People still ask underlings to get them coffee (really?). From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

"Nine minutes after receptionist Tamara Klopfenstein complained - for the second time - about getting her bosses coffee, she was fired. "I don't expect to serve and wait on you by making and serving you coffee every day," Klopfenstein e-mailed to her boss at National Sales & Supply L.L.C., of Bensalem. Manager Jason Shrager told her the issue wasn't "open for debate." Instead, the issue caused a brouhaha in federal court. Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Berle M. Schiller couldn't resist punning his way through a decision on the deeper issue - whether Klopfenstein's managers had created a hostile and discriminatory work environment by requiring the receptionist to fetch them coffee. He wrote that she had no grounds for her complaints of sexual discrimination. "The act of getting coffee is not, by itself, a gender-specific act," Schiller wrote. The fact that a vice president wrote "looks nice, dresses well," on notes when she was hired also doesn't add up to discrimination, the judge wrote."

Ever been asked to get some coffee for someone? I have. It happened to me during a quick team meeting at a boss's office earlier in my career. I don't think the fact that he asked me to get coffee was an intentional slight. I was the last one to the meeting and he was buried in a spreadsheet and when I asked him if he wanted me to close the door, he asked me if I could grab him some coffee.

With a name like "Kris", I should tell you now that I'm a man, baby (cue the Austin Powers). I was a little taken aback, but like Ask A Manager explains, a task is a task and it's important not to appear like you have zero flexibility. Still, the fact that I was asked was a little embarassing.

It took me about 2 minutes to get the plan together to ensure I was never asked again. Instead of coming back with coffee, I came back to the office no fewer than 3 times to ask the creamer/sugar/real or paper cup questions. Once I was back with the java, I asked him 2-3 times with a joyous spirit how the coffee was. I saw the look in his eye and he figured out that I was poking him for asking me to get his swill. He never asked again and we continued to have a great working relationship.

Plan B, if I got asked a second time, was to trip as I was presenting the second cup and scald him with the hot brew.

Glad it didn't come to that...