What's the most....

[andrea843]

Unusual duty you've been asked to perform as an Admin?  

[officeduchess]

Okay, here goes!  I was asked to dress up as Woodsy the Owl for the groundbreaking ceremony for our regional trash transfer station.  It was a hoot!



OfficeDuchess in VA

[andrea843]

:Watches the thread go to hell in a handbasket, since NO one can top that for Unusual:......;p

[sueg22]

Well - I certainly can't beat that   but I do have an "unusual" request that I know of.  I worked for a Japanese company in the US for a few months.  The head of the department would stand on his desk and shave with a rechargeable electric razor each morning.  There were no private offices, just clear plexiglass cubes.  So, yes, you would walk in across the floor and see this gentleman standing on his desk shaving, like all was right with the world.  



The request part came in when the secretary next to me tells me his former secretary beat a hasty retreat when she was asked to, you guessed it, clean out the razor and get the stubble off the desk.





 

[iris]

Good morning, everyone!



Once my boss had visitors from Romania (which is a very poor country). One of them told him that a German friend had given him an old VW Passat (a car) as a present. He was very proud of the car. Unfortunately, he had lost the key for the gas cap. In the morning he often found that people had sucked the gas out of his car during the night and he couldn't even make it to the next patrol station. My boss called me at once and asked me to buy a new gas cap with a key  

[barbri]

Well, I sure can't beat Woodsy the Owl, but this March I did have to "dress" my boss. Actually, he was fully dressed, but as part of reading month he was reading "Eggbert, the Slightly Cracked Egg" to our preschoolers. He dressed as Eggbert to do so. (The kids were encouraged to dress as their favorite storybook character, also.) It was my job to tie him into his costume, which was made from a slightly altered beanbag pattern, and to help put in the stuffing that made it look like an egg. I was never asked to do anything like this when I worked at the bank!

 

[Katie G]

I can NOT beat the Woodsy Owl routine, but I was once asked by a co-worker to write down the words to "Rubber Ducky" from Sesame Street.  (Yes, I knew them all!)  



Then she came back with a small tape recorder and asked me to SING it so she could get the tune!

(I went into the ladies' room -- better acoustics!)



Rubber ducky, I'm awfully fond of you! (Do-do, do, dee-do.)



 

[cowtownadmin]

Having to go get a pair of black pumps for a visiting manager, but it was a job well done because I found her a classy pair of pumps for a bargain at Nine West that she was still wearing when I left the company.

[nolalady]

I may come close to Woodsy.  Years ago, I was working as the Receptionist at a passenger steamboat company which travels up the Mississippi.  The employees take turns dressing up in period costumes to greet the guests as they arrive to take their cruise.  They have wonderful food and jazz music all day long.



I was asked to fill in for an employee was out sick, luckily I fit into the antebellum dress.  I spent the whole day dressed as a Southern Belle, complete with hat and gloves, walking around greeting people and having my picture taken.  It was one of the most fun days I ever had that I got paid for.  

[sisterg]

I had to take a visiting employee from France to an emergency dental visit.  He spoke no English and I speak no French.  The long version of this story is quite interesting, but too long for posting.  Short version:  Waiting at the pharmacy for prescriptions I met a man who spoke French, and he was able to communicate with the Frenchman.  The man gave me his business card, and after I showed it to a male coworker, that coworker told me the man who helped was most likely an escort (yep - that kind of escort!).  Yuck!  I've always been a little naive, but that was just too embarrassing.  I often look back and wonder what the Frenchman and that man were discussing in French while I sat there totally oblivious to what they were saying!

[sungoddesslv]

unusual task??  When I worked for the Mayor in Macon, GA, I served on the citywide recycling committee (as the Mayor's Office representative).   There is this cute little beaver that is the mascot for the Christmas Tree Recycling program.  I wore the custom on a TV program promoting the program.  Also for the program, I participated in a photo shoot where three of us stood in the bucket of a front-end loader - we were raised above the huge mound of Christmas trees.  The picture was in the local paper! !  

[radaro]

I surrender!  There is no way I could beat all those stories.  I don't get too many strange requests, maybe because I turn down some of the only slightly strange requests so no one bothers to ask for more.  



Anyhow, we have had a group of consultants working from our offices.  Not only did I have to make an appointment for my boss to get a haircut, but I had to make one for one of the consultants, too.



It won't take much to top that!

[gertilda]

I once had a boss ask me to put visine drops in her eyes for her.  I refused.  I'm not an optometrist!



There are a lot more stories from that job...only lasted there 4 months and I was a long-timer...

[northcarolina]

This actually wouldn't fall under the category of "unusual" so much as it would under "major waste of my/their time" . . . my old boss was ALWAYS running behind schedule in a major kind of way.  He had lost his wallet AGAIN and needed to get a new drivers license (here in NC it's a while you wait kind of deal) so he could get on a flight to a meeting across country.  I told him numerous times that he had to leave so he could make it to the DMV before they closed.  Needless to say, he was running late and as he was running out the door, he yelled - call the DMV and "have" them wait for me.  Being the dutiful assistant I called - of course they told me they couldn't wait for him.  Somehow he made it though - all I can figure is that man had angels watching out for him 24/7.  Stuff like that happened ALL the time.



nc

[kknisley]

I had to dress up as the Marshall Field's Santa Bear.  For 3 years I did this.  It became the most anticipated time of the year for the employees.  Seeing me get into the costume was a production and guarantee hee-haw good time (for them).  I had to strap on a huge metal backpack that held the batteries for the fan that kept the suit inflated and had a halo around the top to keep the head up.  Now, I'm not a petite person weight wise by any stretch of the imagination, so it was really interesting to see me climb into that darn thing.  It was fun, kids loved seeing the bear, but that suit gets major hot real fast.  I feel sorry for those sports characters running around.  I used to carry in the suit a wet wash cloth to cool myself down.



I even "starred" in a couple of the Columbus Holiday parades.  When you're in this suit, you cannot see, you can't walk very well because the feet are round wooden planks.  Someone has to lead you around.  Well, the parade wanted to put me in a convertable which had a 5 inch back seat, feet are 7 inches round.  My dear husband was trying to get me in, I tripped and started giggling like a fool.  I was yelling "Help!! I've fallen and I can't get up!"  It took 4 men to get me upright again.  I was laughing so hard, I couldn't help, the guys got laughing and it was hilarious.  Needless to say, Santa was a little delayed getting started because Santa Bear wasn't in place.