Trouble with the boss's wife | Bangkok Post: lifestyle

CAREERCLINIC

Dear Khun Munthana,

My name is Srisuda. I am in my mid 30s and a graduate from a secretarial school in the UK. I have worked as an executive secretary mainly for companies managed by leading expatriates for the past 10 years. Prior to that I spent five years as a pool secretary providing admin support to expatriates.

I am writing to you for advice because early this year my former boss returned to his home country after spending four years in Thailand and now I have a new farang boss. The guy is fine and I have no problems working for him - as outlined above, I have good experience working with foreigners. However, the new man is married to a local lady who used to work in a pub in Pattaya. Part of my role requires me to give some support to this women - travel arrangements, salon and hotel bookings etc. But I have to admit that I feel awkward dealing with her, mostly because of her lack of social graces and skills. For example, she recently attended the company's 10th anniversary blessing ceremony dressed like a supermodel, i.e. with lots of flesh on show, which I thought highly inappropriate. At company parties she has dressed provocatively, on a number of occasions quite obviously not wearing a bra. The fact is she is rather coarse and draws attention to herself by talking and laughing loudly. When she and her husband visit our offices in other countries (Thailand is our Asian hub) she asks me to contact the country manager at their destination to schedule her a car and a driver/assistant for the purposes of shopping!