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Okay. Here we go. I’ll do this in parts.

I’d like to title this story, “Didn’t I know I was supposed to do that?!,” or, “Note to self: Learn to Read Minds”.

So, there’s this one manager that I support who is a very poor communicator, and who also needs some very extreme hand-holding.

This story focuses on the poor communication part. The hand-holding part is another story for another day. (This manager is so inept that she barely knows how to use her computer. She calls me in her office all day long because she doesn’t know how to click on something. It’s rather shocking, actually. In all my years of doing admin support (over ten now), I’ve never seen someone this computer illiterate working in an office…ever.)

Anyway, Wednesday last week, this manager threw a small 7-person birthday party for one of the other managers in a small break area next to her office. She brought in some coffee cake and some pastries, all on her own, and we all gathered around the small table and sang Happy Birthday, ate some pastries, and about 20 minutes later we went back to our desks.

Badda Boom. Badda Bing.

So, right after the party this manager comes to me and asks me to schedule another birthday party for someone else (in the same department) for Monday, which by the end of the day, I have all set up. (7 people, 30 minutes, at the small round table). Just like she had asked.

As I’m walking out the door, my manager stops me and asks if people have responded to the (email) invitations I sent out earlier. I go back, turn my computer back on and take a look. Only about half have responded. She asks me how many people I invited. I say seven. She proceeds to tell that it’s all wrong and I need to book a conference room, and order lunch and make it one hour, not thirty minutes…