May 29th, 2007
‘My PA cries whenever I say anything critical’
I am a female director in a small creative agency. Over the years I’ve had a succession of PAs who were either thick or unreliable, but finally I have a good one. However, there is one thing wrong with him. Whenever I say anything even slightly critical he cries. Mostly he doesn’t start blubbing, but his eyes fill with tears and he looks flustered.
At first I found this embarrassing but increasingly I find it enraging. He may not mean to be manipulative, but I feel manipulated – I can’t raise the matter with him as I’d get the full waterworks. The situation is further complicated by the fact that he is gay. I feel that by confronting the tears I would be branded as homophobic. I think I already (unfairly) have a reputation of being a tough bitch and don’t want to make it worse.










