Not sure what to do?

I had my own office until our department expanded a little bit. Now I have to share an office with another employee. Ever since we have been sharing an office, she has been asking me to get her a cup of water, or get her lunch for her, bring a piece of paper to so and so, etc... She states she is really busy. She never asked me to do this stuff for her before. What should I do? Please, no ignorant answers.

Hello,
Politely say you are busy and can not get this for her.
If you are going anyway, then why not get it for her, however this is a two way street and if she is going she should do the same.

Maybe not tell her what you are doing? Such as lunch time just go.
I feel for you, I do not play well with others. I bet you do good!

Just politely tell her you are busy as well.

Tell her that you are not her secretary and it is not your responsibility to be getting things for her. Tell her that you have your own work to focus on and it distracts you when she is asking you to get her little things for her.

Tell her that you aren't her assistant and will not always go out of your way to fetch things for her. You have you job to do and are busy as well.

Tell her you don't have the time either and getting things for her puts you further behind.

Well I would nicely explain to her that you are not her personal servant and getting her water isn't in your job description.If she's disrespectful I would file a complaint.Maybe you can get moved out of that office.

Just say no, that you have your own work to do and leave it at that. After a few refusals on your part, the requests will stop on her part. Don't be subservient or a door mat. Once you started doing it, though, it will be hard to stop.

Just say no. Even so, you don't EVEN have to give her a reason as to why you can't or wont. Just say "No." or "Sorry, I can't do that now" or just "Please get your own - I don't ask you to bring me stuff...".

Say 'No!' quite politely. Tell her you are busy too, even if you are checking your e-mail.

You are not her employee - not her gofer - so don't feel badly.
This has absolutely nothing to do with etiquette. She is using you and you are letting her.

Go get her glass of water/food/supplies, but do the same to her. Ask her for a glass of water when you want one, see how she reacts to that and maybe she will realize that she could be doing those things for herself.

If it doesn't get better, then you need to tell the boss.

Be firm, and polite. What she's doing is demeaning your work. Her actions are saying her work is more important, and her needs trump yours. Simply explain that your work needs your attention and you have responsibilities you have meet and just dont have the time to run errands for her. If she gets snide and asks if you dont have five seconds to grab a piece of paper, ask why she wasted five seconds asking you for it.

Tell her in a firm but polite manner that you have work of your own to do. You do not have the time or desire to be her "errand boy" and she is going to have to get her own things!

The first answer given is the best one that I can see. It's pretty cut and dry. Just politely tell her that you are busy also.

Myself, I don't have the patience for people like that though, so I would probably be telling her that I'm not a butler. It's probably a good thing I am a truck driver and don't work in an office anymore...lol.

Talk with your supervisor about this issue. Ask him or her if you could meet with them for a few minutes. Before your meeting write down all the things you wish to discuss and take this with you so you do not forget what you are truly there for. When you discuss these issues, remain calm and open for suggestions. Do not point fingers. Also, before you go to your supervisor try to come up with solutions to the problem and present these to your supervisor as well. Higher ups want you to be thinking of solutions and do not want to solve every issue them self!

Wow...that is a good one! It seems like she feels she is above you eh? Maybe make a little joke...like....geee, maybe you and I should ask for an assistant around here if this work keeps up huh? If you don't think she will get the hint with that...you may have to go with carefully "forgeting" to grap that water...when she ask, say uh-huh let me finsih this, I'm in the middle of somthing....and just keep on working, and never get it. As for lunch....If you usually go at noon, get up really fast around 11:30 or so and jest go, don't say a word to her, just start taking lunch early somedays, and maybe kinda late the others. And on the late days, if she says something just say, I am to busy to worry about it, I will eat when I have time, YOU go when you want.

Just tell her that you aren't her assistant and that if you have the time you don't mind helping out but getting her water and getting her lunch are not part of your job duties.

If you have a problem with it, then it's best to tell her. She may be just asking you to do her favors as a friend. Don't just assume she trying to boss you around.

tell her u are busy, talk to ur boss, she is usin u and its not fair

Your new office mate thinks that you are her secretary. I would speak to your supervisor and ask him/her if the person that you are sharring your office with is now your supervisor or if your job description has changed. If your supervisor says no that she is not your suppervisor do the following and that your job has not changed. Discuss with your supervisor what is going on, and that her constant demands are interrupting your work.


Or after speaking with your supervisor and nothing has changed than wait until your office mate asks you to do something and then explain to her that you find her attitude towards you rude and unfair. You tell her that you are not her secretary nor are you her goffer. And that you find it very rude that she constantly interrupts your day with her trivial needs like she would a servant or a secretary, and that she is more than capable of taking care of herself. And that if she is just to busy to get her work done that maybe you two need to discuss it with her supervisor and ask for less of a work load for your office mate. After you do this turn back around to your desk and go back to what you were doing before she so rudely interrupted you again. I am sure that she will either be to shocked and put off to say anything or she will say somethings that are not so nice, whichever is the case do not back down hold your own.

Good luck!!!!! :)

Do it with a smile on your face. that will really get her..

you know i used to have a guy in my school who did that to me. What i did was always say something like Nah I'm busy or You can get it, but he kept asking all the time. One day I just said NO and he finally got it. So simply just say NO!!

tell her you are busy too

Lay down some rules with her. Next time she asks, just say I'm sorry, I'm busy too and the last I knew you are not my boss.

Don't do these things for her. You don't want to set a precedent that you are there to wait on her. You need to be clear about your boundaries, even if she is your superior, which I suspect she is. But I also suspect that it is not in your job description to fetch someone water.