How do I draw the line...

[wanderingenough]

between helping a female coworker thrive, and doing her work? My boss's admin has been positioning herself for a new communications focused role on our team. It is a great opp for her.

In the past, when she has written small things, I've redlined and edited them for her. My boss started giving her opportunities to write recently, almost as an interview for this new role. One of those articles is related to my work.

I can tell she wants me to reformat/edit, but I'm trying to let her do it. I don't want to set the precedence in her new role that I'm going to be her personal editor. I am not the one who wants the communications focused position. I tried to just give her a couple bullets with things I might adjust, but that was it. Honestly, the article is awful--one long run on sentence. Ugh. Was there more I should do?

Eta: She asks me because, despite my horrible/awful/lazy grammar and writing on the interwebs, I have a degree in English and am a certified English teacher. Again, decided I didn't want to be doing all thissss.

[HoneySpider]

I would probably point her to some resources, either online or books, that she can reference and just let her know that while you wouldn't mind answering a question or providing advice now and then, it would be more beneficial for her in the long run to learn some of these techniques herself.

[MrsMB]

What HoneySpider said....

[Deleted]

Totally agree with what HS says too. Preface it by saying you don't mind helping when time allows however if she gets the new position, this is something that will be expected of her.

[HoneySpider]

Also, this might sound bitchy, but some people just can't write and no training can fix that. I've seen that with some of my students - they TRY and TRY and you can point out all the resources but they just don't have the ability. Maybe she doesn't have it?

[wanderingenough]

Thanks ladies. Glad to know I wasn't being some evil person by not continuing to assist.

jjwritergirl- I am exactly where you are. If I'm editing it all for her (and basically changing it all), she isn't presenting her best work to the boss - and thereby isn't earning the promotion.

With not totally redlining though, I also got a bit worried thinking of her taking it to him and saying "Wandering says 'looks good'!" Control freak, party of 1.

[wanderingenough]

HoneySpider - She doesn't have it. I feel awful saying it when she has her heart set on a job in this area. As an aside, that's so odd to me. I'm terrible at math and data. Always have been. You know what job would be awesome for me? Data analytics! I'm going for it!

[HoneySpider]

Jan 23, 2015 10:41:22 GMT -5 wanderingenough said:

HoneySpider - She doesn't have it. I feel awful saying it when she has her heart set on a job in this area. As an aside, that's so odd to me. I'm terrible at math and data. Always have been. You know what job would be awesome for me? Data analytics! I'm going for it!

Do it! I'll become a chemist.

[wanderingenough]

Jan 23, 2015 10:43:18 GMT -5 HoneySpider said:

Jan 23, 2015 10:41:22 GMT -5 wanderingenough said:

HoneySpider - She doesn't have it. I feel awful saying it when she has her heart set on a job in this area. As an aside, that's so odd to me. I'm terrible at math and data. Always have been. You know what job would be awesome for me? Data analytics! I'm going for it!

Do it! I'll become a chemist.

Surely we could go into business together. We'd move straight to the top of the dataing and chemistrying world!

[MrsMB]

Not to hijack...but knowing all these English majors are in here makes me nervous. I always type and click reply too quickly....then go back in and try to add commas. Yeah, that's me.

But back on topic, this is the right thing to do. The last thing you want to happen is for her to get the position then get fired for not being able to hang. Do they know you edit for her?

[Deleted]

Jan 23, 2015 10:53:23 GMT -5 MrsMB said:

Not to hijack...but knowing all these English majors are in here makes me nervous. I always type and click reply too quickly....then go back in and try to add commas. Yeah, that's me.

But back on topic, this is the right thing to do. The last thing you want to happen is for her to get the position then get fired for not being able to hang. Do they know you edit for her?

HA!  I totally do this too.  I just type so fast that when I go back and read what I wrote, I often wonder if people are like "is she a dumb dumb"?

[HoneySpider]

People who read my typing probably think I am dumb but whatever. I transpose letters A LOT and I don't always pick it up. Oops.