Q&A: Can your boss make you do things not on your job description?
December 12th, 2011 | 
Author: Question by skipper: Can your boss make you do things not on your job description?
I was hired to to 1 job and now for over a year I have been doing my job plus another important job. I asked my boss for a title change and more money money and his response was” We can have you do anything we want”. I understand that sometimes you are needed to pick up the slack when others maybe out. But I have taken on the whole Kanban process for our plant. This is a very important function and I am the only at our plant that does it. It is not on my job description as I am listed as INJECTION MOLDING SR. If i say I dont want to do it anymore they will hold it against me. What good is a job description if they can make you do whatever they want. P.S. I work in California if that matters.
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Answer by TedEx
They can, and it sounds like they are giving you a choice: do it or look for another job,.
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They can’t exactly make you do the other duties, but can and likely will fire you if they ask you to do additional things and you refuse. You are forgetting that YOU work for THEM, not the other way around.
” We can have you do anything we want” – he is correct.
You will find your job description likely contains some wording to the effect of – “…and other tasks as needed”. This language is included specifically so they can tell you to do whatever they want you to do.
The boss is right. You do what they tell you. How over entitled of you.
These days, just having a job seems to be a luxury. In addition, there are fewer and fewer opportunities to learn new stuff on the company’s dime. You may have increased your workload in an economic downturn, but if the economy ever improves, the fact that you can do the job of two different people becomes your bargaining chip later, whether you demand more money equal to your value or go somewhere else that values your additional skills.
If I were an employer, any employee wanting to stay in one place, not pitch in to help by learning new skills, and not willing to add value to his employment would be placed on an early layoff list. Sure they will hold it against you. Without good reason, as stated below, I would too.
If you are being overworked, placed in unsafe working conditions or generally undervalued for your work, you either need to address it with the company or take your added skills and go elsewhere.
On the other hand, if you absolutely HATE the activities added to or consuming your workday, your best option would be to go elsewhere and make it clear upfront before hire that your best performance is bogged down by that particular activity. Do it in such a way that you promote your other skills that you enjoy as having higher value to the company. But never protest an expansion of your job description. Those things are only a guide anyway.
Personally, I would NEVER take a job that confined my to a specific job description. For me, it would be like a prison sentence. In fact, I would never be happy in a company that didn’t require ‘thinking outside the box’. That’s where innovation comes from.
unless you are in a union or have written employemnt contract your job description can change minute to minute, you work in an at will state which means if you refuse to do what you are asked they can refuse to employ you.
even in employee friendly CA you have no case, And if they let you go you would also be ineligible EDD.
An employer reserves the right to change job duties and work hours at their discretion as business needs arise. As long as what they are asking you to do is not illegal or immoral (against the law) then they are within their right to do so. You may not like it, but they have the right to give you other tasks to do than what is on your job description. I would be there in the job description or in your employee handbook they have a phrase similar to “And all other tasks deemed necessary by management” or something like “_____ company reserves the right to amend or change this job description….”
Yes, if you refuse to do the additional duties they can fire you for insubordination. (Your refusal to do tasks assigned to you)
Every actually READ the formal job description? I’ve read many and have written quite a few in my 40+ years in the workforce. The last line of virtually every one that I’ve ever read and every single one that I’ve written myself concluded with the line, “…and any other duties or tasks as assigned.”
Essentially that disclaimer says that if you are physically capable of doing the task, you have to do it if ordered to. And yes, that would include cleaning toilets even though I’m an engineer by trade.
If your boss isn’t interested in giving you a better title or money, make note of what you are doing and the benefits to the company. Bring that up at your wage or salary review, and be sure to include it in your resume when you start looking for another job.
do you have a contract or are you covered by a CBA that specifically states what your job description is and that it can not be changed? didn’t think so……..
do as asked or suffer the consequences……
I think by assigning these work they wanted to check your skills which would be later help you to get better post in your job, as far as i know, some employers make employee to do the work which is not listed in their job description, as a employee/ humanity we should listen them few times. If you dont like speak with your employer politely with sense of humor.