Why I don't miss being the boss's daughter

I'm still on the search for a job. Job hunting is just no fun and as a casual/ part time applicant, it seems to all come down to being available to start on a particular day. Inevitably, that day is always when you have the dentist appointment you can't move, the holiday you've had booked for months or some other engagement you can't rearrange in an otherwise free week or month. It's frustrating. 


My last job, overall, was the creme de la creme of student jobs. The pay was well above award, whilst it had it's moments the work was generally interesting and I got to work with some lovely, interesting and capable people. Working in an office whilst being a student gave me a fascinating insight into the "real" working world. The egos, politics and hierarchy of a business are a special kind of beast. 


One of the most rewarding and challenging parts of the job was the fact the my Dad is one of the "bosses". I gained an insight to a side of my Dad that I hadn't seen before, the business man, in his natural habitat. I had a fair idea what Dad did when he went to work everyday, but it is a whole different thing to witness and participate in it. 


It was initially a funny experience getting to establish my own working relationship with the characters Dad spoke about over dinner each night. It was almost like I'd jumped into a story book that I'd read hundreds of times. 


Being the "boss's daughter" certainly had it's advantages. Dad being known by most as a nice and intelligent person certainly worked in my favour. I also knew exactly where he kept his minties and Tim Tam stashes and I probably got a few more "chauffeur driven" rides to work than most.  


After a while I couldn't help but feel like I had some kind of social Glad wrap stuck to me. You couldn't see it, but there seemed to be a thin, transparent and non-permeable barrier between myself and some people. There was one young bloke who, regardless of how I behaved, spoke to me like I was an entitled, spoiled brat. Rather than conversing with me, he threw statements at me that assumed that I had been born with a silver spoon in my mouth. It annoyed me not only because of how false his assumptions were, but that he never really wanted to engage with me properly to figure that out for himself. It was easier for him to pigeonhole me. 


The thing that annoyed me most was that lots of people assumed that if I made mistakes, there would be no repercussion. That couldn't have been further from the truth. I like to be good at the things I do and my job was no different. In that sense, I was personally motivated to do the best I could. I was also aware that my work reflected on my Dad, as well as myself. I never wanted to be in a position where I made a mistake which reflected negatively on him. Plus, for most people, if they make a mistake at work they don't have to explain or justify it to their partner, housemates or family. I did. 


Being the boss's daughter gave some people an excuse not to recognise how hard I worked and that if I did have some kind of get out of jail free card, I never needed to use it. 


The conflict of personal interests inevitably arise out of working in an environment where your parent is in a position of power. It makes it very difficult for people to feel they can trust you. This was something I actually had a lot of sympathy for but sometimes it was difficult socially. I heard so many things I wasn't meant to from many people from all levels of the hierarchy. I had to be very careful to remember what things I could discuss with whom. 


I did not have these problems with everyone, most of the people were lovely. My immediate supervisor was fantastic and I really felt my efforts were appreciated by her. I made some wonderful friends who took a chance and invested a lot of trust by involving me in their personal lives. 


I learned that I didn't want any of the privileges that some perceived I had. I don't need them. I want to be successful in whatever I do based on merit, not on nepotism. I like the real world, where people are not afraid to tell me what they really think and don't look terrified if they swear in front of me I might go tell my Daddy. 


I'm really proud to be my Dad's daughter, but outside the family I'm Eliza Brebner Griffin, not someone's little girl.