Oh no, my boss is walking towards me with an apologetic smile. That can mean only one thing – more work.

Now, I appreciate she is in a difficult place. Clients are squeezing budgets and we have fewer staff doing more work. But come on, don’t I look grumpy enough already? And anyway, who's here late every night?

Yet she continues to pile it on. In my nicer moments I appreciate the logic. We're struggling, no one's got any money and the client's got us over a barrel. But, why is it always me?

I expect you are more amenable than I am, but here are a few requests you may consider refusing:

1. Run out and get me a sandwich will you? This is the start of a slippery slope. Do it once and they've got you.

2. So-and-so is leaving so we need you to take in her account, it's only temporary. It won't be temporary.

3. Would you mind picking up my son from school? This wasn't actually a request to me, but it made me spill my latte.

4. Sorry to call you while you are on holiday, but could you have a look at the excel document I've emailed you? Sometimes emergencies happen, so you have to take calls on holidays. But excel documents rarely contain emergencies in my experience.

5. Please dye your hair as you have too much grey showing, it’s good to look youthful in this industry.  You won't believe me, but I swear, this happened.

6. Can you get some friends to dress smartly and sit in the office, looking like they work here when a potential client visits? The agency needs to look like it employs more people.

7. Could you call that journalist who wrote that scathing article about our client and ask them to apologise? How can anyone who's working in PR ask you to do this?.