I'm everyone's bitch

Being in the unique position of "assistant to almost everybody" gives me a nice variety of work, but also leads to horrid tug-of-wars when everyone wants something from me now and they won't listen to how I have work that I'm doing for the president that needs to be done first. Other coworkers have told me I need to put my foot down and just say no, and I tried to last night. What gets me is that the designer is going around telling everyone that I am going to update this document that is only updated 4 times a year, and that it should be going out today. She smirked at me last week "you have a new job"... because it has always been her job. I don't know why she thinks she can dump it on me. Especially now that I'm doing year-end stuff that I only do once a year but that swamps me so that I'm already behind in my regular stuff I do for accounting. So last week the designer told the sales manager that I'd be updating this document, and then she suggested it to the marketing manager (who I also do work for), then yesterday she told the receptionist who sends out the document that it should go out today because the marketing manager has gotten me to update it.

 

The first the marketing manager told me about this update (although not the first I'd heard of it since I overheard all the other conversations between the designer and various other people because while the walls in here are 10 feet high, or maybe 8, the ceiling is 20 feet high), was last night when I went to ask her if she felt growing pains during her 2 pregnancies. At the end of that talk she brought the conversation back to all the work she needed me to do, and mentioned she had something new for me to do--updating this document. I was too tired to frame a sound argument for why I shouldn't and can't do the work. But she didn't officially give me the document or any material to go with it, so I've had time to frame points for my argument:

 

1. I'm busy for sure till the end of this week just doing the stats the president wants me to do before he comes back on Monday.

2. Add to that all the bookings and flights and itinerary write ups that marketing manager wants me to do for an upcoming festival, and I'm totally swamped till said festival.

3. I'm already behind in the work I'm supposed to be doing for the accounting department, even though that is part of my regular monthly work. (They are understandable and helpful at least.)

4. I have no familiarity with this new task. The designer has done it for the past 2 years. It will take me longer to learn how to do it and actually do it than it would take her to just do it, even if she is as swamped as I am.

5. If this is a permanent job pass over, it's pointless because I'm going on maternity leave in July. She'll have to do it again while I'm gone.

 

If those don't convince her (which they probably won't since she just glided right over any argument I presented last night and said, "Well you'll just have to do it inbetween the stats and these bookings), then I'll just flat out say loudly, NO.

 

Now, I just hope I can keep all those points in my head for her inevitable entrance to give me the work.