Detouring Responsibility
I am about to post a blog entry about an issue that I have experienced before in my career and "may" be experiencing again.
It revolves around a superior manager passing down responsibility for unpalatable tasks. In the case in question today, it is telling a customer that we will not be supplying them with a product that was promised to them.
Its not quite cut: the area involved is the one that I work within but I am still not sure it was totally right to pass it over.
What I definitely didn't like was when I asked my manager if she had found the answer I needed to be able to go back to the customer but was told "I'll let you know when i have it" in a rather dismissive, contemporous tone.
I have been here before, albeit with a much more oppressive and bullying personality. What happened then, and what I am worried about now, is agreeing to do something - because I want to be amenable as dictated by my AS, but then sending a message to the other party that I am susceptible to being exploited and taken advantage of.
I need to strike the right balance between being assertive and not antagonising the [superior] other party!
I can relate
I've been in situations like this before. I hated all of them. Again, give specific examples because the list can go on and on. This is one of the reasons why I cannot stand working where I work. There are times the superiors would ask me to be the "barer of bad news", do some extra work, get involved in a task that has nothing to do with my job or to research something. There are times I just do it and there are times I do say no. When I say no the responses are "this is your job" "you are professional you need to get involved with these types of tasks" "if you want to be a supervisor you need to do these things" "I'm the boss you need to do what you're told" "You need to figure it out" Other times they just question you about why you cannot do it or don't want to do it. It's not easy being assertive, even when you try it doesn't work, seems like they have the answers. Sometimes I also ask questions based on these requests and sometimes like you I tend to get the same response with the same attitude.
They're getting paid extra
They're getting paid extra so they should just do it. If they try the emotional blackmail card, you could say "the client has asked to speak directly to you" and leave the immediate vicinity. Then, they will have to deal with the client themselves.