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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Executive assistants have described being asked to do everything from source raw goat’s milk for a family flying by private jet to sew a pocket onto trousers their boss was still wearing. These are personal anecdotes, not a measure of how common such behavior is. The closest matching collection, Monica Torres’s 2022 HuffPost article, contains 11 stories; the ten below are selected from that reported list.
10 outrageous requests assistants reported
Monica Torres’s HuffPost article, published August 22, 2022, collected stories from executive assistants responding to a question about the most ridiculous thing a boss had asked them to do. Some contributors were named and others anonymous; HuffPost says some answers were edited for style, clarity, and length.
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Order perfume—and remove pornography from a computer
One assistant said a boss asked them both to order perfume and to remove pornography from his computer.
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Request lunch with a shout of “FOOD!”
An executive reportedly snapped his fingers or shouted “FOOD!” when he wanted lunch.
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Follow someone to check whether they went to a job interview
One boss asked an assistant to follow a person and find out whether they attended a job interview—a request that went beyond ordinary scheduling or office support.
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Manage gifts involving a wife and a mistress
An assistant said they were enlisted in exchanging gifts involving their boss’s wife and mistress.
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Do not say good morning
One boss instructed an assistant not to greet him in the morning because it disrupted his focus.
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Dispose of a dead bird from a car grill
An assistant was asked to remove and dispose of a dead bird lodged in a car’s grill.
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Arrange pregnancy-related medical appointments—and answer questions
A boss asked an assistant to schedule pregnancy-related medical appointments, which led to questions the assistant could not answer.
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Find raw goat’s milk for a family traveling by private jet
One assistant said a boss wanted raw, unpasteurized goat’s milk sourced for the family to take on a private-jet trip.
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Get $15,000 in cash for a Las Vegas trip
An assistant reported being asked to obtain $15,000 in cash for a boss’s trip to Las Vegas. The anecdote does not establish whether the money was a recurring allowance or explain any further context.
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Clean crumbs—and sew a pocket while the trousers were being worn
One account involved cleaning lunch crumbs from an office floor. Another described being asked to sew a pocket while the boss was still wearing the trousers.
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Where a ridiculous request crosses a line
The stories range from personal errands and household-style chores to requests that raise more serious concerns about privacy, boundaries, or inappropriate involvement in a boss’s personal relationships. The collection offers no basis for concluding that these requests are typical of executives generally.
Jeremy Burrows, an executive assistant to Capacity’s CEO, author, and host of “The Leader Assistant” podcast, surveyed executive assistants for the article. HuffPost gives no survey size, method, or numerical results, so these examples are best understood as individual reported experiences, not representative findings. Burrows said, “Unfortunately, I’m not surprised, as I’ve heard and experienced situations like these.”
He also said: “However, these stories should be a firm reminder to assistants everywhere that life is too short to work for toxic and abusive bosses.”
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