After a chat with my boss about my recent performance, he asked me to put a call through to the HR department. It was a private call but I put my ear to the door and heard him make unfair comments about me. I’m itching to say something but how can I without giving myself away?

It goes with the territory that PAs are privy to compromising confidences, but being a PA also means having to resist the evils of temptation, even when you’re desperate to know what’s cooking.

You say that your boss’s comments were unfair. What do you mean? If he claimed that you’re a feckless filer, even though you’ve won awards for your ability to alphabetise, then you’ve the right to have the hump. If, though, he quibbled about the way your monitor never gets dusted, then you’ve both got too much time on your hands.

Whatever his comments, don’t breathe a word of your indiscretion. It may be a desperate relief to scratch your itch but it’ll ruin your reputation. He’ll never again entrust you with so much as a sandwich order.

Instead, you’re going to pay penance for your sneakiness. What other options do you have? Start by seriously considering his comments. You may not think that you’ve got the phone manner of a livid wasp but could he have a point? It’s a hard lesson but you should have thought of that before glueing your ear to the door.

Then set yourself the task of proving him wrong. Be stealthy or you’ll be rumbled. Just tackle each of his “unfair” comments in turn, improving your performance as you go. You could even surreptitiously ask for his thoughts on the issues he privately raised. Aim to knock his socks off before the next round of appraisals, when you can legitimately discuss your performance without arousing suspicion. And even if you haven’t learnt your ear-wigging lesson by then, at least the next conversation he has with HR will be easier to listen in on.

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