20 of the most insulting business requests

Out of college and eager to make it in the business world, I did practically anything just to get recognized: menial tasks, working for free, promoting someone else’s work for free, and involving myself in projects that didn’t seem all that ethical.

As I grew older and more experienced, the “I’ll do anything for your approval” excitement died down. Once you’re established in your industry and know your worth, you don’t need to jump through hoops to get praise.

That doesn’t stop others from making requests that step over the line of good taste, professionalism, or what your business and time is worth.

Insulting business requests come in many forms, but you’ll often find, as Amanda Coolong of TechZulu notes, they often begin with the words “Can’t you just…”

I put out a call to the community to get their best examples of insulting requests. In all cases, the party making the insulting request is anonymous. I’ve parsed them out in categories of different types of insulting requests. Who knew there were so many different ways to be rude?

Inappropriate requests

1. I know I’m not on the editorial masthead, but…