but its patently unfair.
39. Thomas* May 22, 2019 at 6:05 am

    “…just as I’m unlocking my cubicle…”

    Wait, what?! There are office cubicles that lock?! My mind is blown. Maybe this is referring to drawers or cabinets in/on the cube. But I when I first read it, I was picturing some kind of little gate across the opening.
    1. WorldsOkayestAssistant* May 22, 2019 at 7:15 am

       OP #3 here. Yes, my cubicle has a sliding partition door with a lock. It’s nice to be able to secure the space, but the lock is chintzy, so I make sure to lock the cabinets within it as you’d imagined for any sensitive records.
       1. JJ Bittenbinder* May 22, 2019 at 9:11 am

          Oh dear, and we’ve totally ignored your letter while we argue about marriage and chair-papers.

          I do hate when people pounce on me the second I walk in, although it more happens with my kids when I come home than it does with coworkers. I think Alison’s suggestions are good and I would add to be really consistent in the wording and the delivery. If I hear “I need five minutes to get settled before I can discuss work issues” every time, in the same tone, it’s more likely to sink in than if the message and the delivery are different. Repetition helps things sink in.

          I also am a fan of bringing up problematic behavior at a time other than when the behavior is happening, in addition to and not instead of the above strategy. Reinforce your message by saying at a neutral time, “I know you’ve been here a few hours and are well into the flow of the day, but when I arrive at 10, I have not started working yet and I will always need a few minutes to get settled and actually read the emails you may be asking about.”
          1. Mr. Shark* May 22, 2019 at 6:30 pm

             Yes, I think when I first read the items, I was all upset about someone attacking someone when they first walk in the door, and then the papers on the chair got me all worked up about that (hate it when someone does that).
             Someone walking up to me or asking me a question before I get settled is a little like putting papers on the chair. I NEED a moment in the morning to get settled, sit down, log in, check some e-mails, before people start asking me questions.
             Unless you’re my boss, I’m probably going to reply with something snarky like “why don’t you just e-mail that to me” or “I can’t talk about it right now, how about a little later.” I know for sure I’ve given people attitude when that happens.
             It implies that they are so important that you can’t even have time to sit down at your chair and get prepared for the day. Ugh!
          2. WorldsOkayestAssistant* May 22, 2019 at 7:25 pm

             This is really good advice, thank you. I agree that Alison’s scripts are excellent and hadn’t considered the strategy of bringing up the behavior at a time other than when it’s happening. Happily it did not happen today, but if it happens again, I’ll know what to do.
          3. WorldsOkayestAssistant* May 22, 2019 at 8:16 pm

             Thank you. Your advice is excellent, especially the bit about neutrality, consistency, and repetition. I appreciate it.

             I feel so affirmed by the many comments here that others, too, need a few minutes to land. Her pouncing on me was beginning to make me feel late to the party every morning, or not “up to speed” enough before I arrived. If I was walking in every day late, hungover, or sloppy looking, that would be one thing, but it’s good to know it’s normal to need some uninterrupted quiet at the beginning of the shift to commence the day’s work.

             My husband is a pilot and he follows a very strict protocol when taking off or landing the plane. It’s called “Sterile Cockpit.” That means everyone else in the plane shuts up and lets the pilot fly. Absolutely no non-pertinent conversation is permitted. You could yell, “Seagull, three o’clock!” if there really was a seagull (and it was large enough to cause your craft immediate harm) but that’s it. There are times when I’m landing at work when I wanna yell “Sterile Cockpit!” at that person. She means well but just doesn’t take the perspective of the other person when she launches her approach.

             Anyway. Enough moaning about this; I’m not behaving the way I would wish to look up to myself as behaving. I will stop complaining right this minute. The behavior didn’t happen today, and I’m grateful. And if it happens tomorrow, I’ll know what to do. Thank you.
       2. AnonEMoose* May 22, 2019 at 9:17 am

          I’m with you on the “jumping on me the moment I walk in” thing. It’s a major pet peeve of mine. I like to have about 5-10 minutes after I walk in the door to put stuff down, get my coat off, log in, and get my caffeine.

          Honestly, getting right into my face with questions the moment I walk in isn’t likely to be productive, as chances are, I need information on my computer to provide an accurate answer, anyway.

          I think the advice is good. When your coworker starts going on about work stuff right away, cheerfully tell her “Hey, I just got here. Give me 15 minutes to get myself situated and read the emails, and then I can give you a better answer.” That way, you’re giving her a specific timeline, and a reason that waiting a few minutes is beneficial to her…which ideally wouldn’t be necessary, but sometimes it makes things a bit smoother.
          1. WorldsOkayestAssistant* May 22, 2019 at 7:31 pm

             Thank you. The idea about giving her a specific timeline to land and get back to her is nice. That detail of time says, “I value your needs and respect them; here’s what I need, too, to honor what you need.” It also asserts that reading email, prioritizing the work day, et cetera takes time. I’m not just a walking data dump that receives emails by brainwave and is amped and ready to go the moment I walk into her crosshairs at the door.

             I’m all for a nice place to work, and a smoother one, too, which I’ve unfortunately equated with acquiescing and staying silent rather than addressing behavior that could change if I did something assertive and professional in response to it. Instead, what I find myself constantly doing in response to the pouncing because I haven’t had the guts to address it is scramble, scramble, scramble, scurry scurry scurry, react react react, which is neither poised nor productive, and only reinforces the idea that anyone who asks me something is the Immediate Boss of Me.

             But now I have some words that work, or at least should work, as long as I’m consistent with them. Thanks!
       3. Richard Hershberger* May 22, 2019 at 3:06 pm

          Since we finally got to your letter, I will add my two cents. I find the most effective way to deal with repeated stupidity is to have a perfectly adequate response, and to use it the same way every time. By “the same way” I mean use the exact same words, speaking them with the exact same intonation. This makes it clear to any but the slowest person that they aren’t going to get anything out of this interaction. If they are indeed that slow, then at least it reduces both halves of the interaction to background noise not requiring any actual thought. Allison’s scripts are good. I would pick one, or combine bits and pieces into a script you like better, and stick with it no matter what.
          1. WorldsOkayestAssistant* May 22, 2019 at 7:36 pm

             I love this comment, thank you for sharing it, and it’s excellent advice, too.

             If I did needlepoint, I’d stitch out your phrase about repeated stupidity on a fine linen and hang it in my house.
    2. Asenath* May 22, 2019 at 7:31 am

       I suppose this is long enough ago that it’s anonymous, but I’ll be vague anyway … I took a job that involved handling confidential documents. This was a new position – the work had previously been done by someone rather higher in the food chain. It was a very hierarchical place. My position was somewhat higher than it should have been (according to some other employees; there was also bad feeling about the rankings given people with different educational backgrounds). But I didn’t rank high enough to get an office of my own; I had to have a cubicle. And I had to handle and store and discuss said confidential documents. What to do? Well, I got one of the cubicles with slightly higher walls than the next-lowest type of cubicle (maybe 6 feet high), and they installed a door that could be locked. When I locked myself out, I got a co-worker to climb over the wall and unlock my door from the inside. Still, it worked from the security point of view. The only major breach that occurred during my time was long after the documents left my care and wasn’t my fault at all.
       1. WorldsOkayestAssistant* May 22, 2019 at 7:14 pm

          Wow, I had not even given the security issue a second thought. I just locked up my cabinets and stuff because I thought I should. And because you know what? It makes me feel good to be able to lock something, particularly in my hierarchical office where I’m getting the message all the time that I’m the noob at my mere five years of service.

          Some of my colleagues think I’m being “extra” about locking my cube every time I need to walk to another part of the building. One person has even implied I’m wasting time on the clock by taking that extra moment to lock things up if I need to leave the suite. Indeed, a more senior (but not higher-ranking) colleague snarked at me once, “What good does that do? That’s a silly little lock and won’t keep anyone out who really wants to be in there” when she saw me locking it one day. I smiled and said, “Welp. It’s a best, or at least, better practice than not doing it, right?” This person is, of course, working in the comfort of a very nice office with a real door and a real lock, and guess whom she counts upon for accurate, secure and confidential records?

          Anyway, thanks: your story encourages me to keep on keepin’ on. My due diligence isn’t a joke even if others joke about it. Let ’em laugh. Hey: at least I know where all my sensitive paperwork is at any moment’s notice.

          It’s in my chair of course.
    3. The Man, Becky Lynch* May 22, 2019 at 11:23 am

       I’ve seen these! They’re like baby-gates. Granted unlocking them tends to be reaching over and flipping the latch. So I’m excited by the OP’s set up being a sliding door. It makes sense, it keeps people from poking around when you’re not around. Not a big security device not a big one but because it takes an extra couple of seconds to gain entrance it makes most people think twice since there’s more opportunity for someone to look over and say “Yeah, Nancy isn’t here, wtf are you poking around for, dude?”
       1. WorldsOkayestAssistant* May 22, 2019 at 8:05 pm

          Yes, it’s nice to have the security as well as, frankly, the boundary. I used to split my time between two desks, rolling my basic equipment between the two. One of the cubes had a door but no lock, and I’d find that things would be taken (or, more charitably if we just do without malicious intent, “borrowed”) from my desktop. Meaning that someone would slide the door open, walk in and grab a stapler or whatever, and leave with it. Some of the things appeared later around the office suite, but it was annoying as well as a time waster to have to search for stuff every day. So I started the practice of locking everything up at the end of the day in what I could secure within the second cube itself, most importantly my laptop, before leaving for the day. Sometimes I would just roll between the two desks with my favorite stapler (I know I sound like that lame guy from the movie OFFICE SPACE) in my bag. I very gratefully no longer split my time between the two workspaces. It became an untenable practice for a host of reasons. But even more gratefully, I landed full-time in the space with the basic common sense of a locking partition door. It’s a very tall cubicle and it would be a hassle to climb into it; at that point I’d be impressed by the ambition of such a heist for my beloved stapler.
40. Jen RO* May 22, 2019 at 6:18 am

    Everyone is entitled by law to 5 days off for their own marriage here (and 2 for their children’s marriage), so nothing seems odd to me in this situation.
    1. Luna* May 22, 2019 at 6:35 am

       I looked at my job contract (living in Germany), and I recall it said I get 1 extra day off for my own wedding — with the intent that, yes, that day is the day I get married. Any honeymoon or time-off for after would come out of the total of vacation days I am allowed to have in one year; which is 18.
41. Asenath* May 22, 2019 at 6:20 am

    I haven’t heard of extra time off to get married, and I don’t really think that leave should be tied to events like that. There should be extra leave for things like sickness and family emergencies, and generous enough vacation leave that anyone who wants a honeymoon should be able to schedule a week or two off for it. But just for marriage? Some people have massive weddings, some get married with two witnesses (requiring much less time), some take a honeymoon after the ceremony, some don’t until later or don’t at all. And some people never marry. There are also other events that people normally either use vacation leave for or work into their schedule somehow, like graduation or religious ceremonies or citizenship ceremonies. These are all part of one’s private life, and unlike attending funerals or caring for a sick relative or recovering from childbirth, are not ones that would interrupt one’s work life.
42. snarkarina* May 22, 2019 at 6:24 am

    Re: The extra week of PTO upon marriage . . . I don’t really see that as all that different from maternity/paternity leave (which my office just implemented). I’m not likely to take advantage of either in my current situation (I’m settling in nicely to the spinster aunt role though), but I don’t resent those that do.
    1. Luna* May 22, 2019 at 6:29 am

       Extra time-off for parental leave I can understand because it usually involves something that requires some extra time to take care of. Usually a very young baby that does require a lot of attention, time, and energy to be spent on. But an extra week for getting married (and inofficially assumed to be used for a honeymoon)? I dunno, I see no point in giving that. You already have the PTO to begin with, so use that for the honeymoon. Why would you need an extra week for that? I would assume honeymoon planning (with PTO or no PTO) is part of the whole getting married thing.
       1. Maya Elena* May 22, 2019 at 1:31 pm

          Yeah but you can make an equity argument for that too – lots of things require energy and attention and time that are not recognized as special (e.g. divorce, parent moving to assisted living – as some below pointed out). But at some point this deconstruction of society valuing kids/marriage/death of a clsoe family member – things not so long ago nobody would think to argue with – over Someone’s Special Circumstances is ridiculous.
43. Luna* May 22, 2019 at 6:26 am

    LW #1 — That almost sounds like something I might list under ‘discrimination’ among employees. It is giving something to some people, while not giving it to other people… especially since it looks down on people who are not married, and may not even want to get married.

    LW #5 — I would almost want to just sit on the paperwork he leaves on the chair. And when he comes in to ask about it, you can say, “What paperwork?” Then ‘jump’ up in surprise when he points at what you’re siting and, again, say, “Oh! I absolutely didn’t see that there. Next time, put it into the inbox; that’s where I expect important paperwork to be filed”. Okay, this might get him annoyed at you… but if being nice doesn’t get the message across, being firm or even ‘rude’ might shake them awake.
    1. Susie Q* May 22, 2019 at 6:43 am

       “Okay, this might get him annoyed at you… but if being nice doesn’t get the message across, being firm or even ‘rude’ might shake them awake.”

       LW #5 is an admin, she is not in a position to disregard policies and procedures that the VP has put into place. We all have to do and deal with things at work that annoy us. That’s part of being a grownup and working in a job with other people especially bosses who get to make decisions for us and determine how we do our work. Honestly, if I was the VP and my admin behaved like you’d recommend, I would be looking for a new admin.
    2. WellRed* May 22, 2019 at 9:35 am

       I’d think anyone who sat on papers without realizing it must be a special kind of oblivious. Please don’t do this.
    3. Observer* May 22, 2019 at 3:43 pm

       but if being nice doesn’t get the message across, being firm or even ‘rude’ might shake them awake.

       It’s also likely to get the OP fired.
44. Rebecca* May 22, 2019 at 7:06 am

    Eh…as a former admin, the advice to the inbox-not-chair person sticks in my craw a bit. I agree that it’s not really worth wasting time or capital on, but the idea that she’s overreacting and just supposed to put up with dumb crap because she’s the admin and he’s the VP is a little…well it makes me feel some kind of a way. In my admin days I sat outside my boss’ office in a cube that had a “transaction counter” (a low cube wall with a counter so my boss could converse with me/ask for things) and people got in the habit of dumping their stuff on it, leaning on it, and having conversations while they waited for my boss to arrive or to open his door. I politely requested people not do it if they weren’t talking with me, and everyone was fine with that request except one associate who did it proudly and just because he could. This isn’t a one-to-one comparison but it’s not unreasonable to expect someone follow a simple request, even if they are a mighty VP.

    That said, stop putting his stuff at the bottom of the pile, that’s not productive for you and he doesn’t know it’s happening.
    1. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 7:56 am

       Yeah. There are class / courtesy implications that really claw at me here, and for me comes under the heading of “make your own coffee, print your own documents.”
    2. Lucette Kensack* May 22, 2019 at 8:52 am

       It seems pretty different from your situation. Your rude associate was actively disrupting you. The VP here is just… putting papers on a chair, which the OP can move in less time than it takes me to write this sentence.
    3. Dollis Hill* May 22, 2019 at 10:10 am

       Yeah, I’ve noticed a lot of the replies imply “you’re *just* an admin, it’s not your place, suck it up”, which makes me feel really icky, especially considering a lot of the commenters here are in relatively senior/high paying jobs (going by Alison’s recent survey).
       1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 10:19 am

          First, just to clarify the data question, I don’t think the survey respondents and the commenters can be assumed to be the same groups. For a start, there were something like 15k survey respondents.

          Second, I don’t think anybody’s saying “you’re ‘just’ an admin”–we’re saying that it’s the job of everybody in a workplace to accommodate the preferences of those higher in the hierarchy, and admins are explicitly tasked with support as their mission. So I may be saying “it’s not your place,” but I’m also saying “It’s not my place, or anybody else’s place.” That doesn’t mean you’re a soulless cog in a machine, but it does mean that work isn’t a place where all your preferences are honored, and that’s why they have to pay us to do it.
          1. lawschoolmorelikeblawschool* May 22, 2019 at 11:03 am

             Yah, as Alison recently noted, sometimes commenters add their own spin to what they think others are saying. No one has said LW is “just” an admin, rather I see confused people pushing back against commenters who are/have been admins suggesting certain tasks are beneath them, when those certain tasks fall within the purview of most admins
             1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 11:21 am

                I’m hoping also that the OP sees from the comments that this isn’t even that much about being an admin–that doing stuff the way other people want you to do it is a standard part of office life for all of us. And sometimes you have room to push back, and sometimes you have room to develop an alternative strategy, but a lot of times you just do the thing.
          2. Dollis Hill* May 22, 2019 at 12:18 pm

             I just think that admins get crapped on enough, and having to bend to the whims of one VP who refuses to even consider a reasonable request to put paperwork in the right place can be one crap too many. If the VP thinks he’s too important to take a couple of seconds to put paperwork in a specifically designated inbox, there’s a small possibility that he might decide he’s too important to get his own lunch, send his own emails, make his own non-work appointments or anything else that falls outside of an admin’s job. It’s icky.
             1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 12:33 pm

                Maybe, but I work with tons of people who stick to their preferred ways of doing things, and that doesn’t mean any of them ask me to do their personal services. I think chair placement is just too common a practice to be a harbinger of bad behavior.

                Now if the VP does ask the OP to do that other stuff and that’s why the paper frosts her butt, I can understand that, but if that’s the case, she didn’t just bury but totally omitted the lede.
             2. Mr. Shark* May 22, 2019 at 6:35 pm

                Right, Dollis Hill. A person’s desk is literally the only thing they have some control over at their workplace. The Admin has her desk organized the way she wants, and has an inbox for the purpose of collecting items/work that is coming it. It’s certainly not unreasonable to request as an AA that if someone is bringing you work, they put it in the correct, marked location. It’s as simple as that.
       2. Kettles* May 23, 2019 at 1:10 am

          Exactly this. There’s a lot of “know your place peon!” Type comments that are making me extremely uncomfortable.
45. AvonLady Barksdale* May 22, 2019 at 7:19 am

    LW #4: While I feel for you, and it sounds like you’re taking this pretty hard, I’m curious about the nature of the temporary position. Was this internal, like a secondment to a different department? Was it more like a trial period? What was the expectation once the contract period was over?

    I ask because I wonder if your expectations might have been misaligned with those of the company, which may never have intended to keep you on once their needs were met through the temporary position. It almost sounds like they hired two people and only ever intended to keep one.

    Losing a job you enjoy sucks, no matter how it happens. So as you’re looking forward, it may make sense for you to carefully consider your next move and whether you would take another “temporary” position again.
    1. Lw#4* May 22, 2019 at 9:25 am

       LW#4 here – it is in a different branch of the company, completely unrelated. The reason I’m so upset is that I was told they were going to keep me but now the funding earmarked for me has moved to this new person and even though I have actual work to do, they went to find *new* non budgeted work for this person. So literally went from keeping me, to keeping newbie. I thought decision not to keep newbie was because newbies role was over – aka completely independent decision.
       It’s just being tough keeping my chin up and being the only one to have my posting end early.
       1. WellRed* May 22, 2019 at 9:33 am

          It’s really not personal, though.
46. Anonymous1* May 22, 2019 at 7:28 am

    I leave papers on people’s chairs or keyboard if they’re not at their desk all the time. It’s not because I expect them to do anything with the papers immediately, it’s just to make sure they see it and then can file it away wherever they want. People do it to me too, I like it because it means I notice the papers as soon as I get back to my desk. I’m really surprised by how offended some people are by this. I guess in this case maybe this is partly based on a specific office’s culture though?
    1. Lucette Kensack* May 22, 2019 at 7:56 am

       I remember having this reaction the last time this came up here. I was baffled that people cared. I’m still baffled, but I’m glad to know that people do so I’m not inadvertently angering someone.
       1. Kettles* May 22, 2019 at 7:58 am

          It’s because the admin has her own processes, which he is choosing to ignore because he thinks he’s more special and important than her other bosses. Plus he’s continuing to do it after being asked to stop.
          1. Carlie* May 22, 2019 at 8:32 am

             That’s really the crux of it – the VP is being told “this upsets me, please stop” and their answer is “no”. That the action is also counterproductive to their goals is on top of the basic rudeness.
             1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 9:04 am

                Or, to put it another way, she’s asked a higher-up for something and he’s said no. That’s part of working.
                1. lawschoolmorelikeblawschool* May 22, 2019 at 10:11 am

                   +1
    2. Spreadsheets and Books* May 22, 2019 at 9:11 am

       I am baffled by this, too. It seems so innocuous. I don’t ever sit down without looking at my chair and I’d rather people leave things where I can see them as opposed to on one of my random paper stacks where I will undoubtedly miss it, at least for a while.

       Part of OP’s job is accommodating the needs of VPs, and I assume that extends to communication styles. To me, this fits right in with the expectations of an admin.
    3. Yorick* May 22, 2019 at 9:17 am

       Sure, if there’s no obvious place to put it, put it on the keyboard or chair. But if they have an inbox, why put it anywhere else?
       1. Lucette Kensack* May 22, 2019 at 9:29 am

          In my office, because plenty of people have an inbox and never use it (including me; it’s a standard part of our office setup, but I use my inbox — having removed the “inbox” signage — for storage); standard practice here is to put papers on chairs or keyboards, where they are immediately noticed.
    4. Rikki Tikki Tarantula* May 22, 2019 at 9:38 am

       I’m surprised too. Every once in a while, the response to a letter will feel like a glimpse into a parallel universe, and this is one of those times.
       1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 9:57 am

          I think it may just be where somebody’s main work nerve lies. Food is probably the best way to hit it across the board, but for some people it’s their physical workspace. I don’t think you have an equal right to an unmolested chair as an uneaten lunch, but I think for those latter people this is kind of like the boss who kept eating his staffer’s lunch.
          1. Carlie* May 22, 2019 at 11:33 am

             I think that’s partly where I’m coming from. I have my own office so it is very rare for anyone to mess with my work space, and getting to my chair requires the highest amount of “intrusion” – they have to come through the door, across the room, and around the desk to get there. That’s a physical “ew” kind of feeling. It would be somewhat like leaving the house door unlocked for the parcel delivery person, and finding your package sitting on your bed instead of in the foyer right by the front door.
             (Also I don’t like to have to check my chair before sitting down every time.)

             Also, I think there should be a healthy amount of respect for admins, including how they like to run things, and it doesn’t seem to be a huge inconvenience for the boss to put a paper here vs. there in order to keep the admin working efficiently. It just seems petty on the part of the boss, or at the least obtuse.
          2. Mr. Shark* May 22, 2019 at 6:39 pm

             Yes, fposte. I think people’s desk/physical workplace is definitely something that can raise a persons hackles if they feel it is violated.
             I do think that for the most part, people shouldn’t be messing with your desk/chair. I don’t mind people using my chair if I’m away from my cubicle, but they shouldn’t be messing with the adjustments for their short-term benefit, when it is my assigned chair. Someone just took my chair once, for no specific reason I could figure out.
             The paper on the chair thing is similar. If a person has a system on the desk, it seems like the smallest thing possible to do is to respect that situation. Just because someone is a VP doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t respect how an AA has their desk laid out, and how they keep track of projects that come in, specifically if there is a labeled inbox, and they have directly requested the VP to place items in that inbox.
    5. Drax* May 22, 2019 at 11:12 am

       see keyboard I like. Chair not so much. Mainly because 9 out of 10 times when you move your chair, you have to play pick up with the precariously tossed papers on the chair. It’s not like people stack them nicely, it’s usually tossed there too.

       Keyboard though – free game. I love it when it’s left there over any where else (beyond the actual place for it..my clearly labeled inbox) because then I’m not knocking it over or trying to manage my crap and sit and move things at the same time.
47. Software Developer* May 22, 2019 at 7:51 am

    I don’t think it changes the advice, but I do get #5’s annoyance. Even though I know my desk/chair isn’t really my personal space it would drive me up the wall to routinely have someone putting things out of place and disregarding my organizational system. I know it’s just a matter of putting the papers back where they belong but they could have just put them where they needed to go in the first place.

    I wonder if leaving some sort of sign like a bright-colored sticky note on top to flag something as high priority might be a better system? Or even just having a second inbox for more urgent things.
48. Lucette Kensack* May 22, 2019 at 7:54 am

    I am a committed leave-the-paper-on-the-chair person.

    There are TWO people in my 400-person office that I use an inbox with. They are the only two that a) have a clearly marked inbox that isn’t constantly full with papers and b) I trust to actually review my papers in a timely fashion.

    If a new colleague set up an inbox and directly asked me to use it, I would, until the first time she didn’t handle the papers in a reasonable time frame.
    1. Lucette Kensack* May 22, 2019 at 7:57 am

       I should point out that these two people are my boss and the admin that staffs my programs.
       1. Mr. Shark* May 22, 2019 at 6:40 pm

          And that’s all good. If the person didn’t handle the papers in a reasonable time frame, that should be the subject of a discussion, not just randomly starting to place the papers on her chair.
49. Half-Caf Latte* May 22, 2019 at 7:58 am

    Time for Inigo’s guide to networking!!

    1) polite greeting
    2) state your name
    3) relevant personal connection
    4) manage expectations

    It looks something like this, in practice:

    Hello! My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father, prepare to die!

    obviously this is a meme/joke (which hangs at my desk), but I find it to actually be a decent framework! The manage expectations can be something like “thanks, please keep in touch” which also serves as an exit.
    1. an infinite number of monkeys* May 22, 2019 at 9:27 am

       Hey, I have that meme in a presentation I give to new employees about how to behave at networking events!

       And come to think of it, “prepare to die” would be a fairly effective way to extract yourself from a conversation.
    2. PB* May 22, 2019 at 9:52 am

       This is both brilliant and funny. I will keep it in mind as conference season kicks off!
    3. medium of ballpoint* May 22, 2019 at 2:01 pm

       I love everything about this!
50. New commenter* May 22, 2019 at 7:59 am

    I will admit I can be super petty, but I would never begrudge someone an extra week off go get married. It is a nice gesture. I work at a college where tuition remission for children is a huge benefit that I will ever be able to use, as I have no children. Do I get annoyed I don’t have some other benefit as a childless person? Sure! But I am glad it exists and that’s just the way it goes. For a while, as a promotion, they offered a free hour off everyday for anyone that wanted to do something active. I’m front line so it would have been a huge deal for me do find coverage for an hour every day. However, that’s just the way if goes sometimes. Kind of like being front line means flex scheduling will never be an option for me though it may be for others. I usually 100% agree with Allison, but I really don’t see an issue with this.
51. Writerboy* May 22, 2019 at 8:17 am

    #1. My collective agreement provides for one week of PTO to be used at the employee’s discretion one time only at any time during the course of the employee’s tenure with the organization. One could use it for a marriage, a divorce, to move into a new house, even to just take an extra week of vacation one year because – vacation. We have separate time off provisions for deaths in the family and parental leave. This seems to me to be a fair way of handling this. It actually replaced what used to be PTO only for weddings.
    1. PersephoneUnderground* May 22, 2019 at 9:54 am

       Ok, this I like a lot! Still provides the benefit but the employee has full control over when they want to use it, based on what is most important to them.
       1. Kelly Bennett* May 23, 2019 at 9:12 am

          AGREED.
52. legalchef* May 22, 2019 at 8:20 am

    Re #4, try reframing it in your mind. You weren’t laid off, your temporary position ended, just as it was always going to (presumably, since you are calling it temporary).

    Also, be mindful of how you are expressing your disappointment at work. If I heard someone talking about this as you are here, I would not be impressed that you would want a colleague to be unemployed (and maybe you don’t actually, but that’s how it is coming across here).
    1. Lw#4* May 22, 2019 at 9:33 am

       Yes this is what I’m struggling with – how to keep my chin up. It’s tough smiling and staying positive but I’ve done it and it’s helpful to read the comments and remind myself not to take it too personally.
       1. Jules the 3rd* May 22, 2019 at 9:56 am

          Yeah, employment decisions are so often not personal, but we totally take it that way anyway.

          Do take some time for self care – taking a lunch outside or spending the weekend letting the house go while you catch up on a fave show or cleaning house like the queen is coming – whatever makes you feel better. It is a small rejection, it is understandable that it stings, it’s ok to soothe that sting a little, and refreshing yourself outside work will make it easier to stay positive at work.
          1. Lw#4* May 22, 2019 at 10:23 am

             Well it does make me feel better that everyone’s saying it’s not personal and is also about being compassionate rather than being performance based or about who people like better
53. Not the Bumper Sticker Police* May 22, 2019 at 9:06 am

    I think it’s great that a company is giving extra PTO for a major life event. I think AAM wording is better than “just for marriage.” However, those life events must be defined clearly…because otherwise you’ll have someone like my horrible employee who wanted to know if she could get FMLA to care for her sick dog.

    I am not even kidding.
    1. Bananatiel* May 22, 2019 at 10:29 am

       I’m sure there’s more to the story than what you’re saying but this is part of why I think having to have any kind of reason to use PTO is ultimately not fair. I mean, it is ridiculous to use FMLA to care for a sick dog– I don’t disagree– but I completely understand the impulse to take PTO if the animal is seriously ill!
       1. Not the Bumper Sticker Police* May 22, 2019 at 10:38 am

          No, she just wanted to know if she could get FMLA to care for her dog. She was also the one who threw a fit when she bought her dog and her coworkers didn’t throw her a “shower.” Look in the Open Threads for my username for some of her antics. She’s finally on a PIP and failing miserably at it, as expected.
54. Hiring Mgr* May 22, 2019 at 9:08 am

    To me, #1 is an example of why the current trend of unlimited vacation or no accured time off is the way to go. I haven’t worked at a job with traditional vacaction time in 15 yrs and it’s great. Of course you have to be working somewhere that really encourages time off, but when done well it’s liberating
    1. One too many hours as a shop steward* May 22, 2019 at 10:50 am

       The problem with unlimited PTO is that it’s really a perk that can only be used by certain groups of (usually) already better compensated employees.

       A worker on a factory floor, a teacher, a police officer, a janitor, a food service worker, a sanitation worker, road worker of mail carrier must be subbed for, which means that the cost of PTO isn’t just non-monetary deferred income – or even the more common “working extra to cover what I was doing.”

       Different employee classes often do need to be treated differently, but the group that can most conveniently use unlimited PTO without repercussions is frequently senior management, and that’s problematic.
       1. lawschoolmorelikeblawschool* May 22, 2019 at 11:05 am

          Agree with you’re comment. My husband is a programmer and all the places he has worked in the last 5 years offer “unlimited” PTO. Everyone he works with makes 6 figures, and not to mention, it’s not really unlimited, there just is no set cap, but your boss can turn you down if you request “too much” or “too soon”, etc. Plus, they never get paid out for unused PTO.
       2. Hiring Mgr* May 22, 2019 at 3:22 pm

          Of course– it clearly doesn’t work in all cases, but in many it does..
55. AMT* May 22, 2019 at 9:10 am

    Re: #2, I’ve always loved Captain Awkward’s advice about escaping unwanted feedback after conferences. It’s applicable to getting out of a wide variety of unwanted conversations: https://captainawkward.com/2018/10/29/1153-help-with-unwanted-criticism-after-public-speaking/
56. Lynne879* May 22, 2019 at 9:24 am

    OP #1: I agree with Alison, giving newly married employees a week off of vacation would cause resentment among the staff. I think the obvious solution to this is to just give all employees an extra week off of paid vacation (3 weeks paid vacation instead of 2 weeks) to make people happy.

    OP #5: In my last job I put papers on my coworker’s chairs because they were usually time sensitive and their desks were always so messy that I knew they wouldn’t see them if I just put them on their desk. If you don’t like having things being put on your chair, maybe you could have a separate inbox for the VP? Or maybe one that’s a designated “must be completed ASAP” inbox for everyone to use?
57. WellRed* May 22, 2019 at 9:30 am

    OP 5: Push your chair in under your desk when you leave or pile stuff on it already or take it with you.
    1. Luna* May 22, 2019 at 6:06 pm

       The VP would just pull the chair out, put the paper on it, and leave it there.
58. MonteCristo85* May 22, 2019 at 9:31 am

    #5
    This is my #1 pet peeve in the office. People putting things on my chair. Just the sight of it makes my blood boil. I’m sure this is an overreaction, but I can’t seem to quiet it. It’s a combination of people believing that they get to dictate my priorities, and the much more immediate concern that it hurts me to pick it up. I have a bad back with chronic pain, and the chair height is perfect positioned to be too high to really bend your knees, but I can’t reach it standing upright, so yeah, pain every time. If you feel like your stuff is so important that someone needs to see it immediately, please, please, put it on top of their keyboard. That way they have to move it to proceed with work, but you aren’t stopping people from getting into their seats or making them bend over unnecessarily. I know people without back pain probably don’t think about a teeny little bend like that but it can be agony for me.
    1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 9:54 am

       The funny thing is that I prefer putting paper on chairs because my back doesn’t tolerate the reach required for most people’s desks. So I guess this is a YbackMV/YdesksetupMV situation. (BTW, if you were my admin, we’d find a place to put papers that wouldn’t make either of our backs hurt.)
       1. MonteCristo85* May 22, 2019 at 11:51 am

          Indeed. That’s the real crux of #5’s issue. That someone would flat out do something you asked them not to is shocking to me, especially something like this that has so many alternatives.
          1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 12:01 pm

             Well, I do think that the higher up gets to say “I’m sorry you don’t prefer it, but your way doesn’t work for me, so I’m sticking with this,” but I really am curious to know what happened in the conversation after the OP asked him not to do that. If I were the OP and I’d gotten the response I just hypothesized from the VP, I’d try to open the conversation up to other possibilities: “Can you tell me what you like about the chair and I’ll see if we can find a way to get you that that doesn’t involve my chair?”

             If the OP isn’t up for any alternative and will only accept his putting papers into the inbox, though, that’s a bad look for her, and it’s also a battle she’s going to lose.
             1. Mr. Shark* May 22, 2019 at 6:51 pm

                I get the higher ups have the final decision-making ability, but it certainly seems in this instance that adhering to what the OP is requesting shouldn’t be a problem. It seems like a no-brainer since this represents how the OP organizes and coordinates her work. Her desk should be under her purview for the most part, and it isn’t like she is asking him to fill out a form prior to delivering her a request.
    2. The Man, Becky Lynch* May 22, 2019 at 12:05 pm

       Are you telling the people who do this about the pain it’s causing you!? If they’re ignoring you saying “it hurts when you do it this way, do it this other way!”, then that’s a huge issue and they’re rude and obnoxious to say it as nicely as possible.

       However if you’re not communicating that “I /need/ it this way” instead of “I prefer it/want it this way”, then it’s easier to shrug off or defend doing it differently.

       It also depends on your role of course. As an admin, you get to prioritize to a point but honestly, the people you report to get to flag things as “no this is time sensitive to me, so make sure it’s near the top of your to-do list’.

       So I’m not completely disagreeing with you, I see your point and can have my moments where I have ignored requests that really arne’t urgent or who have been erroneously tagged as urgent by someone else who doens’t get to dictate that to me! [Case and point, I complete credit reference checks frequently. Most of these are very low priority. I had someone send me one each day, with text about how urgent and important it is to fill out…I took the time to tell them to knock it off but never filled out their request in the end. I reminded them it was a professional courtesy and that sending me daily email requests was not acceptable. It’s like when you have a service done and you get numerous surveys about “how did we do!” and you ignore them and they keep coming *stabbing motions*]

       But if my boss or a higher ranking person in my company requests something or tries to push their project to the top of my list and I cannot come back with “Sally already has me working on her project and marked top priority, so what’s the latest you can have this, I don’t know if I can accommodate that?” then you need to adjust for that without it burning you up so much!
59. C in the Hood* May 22, 2019 at 9:40 am

    I hear you #5. This is why this is my favorite Dilbert: https://dilbert.com/strip/2013-05-17
    1. potato salad* May 22, 2019 at 10:05 am

       Ha ha! Thanks for sharing the Dilbert strip.
       1. Mr. Shark* May 22, 2019 at 6:54 pm

          That’s perfect!
60. Ali G* May 22, 2019 at 9:40 am

    #5 – I think this way less about the VP and more about how you are feeling about yourself right now. You call yourself and “OK” admin, say you took the job only because you needed it and that it is a step back for you. Your resentment at having to do this work is palpable. But if you continue to let it interfere with how you do your job, and how you handle work from the VP, you could lose your job. What then? If you needed to take this job you dislike, what will happen if you no longer have it? If you get fired for being petty and passive aggressive about files on your chair, it’s going to be a ton harder to find a new job.
    You need to figure out how you can do this job, and do it well, until you can find what’s next.
61. Phony Genius* May 22, 2019 at 9:41 am

    For #1, so show does this work if somebody repeatedly gets divorced and remarried? Do they keep getting a week off, or is there a one-time limit? (Maybe a Larry King/Liz Taylor rule?) And a divorce could require more time off to deal with legal matters, depending on circumstances.
    1. Bananatiel* May 22, 2019 at 10:31 am

       The FIRST thing I thought about was a coworker than got married twice in the five-year span I was in a previous job lol. I remained 100% single during that time through no fault of my own… so yeah, really curious how that plays out with second, third marriages. Doesn’t seem totally unreasonable if an employee is with a company for a decade or more.
62. 1234* May 22, 2019 at 9:42 am

    OP#1 – While this is a good thought, I would be resentful too! I like Alison’s suggestions of giving everyone extra PTO or having a looser definition of “life events” beyond getting married. When Old Boss got married, the company threw her a party and gifted her something really nice.

    OP#2 – I have a friend who’s great at this. I notice it whenever he says “I’ll talk to you later.” regardless of whether or not that is true. I also use Alison’s “It was great meeting you!” along with “I hope to see you again at the next meeting/event.”

    OP #5 – It’s in the culture of the company that I work for where people leave “chair mail” when there’s something that needs to be done ASAP. I had “chair mail” this morning with the edits to something that I needed to make for a meeting happening relatively soon after I’d arrived. Then again, some people here don’t have designated inboxes and mine is filled with other things that are not urgent.
63. BlueWolf* May 22, 2019 at 9:45 am

    For #1: I think the best thing for companies to do is just give everyone adequate PTO. I am fortunate that my company gives us 22 days (although sick and vacation time are one bucket) plus a number of holidays, and after 3 years, everyone gets an additional 5 days. You can also carry over quite a bit from year to year.
64. boop the first* May 22, 2019 at 9:46 am

    Do most offices not have chairs that can be “pushed in”?
    Would somebody actually pull out a chair to put a sheet on it, or would they put the sheet on the desk instead?
    (I don’t think inbox would ever factor in, but there’s just something about the chair specifically that would probably annoy me, though the desk seems fine)
    1. Jules the 3rd* May 22, 2019 at 9:49 am

       My chair arms are too high to push in my chair, so it reaaaally depends on the person / office.
    2. The Man, Becky Lynch* May 22, 2019 at 10:54 am

       Mine doesn’t fit under my desk? I push it in as far as it goes but my arm rests hit the desk?

       But here we put urgent paperwork on keyboards.
       1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 11:14 am

          I’ll sometimes do keyboards, but we deal a lot in material that slides off of them. (Now that I think about it, it’s also too big for an inbox, so even if we had inboxes, it wouldn’t work for us.)
          1. The Man, Becky Lynch* May 22, 2019 at 11:54 am

             I’m only ever dealing with paperwork but I know the the shop just places things on desks but that’s because theyr’e too big for any inbox. We also keep our desks pretty clutter free, so we see whatever is laying there that clearly wasn’t when we left!

             However prior, I had piles all over the place on my desk. And my inbox was pretty much another stack. So I had to really work to get people to put urgent “call this person ASAP!!!” notices and such on my keyboard or my chair if necessary just to stick out from the standard every day pile-up *sobs*
    3. Drax* May 22, 2019 at 11:16 am

       My coworkers pull my chair out to put it on the chair. Or my favorite, they stack them precariously on top of my mouse so if you breathe they all go toppling down. Because apparently you can only pull out the chair or put things beside it, can’t reach a few more inches to put it on the actual desk.
65. PersephoneUnderground* May 22, 2019 at 9:51 am

    (Disclaimer, haven’t read the other comments yet so apologies if this is too redundant.)
    #1 This is why we can’t have nice things! Why is the first instinct to be jealous or bean-count rather than saying “it’s nice the company did something nice for an employee”? Human nature I guess, but please try to rethink that impulse. The most likely response to others complaining about fairness in a case like this is just that no one gets that benefit, not that everyone suddenly gets it- someone else getting a benefit doesn’t hurt you (yes, workload, but that’s not really the concern here).
    I agree with Alison that it would be nice/better to tweak it to include other major life events, but in general why discourage generosity?

    Another way to look at it is that the company is giving PTO as a gift for the occasion, which wouldn’t preclude them deciding to give some to employees on other big occasions like a PhD or a 10 year anniversary at the company or as a condolence gift for a death. I can’t think of a better gift than PTO. In general a company inclined to be generous is likely to benefit all employees eventually, even if not with every benefit they offer.
    1. Roscoe* May 22, 2019 at 9:56 am

       I totally agree here. Its like the study about the monkeys with the grapes and cucumbers. Stop worrying about what you aren’t getting and be happy with what you are getting. I mean, as a single person who probably won’t be getting married anytime soon, I can’t see a situation where I’d be so petty and jealous about people 1 time getting some extra vacation time for their wedding.
    2. Dust Bunny* May 22, 2019 at 10:58 am

       I’m really appalled at how many people are eager to gloss over this and accuse everyone else of being envious. Do you really not care that there are so many other life events–many of them tragic–that are time-consuming and stressful but that don’t get employees an week off?

       When my parents die, it will fall on me to clean up their estate, empty the house, etc. Mostly by myself since my siblings live states away. I could easily plan a wedding that was less stressful (and a lot happier) than that, but apparently it doesn’t deserve an extra week off.
       1. Roscoe* May 22, 2019 at 11:11 am

          Who is to say though that the company wouldn’t make allowances for that as well. If the wedding is a “known” perk, but they are willing to accomodate other people on an as needed basis, what is the problem. I mean, you likely get bereavement leave already. I know MANY companies that I have worked for had no problem allowing people a couple of extra days aside from that. But then, should someone whose parents have already passed away be upset that someone else can get bereavement leave? Everyone’s life will take a different path, and that means sometimes people will get extra things others don’t.
       2. Grapey* May 22, 2019 at 11:16 am

          Places that give extra vacation time like this also tend to be understanding when it comes to other big life events too. At least in my workplace they do.
       3. OP1* May 22, 2019 at 2:08 pm

          I, too, am pretty confused why I’m being called petty, bitter, and jealous for just ~*~ asking a question ~*~.
    3. Not Me* May 22, 2019 at 3:24 pm

       That’s like saying another way to look at going to a funeral is a day off work. It’s ridiculous and unhelpful.

       An employer compensating employees for things they do in their private life (which is what this policy does) is not good policy. Give all the same amount of PTO and let them decide how to use it.
66. Roscoe* May 22, 2019 at 9:53 am

    #1 . I’m typically the type of person who hates extra perks for people with families. Like, nothing is more annoying than having to pick up slack for someone just because they have kids and I don’t, or me never getting the flexibility to leave on time, but someone else can because little Johnny has a half day. That said, this wouldn’t bother me. I’m not married, and have no plans on it happening anytime soon. But I do see it as a nice thing they are doing for their employees that make it a more appealing place to work. Just like while I may not have kids anytime soon, I think nice maternity/paternity leaves are a great thing to have. I’m in a big city, and many companies will give a public transportation allowance. If you don’t take public transportation, you don’t get it. But its a nice perk for those people who do. Everything doesn’t always need to be 100% fair, as long as people aren’t constantly feeling left out.
67. IndominusWrecks* May 22, 2019 at 9:55 am

    As someone who spent most of her life being single and has been lucky enough to be in a loving relationship for the past 7 years, I think OP#1 needs to get over herself. From what I’ve heard, wedding planning is really hard and a lot of work. Having an extra week to relax from a gargantuan task is something that I could see most companies using a huge benefit and perk. I think a lot of people have pointed out that people who choose not to have children shouldn’t then be upset when others get maternity leave. This falls into the same category for me. It’s about the lifestyle choices we make. Yes our society put a lot of emphasis on getting married as the penultimate next step and life stepping stone. It is not for everyone but at the end of the day, it is a choice and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this company allowing people who make that choice to have a little extra time both as a celebratory gesture and as a way of acknowledging a very important life event.
    1. blink14* May 22, 2019 at 10:41 am

       Marriage isn’t a choice for everyone, whether that’s legally, by lifestyle, or the simple fact that some people will never marry, nor is it a choice that some people want. Maternity leave is a very different thing – it is literally supporting the continuation of the human race.

       In my view, it’s basically giving someone a bonus for getting married. And that seems unfair to those at the company who are already married, may never get married, are in a relationship but do not want to go married, those who want to get married but never find the right person, etc. It’s celebrating a societal construct that’s long been positioned as a life goal, in a time where cultural views are quickly shifting. Many people have successful, long term relationships and grow their families without ever being married.
    2. Dust Bunny* May 22, 2019 at 10:55 am

       Too bad.

       Having a parent die and having to clean out the house is also hard work, and it’s not the choice that a wedding is. Taking care of an ill family member is also hard work, but not the choice that a wedding is. Lots of things are hard work that people don’t get to choose. They should have that week, too, for things other than marriage.
    3. OP1* May 22, 2019 at 2:11 pm

       Get over myself? I just asked a question about normalcy/fairness. I don’t work at my friend’s company, so this perk wouldn’t apply to me anyway.

       By the way, I was a bridesmaid in this friend’s wedding, and we’ve been friends for 9 years. I’m incredibly happy for her. Especially since her work’s PTO is lackluster, and now she doesn’t have to use up all of her PTO in one vacation.
    4. Ask a Manager* Post authorMay 22, 2019 at 2:19 pm

       Do not tell letter writers here to “get over themselves.” It’s rude and unkind.

       commenting rules
68. AnonymEsq.* May 22, 2019 at 9:57 am

    OP#2 – Follow up question – How do you break into conversations at cocktail hours and the like? I find it the hardest to walk into a room, see all the clusters of people and get started.
69. M. Albertine* May 22, 2019 at 10:10 am

    LW#5 – I would try pushing my chair under my desk while I was away. Perhaps the slight inconvenience of pulling your chair back out to put papers on it would encourage him to use the inbox.
70. Sara* May 22, 2019 at 10:21 am

    For LW3 – at my last job, I had a similar set up where I started later than everyone on the team but I also was the team lead. Somedays I would get in and people would immediately jump down my throat. I always responded to those with just “I just got in, my brain isn’t on yet. Give me a few minutes to settle in, get a cup of coffee and I’ll get back to you.”

    Eventually, my team started waiting until after I came back with my coffee to start asking questions. It delayed it by like 20 minutes, but it was 20 minutes I needed.

    I also once had a guy on a separate team repeatedly ask me a question two days in a row that I kept telling him I couldn’t answer until I got an answer from a vendor, who hadn’t responded. He must have seen me walk in, and showed up at my desk seconds after I arrived at my desk. He attempted small talk, then said “I just have a quick question…” to which I replied “If you’re going to ask me about X again, I will stab you with this letter opener”. My team remember laughed and said “Everyone knows not to bother Sara til she has coffee!”. He apologized and left.
    1. Not Gary, Gareth* May 22, 2019 at 3:24 pm

       I was in a similar situation at a previous job – managed a team that covered appx. 10 hours a day, so I needed to come in a few hours later than the openers and leave a few hours before the closers. I had a great relationship with my team, but for a while my go-to phrase was “I haven’t read my email yet – I don’t work when I’m not at work.”

       Which, of course, didn’t hold water as well when I started needing to work from home… but nevertheless, the point stands. :)
71. Jam Today* May 22, 2019 at 10:21 am

    Conflicting thoughts:

    1) Begrudgery of other people’s good fortune is unbecoming *at best* and poisonous to human relationships (including ones that we engage in for most of our waking lives) at worst.

    2) Giving extra things to people who have good luck (I exempt parental leave from this, especially maternity leave, and I say that as an un-bechilded person — take all the time you need, mama) really just highlights the bad luck some of us have.

    Although if you want to give Wendy Wedding an extra week of vacation, that’s cool as long as you decrease her salary by $10,000 a year and give the balance to me because she now has a double-income household and I still have to manage all my expenses on my own. Run that one up the flagpole and see who salutes.
    1. Dust Bunny* May 22, 2019 at 10:53 am

       A an extra week off for marriage is not “good fortune”. They didn’t find a $50 bill on the sidewalk. The thing is, even if you’re not married, you could use an extra week for any number of things that do not involve getting married, but right now that is being denied based on (an outdated and) arbitrary rule. Nobody is begrudging anyone’s “good fortune”: They are begrudging an entirely preventable inequity.
    2. Mujj* May 22, 2019 at 10:54 am

       I’m also conflicted about this because on the one hand, it is discriminatory. But then where does it end? Isn’t everything discriminatory against those who can’t use it? My company offers tuition reimbursement and payments towards student loans, neither of which I can use. I don’t begrudge this or expect extra compensation just because I can’t use those benefits. Going to school/taking out loans are also “choices.” I work with someone who believes he should be paid extra because employees with spouses and/or children are technically getting more compensation by insuring their families on our health plan.

       The marriage vacation is different because it is discriminating based on marital status, so I think they should do away with it. But in general I find this line of thinking exhausting.
       1. MissDisplaced* May 22, 2019 at 11:37 am

          “But then where does it end? Isn’t everything discriminatory against those who can’t use it?”

          That’s why perks like this should be offered to AS MANY people who might need it and not just for weddings. At some point everyone needs extra time off for life. Most people have parents, kids, spouses, significant others, etc., and need to help, or they may need to move or buy a house, select a nursing home, have pet issues, emergency travel, whatever that is not covered under other vacation/health plans. I mean, maybe you won’t need to use any of these things either… but maybe you will. I like the wording “Major Life Event” which could cover a number of things and be inclusive of everyone’s needs.
          1. Not Me* May 22, 2019 at 12:13 pm

             All of this. That’s why employers should just offer PTO to everyone equally and let them use it how they see fit.

             There’s zero reason for an employer to insert themselves into the private lives of their employees like this.
          2. Mujj* May 22, 2019 at 2:53 pm

             Sure, I wasn’t disagreeing with the idea that PTO should be offered to all employees for major life events. I think the chance of OP’s company actually implementing that is slim, though. I was pushing back on the idea that if everyone doesn’t get to use it, it can’t be offered as a benefit (beyond PTO).
          3. Marriage leave* May 22, 2019 at 10:03 pm

             This is the case for many companies/countries where it’s a thing. Actually I’m really surprised at everyone’s assumption that that is the ONLY special event leave.
    3. The Man, Becky Lynch* May 22, 2019 at 11:50 am

       Double the income. And double the expenses. It’s a wash.
       1. Not Me* May 22, 2019 at 1:40 pm

          How does getting married double expenses? One major expense for most people is their home and utilities.
          1. The Man, Becky Lynch* May 22, 2019 at 5:01 pm

             I don’t know how many married couples have tiny shoebox sized living arrangements like those of us who are just one individual cramming it all into a studio or micro-sized one bedroom. Another person requires more space, which costs more. It comes with more stuff too.

             Double is pushing it of course but in the end you’re probably getting minor price breaks for “two” people in the end. Adding another phoneline is cheaper than having two separate plans. Depending on your medical insurance plans, that can easily skyrocket when you get married. You’re car insurance is suddenly depending on two factors and if one has had a couple transgressions, yikes that will hurt.

             I do taxes and see expenses, I know mostly frugal people, myself included. Yes, it costs more for my married friends/colleagues than it does for me or my other single friends.

             Again sure, double isn’t quite the same but you’ll need to make sure that you double that emergency fund if you are able to have one. Depending on two incomes and then if something happens to one of them, what then? You just kick the spouse out or stop feeding them?
             1. DKMA* May 22, 2019 at 5:05 pm

                You covered this better than my oddly cut off comment below. Only add would be that “lost income” part is actually probably the biggest benefit here, since it’s much more survivable to temporarily lose 50% of your income than 100%.
          2. DKMA* May 22, 2019 at 5:03 pm

             I’t’s not quite double, but it’s probably closer to that than zero increase. You’ve identified the two biggest expenses where you get leverage, but even there two people will usually have a bigger, more expensive, more utility using space than one. Same concept of living with a roommate, except you get some potential savings because most roommates don’t share a bed.

             Other major expense categories: Food, Transportation, Entertainment all double with two people.

             Not asking you to cry for the married folks, but this particular complain
72. Boomerang Girl* May 22, 2019 at 10:29 am

    #1 I work for a consulting firm that has the extra leave for marriage. As a perpetually single person, I probably won’t be able to take advantage of it, but frankly that doesn’t bother me. Traveling every week takes a toll on relationships and I think it’s a nice perk. Also, many people travel back to their home country for their wedding and having an extra week to do so takes some of the stress out of the process. (A couple of the ladies I know took it pre-wedding so they could do wedding prep.) There are other perks I cannot use, like new moms shipping milk home from wherever they are traveling. I try not to worry too much about 1 time differences like this. If they were getting extra leave every year I would protest.

    That being said, when I was offered a relocation tour in a previous job, I asked for my mother to be able to come with me (in lieu of spouse). Also, I asked for movers instead of a uHaul truck, which was the norm for apartment dwellers, because I thought it unfair that I would have to drive across the country. My company agreed in both cases after some hemming and hawing
73. Save One Day at a Time* May 22, 2019 at 10:37 am

    OP 2 – Excusing yourself to get food is the trick I use! (But it’s not a trick at all, free food is amazing.) It’s a natural point to say nice to meet you and then move to another area where you are preoccupied.
74. Workfromhome* May 22, 2019 at 10:44 am

    #5 I can see this being annoying. Especially if the OP had this type of conversation” My process is to sit down in may chair and sort through correspondence. Having to move documents left on my chair into the inbox so I can sit down can result on things getting lost or out of order. If items are placed directly in the inbox there is less chance of it getting missed versus the chance that I have to put documents on a pile so I can sit down”

    If you give good reason that its less likely things will be missed if they don’t go on the chair and the boss still wants to do it because that’s the way they want to do it ..they are being a jerk. Just because they are the boss and have the ability to be a jerk doesn’t mean they should.

    I do think its big deal. Its one thing if the boss said I don’t want to use the inbox I’ll put it on the right side of the desk. Chairs are for sitting. If you don’t notice the paper you end up sitting on it. The pile of papers might fall when you move your chair to sit on it. Piles of papers can have staples or big clips on them which no one wants to sit on.

    If the boss is really that concerned why not go grab another inbox try put bosses name on it and let VP have his/her own special inbox that will get first priority and make them feel special and powerful :-)
    1. The Man, Becky Lynch* May 22, 2019 at 11:09 am

       In all my years getting random things put on my chair, I have never sat on a single one.

       A cat I’ve accidentally sat on but a paper, never. Office chairs tend to be dark colored and paper is white, it doesn’t blend in.
75. Orange You Glad* May 22, 2019 at 10:44 am

    Re #1: My coworker got married last year. I am very happy for her. I am not happy about all the extra time I had to put in to cover for her when she blew off work the week leading up to her wedding. I am not happy about the leniency my boss gave her regarding PTO when I use mine responsibly. I like my coworker but I don’t like how resentful I felt around the whole situation. PTO/flex policies should be applied evenly and not reward some while ignoring others.
    1. Roscoe* May 22, 2019 at 10:46 am

       Being annoyed at her slacking is totally justified. I don’t think you should be upset that they gave her flexibility with PTO though.
76. Bananatiel* May 22, 2019 at 10:48 am

    #1 Some of the comments here are interesting to me because… at least in my part of the US, which is “purple” politically, weddings and honeymoons are ultimately optional. I don’t doubt that they’re stressful to plan if you do it all yourself and have the means to spend a lot of money but neither are necessary to be legally married in this country. If anything it’s quite a privilege, especially a honeymoon. The comparison to parental leave is crazy to me– and I’m practically a spinster who intends not to have children. I love that my organization provides good parental leave but if they introduced this wedding policy I’d be kind of incensed, honestly. Doesn’t help that I worked in a place where one person got married twice during my tenure there! It makes way more sense to expand the policy or just eliminate it entirely.

    Kind of reminds me of the discussion about getting extra time off to finish a PhD a while ago– it’s a great accomplishment but not one that everyone will undertake so I felt weird about that employee getting the special benefit in that case, too.
    1. One too many hours as a shop steward* May 22, 2019 at 11:08 am

       I’m more comfortable with the idea of time off for a PhD (and no, the empty spot on my wall beneath my other diplomas has nothing to do with this) as long as it’s part of a clearly articulated educational leave policy that applies to everyone.

       Especially if the matter studied is work related, this type of “benefit,” like sick leave or a decent health plan, is actually a benefit to the employer. It’s doesn’t seem fair, but it’s not about fair, it’s about maximizing human capital while minimizing recruitment and retention costs. “Grow” is almost always cheaper than “buy” in the private sector.

       A marriage benefit has to be regarded as a true benefit for the reasons I articulated up-thread. I just can’t see a way this benefits an employer enough to offset the real and administrative costs to deal with it unless it’s mandated somewhere.
    2. Close Bracket* May 22, 2019 at 12:16 pm

       In all parts of the US, weddings and honeymoons are optional. Marriages are optional, too. Sure, there are benefits to the legal tie, especially if you want to have kids. But it’s an opt-in event.
77. Anonymous For This One* May 22, 2019 at 10:52 am

    Sometimes companies have unusual perks. My current place of employment has a “dating allowance,” which is an extra $100 in the paycheck for the month of one’s wedding anniversary. The purpose is to take one’s spouse on a date. Unmarried people get it on our birthday month.

    The parent company is in a country where different treatment based on marital status is most likely legal and has adjusted the policy for countries where that isn’t legal.
    1. The Man, Becky Lynch* May 22, 2019 at 11:13 am

       This is a cute idea, especially when you mentioned that the trade off is single folks get it during their birthday month [because I was ready to ask that had it not been included!].

       We do something similar for birthdays. We get novelty gifts for someone who has a wedding or a baby but everyone is expected to budget their PTO if they have a big event, nothing extra in that way. Granted we are happy to have people take all their PTO in a chunk if they wanted to and coverage isn’t an issue because we’re not stretched thin or understaffed.
    2. LizB* May 22, 2019 at 11:50 am

       This sounds like a great perk! (As long as you’re not that one OP who refused to give the birthday bonus to a leap-day-baby employee on the grounds that if Feb. 29 didn’t happen she didn’t have a birthday that year…)
       1. Anonymous For This One* May 22, 2019 at 12:00 pm

          Nope, we’re not THAT place! (Thank goodness.)
78. TC* May 22, 2019 at 11:05 am

    My office offers marital leave, but I they’d be open anyone taking time (like buying a house or whatever) for a major life change.
79. MissDisplaced* May 22, 2019 at 11:06 am

    I feel the pain of OP#1
    I am in my 50’s and not “Married” though I have a long-term boyfriend/partner.
    WHY is marriage still such a big deal to employers? Especially given the divorce rates nowadays. For example, I can’t add my partner to my insurance when he didn’t have any, OR some companies make it a very difficult process to add someone if it is offered (you have to prove you’ve been cohabiting for 10 years and own property together). Same goes with this Wedding PTO. It ignores other people’s big life events such as adoption, sick parent/partner, funerals, moving, home buying, etc.

    Offer it to all, or offer it not at all.
    1. Maya Elena* May 22, 2019 at 1:26 pm

       I think he divorce rates are generally quoted as going down, particularly among the college-educated; the oft-quote “50%” is old and debatable.
    2. The Man, Becky Lynch* May 22, 2019 at 5:17 pm

       It’s because of legalities and the fact marriage is a contract between two people in the end.

       You aren’t financially tied together legally speaking, you cannot make medical decisions unless you have other paperwork in place and therefore medical insurance won’t let you add them to your coverage. However you don’t need a marriage in all states, some have ‘common law’ marriage and others have ‘domestic partnerships’ that you can do to be put on insurance plans [you may want to check your state statues about that! I had a friend who did this about a decade ago, it’s been around for awhile!]

       It’s to avoid people adding to your insurance plan that are simply your friend or someone who pays you under the table to do so because of some shady nonsense that’s going on. Insurance is not regulated by your employer, it’s regulated by the insurance providers, please always keep that in mind in these cases! It’s not your employer, it’s big-insurance and it’s their risk-analysis in play most often.

       The letter only mentions wedding PTO as the issue, so we’re assuming that they don’t offer paid leave for funerals or medical leave or moving or other life events. Since right now the OP is only concerned with the perk that she’s not eligible for.
    3. Anony* May 23, 2019 at 10:48 am

       Why not get married then, if it’s not a big deal to you, and you want all the perks?
80. The Man, Becky Lynch* May 22, 2019 at 11:07 am

    #5 as an admin, you shouldn’t be a doormat by any means and should have your system set up to make your job run as smoothly as possible. However, with these kind of people, you need to learn to let it go and give a little. You did the right thing by pushing back and pointing out that ‘Hey I do it this way, would you mind going with this system?’ and he responded with “I like my system better, for my reasons.”

    You support him. This isn’t a hill to die on. But it certainly is a minor personality conflict. I wouldn’t be pushing his requests to the bottom, you’re feeding into his issues with not trusting that he’s going to get attention when he’s asking for it. That’s going to blow up in your face. Letting this fester is going to make you miserable in the end, this is a time to be a duck and let it slide off your back for your own sanity. He’s a bit of a pain but he’s the person you’re paid to support.

    Now if this was someone just asking a favor that you didn’t support, I’d say to just pitch his requests and pretend it never happened.
81. SaffyTaffy* May 22, 2019 at 11:24 am

    I worked at a company once that had a similar policy to the one described in by OP1. Marriage, buying a house/moving, illness of a family member, and lots of other big life events were all eligible for an extra week. One colleague used her extra week to travel for an adoption (so that week was separate from maternity leave), and another used it for when his sister had a complicated delivery and he stepped in to do childcare for his other nibling. You were eligible for the extra week once every 3 years and then once every other year after 10 years with the school.
    I just mean that there may be details to the policy OP#1 describes that she wouldn’t know about, that’s all.
    1. TootsNYC* May 22, 2019 at 11:37 am

       I like this–I like the idea that other life events really just do a number on you in terms of how much time they take.

       And it wouldn’t surprise me if, at a company with such a policy, they might add a situation to their list if an employee made a case for it (like, a divorce that requires you to move house suddenly, or something).

       But I do kind of hate the idea that a company can’t do nice things because not everybody can eat sandwiches. If expanding it beyond honeymoons to other life events will keep it from being discriminatory, I’m all for it.

       (There are companies that offer scholarships to the children of employees, and i’ve heard people complain, “I don’t have kids, I can’t get that perk.” I tend to think, “Yes, but I bet it’s easier for you to get the company match for your retirement savings! And nobody told you to NOT have kids.” Also, someone I know who lived in Norway for a time was told by something there, when she complained about a similar “perks for parents” funded by tax dollars. “Those parents are raising our future taxpayers and our future citizens and workers, doctors, etc., all of which will benefit us. They do so at great personal expense. If you and I can support them in this way, then perhaps that is fair.”)
82. TootsNYC* May 22, 2019 at 11:32 am

    2. How do I politely end conversations at networking events?

    I wonder if a solution is to get over the hesitation to say, “Sorry to cut this short, but I must circulate” to people you don’t know well.

    That IS the purpose of this time, that IS the purpose of YOUR time, and maybe it would be good for people to be reminded of it, or to learn it for the first time, by seeing you do it.
83. Fiddlesticks* May 22, 2019 at 11:42 am

    I can see both sides of the extra PTO issue. When I was negotiating for my current job, the agency couldn’t quite meet my salary requirements. However, I had told them in the interview that I was getting married a month after starting the new job and would need to take a week without pay (since obviously I wouldn’t have built up any benefits yet). The great solution was that I was given an extra week of paid PTO to use for my wedding/honeymoon, and I accepted the lower salary. (I did get a big raise the next year!)

    Admittedly, this was negotiated at the start of employment, so it’s not like a boss giving someone an extra PTO week after 5 years of employment just because he/she is getting married. But a week of PTO that is potentially available to all employees for “extraordinary personal events” such as marriage, adoption/birth of a child (because not everyone qualifies for paid parental leave), bereavement or other crises, would be a wonderful perk and show that the business really values their employees.
84. TootsNYC* May 22, 2019 at 11:46 am

    I’ve told the new VP this several times but he refuses to use the box. He says he doesn’t want his work to be missed. I put his papers in the box, on the bottom.

    I had this problem–wanting to push people into putting things in the inbox instead of on my chair or on my desk.

    The solution is not to be snippy, and it is NOT to put them on the bottom of the box, because then you have just proven him right.

    You need to build his trust that your inbox WORKS.

    What I did:
    -pointed out that if he put things on my chair, I was going to pick them up and set them on my desk just so I could sit down–which means they WOULD get lost among the stuff on my desk.
    -assure him that every time I approached the inbox, I went through it from top to bottom, reordering in priority based on up-to-date info; someone’s stuff might have six or seven things on top of it, but I would see it every time I went to get something new to do, and if it was important, it would get moved to the top.
    –empty the inbox. The fact that there is a “bottom” to your inbox tells me that you use it as a holding pen, or that too many things are not getting done quickly enough.
    -demonstrate to him, in a concerted effort, that you ARE seeing his things and getting them done promptly. Even if it means that for a little while, his tasks get a priority they don’t really deserve.

    He puts them on the chair because he doesn’t trust you, and he doesn’t trust the inbox method.

    Give him evidence that he can.
85. Delphine* May 22, 2019 at 12:13 pm

    A lot of disrespectful behavior becomes acceptable (or if not acceptable then behavior that must be accommodated by employees) when you attach a strong enough title to it…
    1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 12:37 pm

       True, but that doesn’t mean a common method of doing business is inherently disrespectful. That’s why the stickiest situations are like this, where the behavior isn’t broadly considered disrespectful but bugs this particular individual. And in a situation like that, you have the right to ask, but no right to getting your request honored.
86. Secretary* May 22, 2019 at 12:33 pm

    My boss starts working at 5am, and I arrive at 7:30 or 8:30. This was totally a problem for me for a while, where I would walk into my office at 8:30 and the phone would be ringing with him asking me about work on my desk. My end of the conversation would basically be:
    “Ok… yes I see that… ok… sure I’ll do that… when we get off the phone… yes.. ok… I’ll do that too… yes I see you left that… I haven’t done it because I just got here… sure I’ll do it… when we get off the phone… ok… I’ll call you in a bit once I’ve done all that.”

    So he would just call to tell me all the things I hadn’t seen yet. One morning when he called and immediately started asking about items that he had left me, my response was: “Well, seeing as it’s 8:30 and I just got here, no I haven’t done anything yet.”
    I guess the relationship allowed me to be a bit snippy, because after that day my boss has always waited a minimum of 10-15 minutes after I start work to call. :)
    1. WorldsOkayestAssistant* May 22, 2019 at 9:30 pm

       Interesting. That helps reinforce the statement an old friend made once to me that we teach people how to treat us.

       If it were my boss doing this to me, I would probably respond by sucking it up and reading all my email before coming in every morning. But this is a coworker, with whom I want to get along with as pleasantly as possible without signaling that she has a supervisory role over me, which she does not.

       My prior boss would call my desk 5-10 minutes before my start time asking where the heck I was. I made the mistake once–once!–of picking up the phone before my start time to prove to her that I was early. She immediately set off a series of questions I couldn’t answer because I hadn’t read all my email yet, having just arrived. I wasn’t cued up and this annoyed her because she was one of those early morning times getting going at 4 am, a real proud workaholic and wondering why she was miserable, and my shift started at 9 am. It was hell. She was impossible to please, and the faster I danced to her tune, the quicker I made myself miserable. I don’t work for her anymore. Working to a degree of excellence is one thing, but futile and ceaseless people pleasing is another.
87. byebiscus* May 22, 2019 at 12:35 pm

    #5 I agree. Why not avoid the thing causing resentment? Sure the VP is the big poop and can make requests however he wants, but it would be nicer to maintain a positive work environment. If there’s a deeper issue he should just say hey you aren’t good at doing my work on time so it needs to be in your face until that changes. This isn’t someone thinking phone calls are rude and wants emails only. This is something MANY people feel disrespected by regardless of intent. Intent is nothing. “But everyone is doing it so it’s normal” isn’t valid.
    1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 12:38 pm

       Why wouldn’t that be valid in establishing a norm, though? That’s pretty much the definition of a norm.
       1. byebiscus* May 23, 2019 at 1:56 pm

          Native American mascots used to be the norm, and the majority of people didn’t think there was any ill intent so it was okay. Plenty of things used to be the norm before society attempted to just be more considerate of others. This isn’t some one off of a person seeing this action as disrespectful.
88. Lizard* May 22, 2019 at 12:42 pm

    #1 This policy wouldn’t bother me and I don’t read it as unfair. It would be weird if they gave an extra week to all married employees every year after they were married, but for just the year you’re married that’s a really nice perk. I do agree it would be a better policy to reward all major life events with time off. My company gave me extra time the year I closed on a house. Not a full week, but the extra time made closing and moving so much less stressful.
89. Lora* May 22, 2019 at 12:43 pm

    Time required to get married: one hour to file the paperwork at the court house on a weekday, one hour Friday afternoon to collect the marriage license, four hours on a Saturday to buy beer and wings, stick a craft store veil in my hair, buy discount flowers at the grocery store and go over the paperwork with the minister. Another Saturday afternoon BBQ a few weeks later at a local park. Total cost, <$1000.

    Time required to get divorced: three days of digging through old financial records, 45 billable hours with the lawyer @ $300/hour, a full week of sorting through who was getting what, three days of moving his crap out of my house, six hours of mortgage refinancing paperwork and meetings, half a day in court and sundry hours thereafter of "if you contact me ever again I WILL call the cops". And I had a fairly easy divorce, no kids involved. Total cost, including money lost to ex-hubby's shenanigans and refinancing the house, about $75,000.

    Time required to get mother in assisted living: Approximately 25 hours / week x 2 years, $2000/month x 2 years to cover her rent and bills, plus three months of going to her old apartment every weekend to clean, sort, donate or trash her crap.

    Yeah, I gotta say probably the folks getting divorced need the time more than newlyweds. I've had some really generous employers and even they said I had to use vacation days for going to court – I only got extra time off when I had a notarized letter from the judge about jury duty.
90. No Touchy My Lunchy* May 22, 2019 at 12:50 pm

    OP5: I feel you. My former boss used to do this and it felt passive aggressive. It felt like she didn’t think that I could do my job because she didn’t trust me to check my inbox and prioritize items appropriately. My simple solution was to push my chair in all the way under my desk and then put my purse/empty lunchbox/bag/whatever on my chair. YMMV.
91. Maya Elena* May 22, 2019 at 1:21 pm

    LW1: the benefit is one-time, so it’s pretty low-stakes, and it just comes across as resentment that someone else got a nice thing. The other employees in general come expecting the baseline benefits package they were offered, and everything else rare/unusual on top is a boon; nobody else loses anything meaningful by it. (Yes you can concoct scenarios where the employee takes her honeymoon over April 15 as an accountant or otherwise be an asshole about it, but I’d say that’s probably rare, and people can be asses in myriad ways.)

    Would it make LW happier if the newly married employee was getting an extra week off because they broke their leg or lost a parent?
    1. Ask a Manager* Post authorMay 22, 2019 at 1:26 pm

       What if an employer offered a few days of paid vacation to anyone whose child was getting baptized but didn’t offer it for a bris or naming ceremonies or other rituals? When you single out one group and say “your life events are more important than other people’s,” that’s a legitimate problem, not just small-minded resentment.
       1. Marriage leave* May 22, 2019 at 10:09 pm

          Is that the same thing here? I don’t think it’s strange to draw a line at legally recognized major events like marriage, birth, and death, along with other hardships, and create a nice benefit package for people.
    2. Drew* May 22, 2019 at 2:00 pm

       That last line is really tacky and unpleasant. The OP is allowed to be frustrated at a quite significant perk that affects her workflow and that isn’t available to everyone.
       1. OP1* May 22, 2019 at 2:15 pm

          thank you, Drew.
    3. Scarlet2* May 23, 2019 at 5:57 am

       Why do people keep insisting it’s a “one time” benefit? Did divorce and remarriage suddenly disappear?
92. Green* May 22, 2019 at 1:31 pm

    I’m an exec asst and one of my bosses kept leaving things on my chair. I printed out a picture of him and put the picture in my inbox. It was a hint to him “hey, put docs for me here!” We laughed, he got in the hang on the Inbox, and I removed the picture.
    1. DKMA* May 22, 2019 at 4:44 pm

       This sounds more effective than passive aggressively not doing the assigned work in a timely manner and being rude about it.
93. Blue Eagle* May 22, 2019 at 1:32 pm

    Lucky thing for me that #5 doesn’t work in my office as I always put work that is important or time sensitive on people’s chairs to make sure they focus on it right away. If something is not that important I’ll put in their inbox (which usually has a bunch of stuff in it so I have no idea when they might look at what is being put in their inbox to prioritize it).

    Can someone please explain to me what exactly is the big problem with looking at the papers that are on your chair so that you know they are time sensitive.

    By the way, I like the idea of a second inbox which is truly an inbox (as opposed to a place to store everything in a co-workers “need to do” pile).
    1. Me* May 22, 2019 at 1:36 pm

       This. If I’m putting it on your chair it’s time sensitive and I don’t want it to get lost in the shuffle.
       1. No Touchy My Lunchy* May 22, 2019 at 1:51 pm

          If something is that pressing, why don’t you actually, ya know, talk to the person who would deal with it? Send them an email, IM them, call them, mention it face-to-face, leave a note, whatever. Dropping something in a person’s chair comes off as passive aggressive, as though you’re saying “I don’t trust that you’ll get to this in a timely manner.” If something is truly urgent, talk to your co-worker and tell them that!
          1. Me* May 22, 2019 at 2:31 pm

             Email is about as urgent as an inbox, IM doesn’t exist in my office, if it’s on their chair it’s because they aren’t in their office to talk to face-to-face or call and maybe just maybe I’m on my way to an outside meeting and don’t know when I will see them.

             In my office it’s a very obvious hey this is important that you see and you aren’t at your desk. I’m sure it’s office dependent but calling it passive aggressive is a stretch.
             1. No Touchy My Lunchy* May 22, 2019 at 3:30 pm

                Calling it passive-aggressive isn’t a stretch. Like you said, it’s office-dependent, and a lot of people (as shown in the above threads) see this behavior as rude. The level of condescension in your reply is a bit much, though.
                1. Me* May 22, 2019 at 3:38 pm

                   I assure you there was no condescension meant. Things do get lost in context with text and I certainly could have chosen to read your response as not very pleasant especially the last sentence. I chose to interpret it as most likely not. Because most people aren’t jerks for the sake of being jerks. My point was much like Alison’s. Taking it as passive aggressive or as an intentional insult is kind of extreme.
                   1. No Touchy My Lunchy* May 22, 2019 at 3:42 pm

                      Viewing this kind of behavior as passive aggressive isn’t “extreme.” It’s weird that you feel the need to continue policing the way other people feel about this. If you’re cool with someone leaving work on your chair, cool. Many other people aren’t okay with it.
                      1. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 3:47 pm

                         But whether you’re okay with it or not is a separate question from the other person being passive-aggressive–that’s the point. It’s not likelier to be passive aggressive just because the OP doesn’t like it.
                      2. Me* May 22, 2019 at 3:52 pm

                         I find it kind of weird that you specifically commented it on my post to put forth your opinion and are continuing to argue your opinion when it’s clear I don’t agree.

                         I’m not policing anything. In fact I commented on someone’s post who agrees with me and have not commented on anyone else’s post indicating it bothered them. You started this conversation with me and I’m really not sure to what end. Everyone can feel however they like about anything they like. If this is the hill you would like to die on, by all means have at it. I’ll continue to believe it’s strange. As fposte says, we all have a choice about how we react to something and often that’s the only thing in our control.

                         I will not be continuing to engage with you as it doesn’t seem productive and you clearly feel strongly or upset about this. All the best.
                   2. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 3:45 pm

                      I think sometimes it can be hard to remember that we have a choice in that. “Wow, that was sooo passive aggressive!” we say. But we can then say, “Okay, but what if maybe it wasn’t? What if he wasn’t thinking about it at all?” It doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the right interpretation, but it’s often a good exercise to think “If this wasn’t done at me and I’m the only one thinking about this, do I lose anything by not being angry about it?”
                      1. No Touchy My Lunchy* May 22, 2019 at 3:48 pm

                         Right, but that doesn’t mean that someone can’t be upset about this kind of behavior. Even if the person setting papers in another’s chair doesn’t mean to be rude, the chair owner may perceive their actions as rude. Different perspectives on a single action don’t cancel each other out.
                      2. No Touchy My Lunchy* May 22, 2019 at 3:54 pm

                         okey dokey @Me, best of luck to you when you run off all your admin staff by being rude AF
                      3. fposte* May 22, 2019 at 3:56 pm

                         Sure, she can be upset. She can think whatever she want up to and including racist and criminal acts, and none of us can stop her.

                         But when she’s sharing these thoughts with others, it’s acceptable and can be useful to point out that they may be hurting her, and that she has some choice in reframing her thoughts to make her life better. We get to have thoughts about her thoughts.
                      4. Me* May 22, 2019 at 3:58 pm

                         The concept of all you can control is yourself is the mantra to most of my anxiety therapy. It’s not always easy, and I still fail at it sometimes, but man is it freeing when you can approach things that way.
94. Me* May 22, 2019 at 1:35 pm

    As someone who is super fortunate to have extremely generous leave (gvnmt – leave makes up for the crap pay but also no maternity/paternity which is awful), things like LW1 make me so sad about our culture.

    The US has awful leave policies and standards. Life is more than work. Offering people extra leave if they get married makes me think the amount of leave in general is insufficient. Two weeks is crap. Id argue forget about a bonus for everyone and just advocate for a reasonable amount of vacation time a year. 4 weeks is enough to take a vacation, have some time for random things , and allow for those life things that come up – honeymoons, graduations, long distance funerals etc.
    1. the elephant in the room* May 22, 2019 at 4:23 pm

       “forget about a bonus for everyone and just advocate for a reasonable amount of vacation time a year”

       I have been considering doing this. Sure, I’d love more money. But I’m doing well. What I NEED is more time. There just isn’t enough of it and, frankly, when my mom got cancer all I could think about was quitting even though I love my job because NO job is worth the time I miss out on.
       1. Me* May 22, 2019 at 4:46 pm

          I’m sorry about your mom.

          Money is nice but time is precious.
          1. WorldsOkayestAssistant* May 22, 2019 at 9:35 pm

             Agreed. Time is the thing we can’t get back.
95. Sara without an H* May 22, 2019 at 2:07 pm

    Re OP#5, I have nothing to add to Alison’s excellent advice. But I’m gobsmacked by the number of people who take umbrage at having documents left on chairs. Really, people???
    1. YourMamboMayVary* May 22, 2019 at 4:05 pm

       Lots of people in above threads have said why they take umbrage with the “papers on chair” practice. Some people think it’s rude, other people don’t care. I think this is very much a know-your-audience kind of thing.
       1. Czhorat* May 22, 2019 at 4:38 pm

          Yep. If you read the comments, you’ll often see that there’s more than one way of looking at a topic.

          FWIW, I see both sides here: putting a document on the chair is a touch passive-aggressive and more than a bit presumptuous; it also leans into the power differential (I’m a VP and you’re an admin, so you view my requests on my schedule and in my chosen manner). I’d prefer them to show respect by following the OP’s preferred procedure.

          OP isn’t doing any favors by moving it to the bottom of the stack; not only is that petty, it reinforces the VP’s idea that the papers won’t be addressed in a timely manner without a push.
    2. The Man, Becky Lynch* May 22, 2019 at 5:20 pm

       It’s up there with the “which way to hang the toilet paper” debates that people will crawl onto hills and die over.

       Should it matter? No. Does it matter to some people, of course it does for Their Reasons. People are strange creatures after all.

       My cat loves his belly rubbed. Others will never accept it.
    3. Aggretsuko* May 23, 2019 at 11:19 am

       Every time someone insists on putting it on a chair, I think of my cousin who had a Tom Selleck (her crush) photo stuck to her chair and it took her days to notice. Not everyone looks before they plant their butt is all I’m saying. Why the heck can’t anyone just put things on the keyboard? Same effect but doesn’t involve your butt.
96. Greg* May 22, 2019 at 2:24 pm

    OP #2: My former boss was one of those networking ninjas you speak of. Her trick was that she would spot someone else in the crowd and then offer to introduce her conversation partner to that person. Intros made, she would extricate herself.

    For the record, I have tried to replicate that tactic and never been able to pull it off.
97. Erik* May 22, 2019 at 3:40 pm

    Inbox OP reminded of an admin I had that had an elaborate set of cat themed Chachkies that occupied 90% of her desk. A couple of times a week when I would have to go over things with her I would invariably have to move the items to set down papers etc. At our annual review she brings up that she does not like people her touching her things and that a few others and myself were guilty of this on multiple occasions and that she would like me to send out an email saying that the desk was her space and not to be disturbed. This led to the most inane hour long conversation about her work station needing to be primarily an area for “work” and that she was fine to express herself, but would have to either make room or be ok with things being shifted occasionally. I thought I got through to her and all was settled until about 30 minutes later I get separate emails from the CEO and HR who she emailed immediately after leaving our meeting. It backfired pretty badly and neither was pleased about having to deal with this absolutely insane issue. She really picked the wrong hill to die on.
98. YourMamboMayVary* May 22, 2019 at 4:06 pm

    Lots of people in above threads have said why they take umbrage with the “papers on chair” practice. Some people think it’s rude, other people don’t care. I think this is very much a know-your-audience kind of thing.
    1. YourMamboMayVary* May 22, 2019 at 4:06 pm

       Whoops! Sorry, meant to comment on another thread.
99. the elephant in the room* May 22, 2019 at 4:21 pm

    LW #1: So what happens if you’re one of those people who is…basically my cousin: She got married, divorced three weeks later because “it was just too hard,” and then got married again soon after. How many weeks of vacation do you think you could milk out of this rule?
100. DKMA* May 22, 2019 at 4:37 pm

     LW #5: Your VP is putting things on your chair because he’s concerned you are disorganized and not getting to things urgently enough. Intentionally shelving his things to do them less urgently is contributing to this impression.

     This shouldn’t bother you, but if it does do your job well enough that you can say to him “I never miss your things and always communicate with you if I have questions about deadlines, so please follow my process”.
101. Susana* May 22, 2019 at 5:10 pm

     LW5, agree with Alison totally that’s not worth getting into war over. But disagree about it being a power play. It’s absolutely a power play. I had a manager who left newspapers (remember those?) on my chair. Actually, had the admin. leave OUR OWN newspaper on our chairs in the am, on the theory that none of us had read it (even though we had read it, in the system, the night before publishing). So I’d come in, sit down and get newspaper ink all over my skirt. It was demeaning and insulting. I started theatrically tossing the paper in the garbage first thing. Eventually it stopped. But really – people who do this are trying to imply that a)their stuff is so much more important than anyone else’s and/or b) that you would not otherwise look at it. I mean – one thing to leave it on a desk, front and center. Or attach a post-it agin “urgent!” But leaving it on a chair is treating your staffer like a child.
102. Alice Reads Everything* May 22, 2019 at 6:13 pm

     Whoa, that last letter gave me an anxiety ridden flashback. At one job I had three in boxes for three tasks. The thing is task A was super time sensitive and had to be done immediately but there were only two or three a week. Then task B wa next and only when both were done could I move on to the “other” box which was basically anything else besides tasks A and B. I had one co-worker why not only refused to separate tasks but always dumped her stuff into the low priority third box. Multiple times a month I’d get complaints that things were turned in but not done only to find them buried. Complaints to my boss didn’t help, nicely re-explaining the process to her was worse. It came to a head and my boss DID finally step in the day she came to complain (loudly berate) that I hadn’t done several priority tasks, I found them all in box three and tried to tell her again why she can’t do that and her response was to repeatedly scream “I don’t give a rats ass” over me. That got bosses attention! It’s been average years but reading that question I could hear co-worker like it was yesterday!
     LW would a dedicated in box for his papers help? Since he just wants to be noticed maybe you could convince him that’s a good compromise between the chair that you don’t want him to use and the community in-box that he doesn’t want to use
103. Lw#4* May 22, 2019 at 8:12 pm

     LW#4 – thank you Alison and community. You have made me feel so much better! I feel as if a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders-looks like I just needed to vent and get some third party perspective.
104. incompetemp's colleague* May 24, 2019 at 1:16 pm

     Regarding #1, before I started working at my job, they offered the same 1 week PTO to married couples. This was changed at some point to 1 week of non-renewable PTO you could take once at any point in your career.

     I think that’s a pretty cool solution. If you want to use it for a honeymoon, you can. If you want to use it to go to your kid’s week-long open ocean swimming competition, have at it!