Job Description Boundaries
Sometimes employees feel that all do is repeat the same tasks over and over again. They want a break from what has become tedium. They might want to branch out into new territory, but they are afraid to or feel they can't because their existing job descriptions confine them. For others, the desire for change is really a form of manipulation that successfully gets them out of what they don't want to do.
Joan's official job was to collect, analyze, and report customer service complaint data. She entered information from customer comment cards into a relational database, then once a month she generated a series of inquiries, summations, and reports. All departments in her company used the information Joan provided to identify problem areas and design solutions that would improve customer service. Joan's manager presented the monthly reports at the executive staff meeting; one month, she could not answer the questions top managers had about the data and what it indicated. It wasn't her area of expertise. So she asked Joan to attend the next executive staff meeting to present the reports herself. “No way!” Joan said. “That's not in my job description!”
Now before you charge what you see as a red flag, take a deep breath. What is Joan actually saying? That she feels put upon, or uncomfortable? It often requires an extended dialogue to figure out the meaning behind the negative response. In some circumstances, this is the ultimate passive-aggressive behavior from an employee who uses “no” as the ultimate weapon in the battle for power. In other situations, it's an overwhelmed employee's cry for help, a last-ditch effort to stem the flow of work before it completely swamps the boat.
Most employees welcome the opportunity to stretch beyond the confines of their routine tasks, as long as they don't feel that the real motivation is to take advantage of them somehow. Whenever possible, present additional tasks as optional and in such a way that employees feel comfortable declining.
As annoying as it can be to hear “That's not in my job description,” it's often a message to you that things are not quite right with at least one employee. You need to take the following actions:
Initiate a private conversation with the employee. Invite him or her to meet with you in your office or in a conference room. Ask, in a nonconfrontational manner, what the employee meant.
Listen actively and openly. Such employees do not come to the point quickly, and they may not fully understand the point until they talks their way to it.
Try to understand the employee's framework and background, as much as this is possible. Perhaps the person comes from another department or company where the division of labor was clearly defined and no one crossed it.
If this is a situation of control, see if there are other ways to address the underlying issues.
If the employee believes another employee is getting away with a light workload, address the matter with the other employee.
Explain the expectations that you and the company have of this employee and others. Sometimes it's necessary to revisit and update expectations, particularly if the employee has worked for the company for several years.
If you want the person to do something that truly is beyond the scope of the job description, explain why. Make it clear that you respect and value the contributions he or she is already making to the work group and to the company. Help the employee to see that there is a benefit in taking on the additional tasks or responsibilities.
Can an employee legitimately refuse assigned tasks not within his or her job description?
Of course anyone can refuse an assignment. But not without consequences, which may range from re-evaluation of the job's requirements to disciplinary action, including dismissal. In most circumstances, employment is a negotiation that starts and ends with an employee's ability to meet the needs of the company.
It's a rare job where there aren't unexpected circumstances or changes that require additional work. The tradition of teamwork is that everyone pitches in, equitably, to get the job done. If you have an employee whom you know resists (or refuses) additional tasks, ask this employee to do things that are within the scope of the job description. Most job descriptions define tasks and responsibilities, not the amount of time they require. It's difficult for an employee to legitimately refuse a request to do more of something that is in his or her job description. Just be sure to make it clear whether this is an exception or if there are new expectations about how much work employees should handle. Many companies include the phrase “and other duties as assigned” in all job descriptions to avoid the technicality of this battle.
