Comments on: This is Not in My Job Description http://workawesome.com/career/this-is-not-in-my-job-description/ Work Better. Live Better. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:16:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Steven http://workawesome.com/career/this-is-not-in-my-job-description/#comment-213234 Steven Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:08:26 +0000 http://workawesome.com/?p=869#comment-213234 First off, I think it's horrible that an article like this has to be written in the first place. It is truly pathetic the way companies treat ther employees these days, and shold be ashamed of themselves. What needs to underlined here, is just how greatly "at will" hiring has ruined the working world. Not only in terms of employee abuse, but also in terms of companies putting more people on unemployment and further burdening government systems and all of us as taxpayers! As far as this article goes, though, I will take my self worth and esteem over corporate trampling any day. Our legislators are at fault for bowing to corporate lobbyists who care nothing about humanity... And allow us to be treated like crap. First off, I think it’s horrible that an article like this has to be written in the first place. It is truly pathetic the way companies treat ther employees these days, and shold be ashamed of themselves. What needs to underlined here, is just how greatly “at will” hiring has ruined the working world. Not only in terms of employee abuse, but also in terms of companies putting more people on unemployment and further burdening government systems and all of us as taxpayers! As far as this article goes, though, I will take my self worth and esteem over corporate trampling any day. Our legislators are at fault for bowing to corporate lobbyists who care nothing about humanity… And allow us to be treated like crap.

]]> By: Kathy http://workawesome.com/career/this-is-not-in-my-job-description/#comment-197563 Kathy Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:18:03 +0000 http://workawesome.com/?p=869#comment-197563 I, too, nodded the entire way through this article. I have a question about a job my boss asks everyone to do at our office. Should we expect our company cover our liability insurance because of what our boss asks us to do (and does himself)? He asks us to drive students who attend our alternative school and their infant children various places. He also does this. This has been going on for nearly two years. When I asked about obtaining or being reimbursed for an umbrella policy (because of the liability) he avoided me for months. I finally added the invoice to my expense report and he declined to pay. He cited that driving students and their infant children is not part of my job description. So true. I will add that when one employee declined to drive students, he spoke negatively of him in front of the entire office while applauding the staff member who agreed to drive the students. It is my impression that either he wants us to pay for our own umbrella policies or that he doesn't mind putting all our jobs at stake. Has he gone too far? I, too, nodded the entire way through this article. I have a question about a job my boss asks everyone to do at our office. Should we expect our company cover our liability insurance because of what our boss asks us to do (and does himself)? He asks us to drive students who attend our alternative school and their infant children various places. He also does this. This has been going on for nearly two years. When I asked about obtaining or being reimbursed for an umbrella policy (because of the liability) he avoided me for months. I finally added the invoice to my expense report and he declined to pay. He cited that driving students and their infant children is not part of my job description. So true. I will add that when one employee declined to drive students, he spoke negatively of him in front of the entire office while applauding the staff member who agreed to drive the students. It is my impression that either he wants us to pay for our own umbrella policies or that he doesn’t mind putting all our jobs at stake. Has he gone too far?

]]> By: Steve http://workawesome.com/career/this-is-not-in-my-job-description/#comment-176273 Steve Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:12:34 +0000 http://workawesome.com/?p=869#comment-176273 I am reading this after just giving my notice. I too disagree with this article. A little background....New boss was hired. Starts off with an action item letter that basically accuses me of being lazy. Next of course comes twice the work. A couple months go by and he asks me to wash his car and vacuum it out for him.....stunned that he could be that big of a jerk, I allowed a bad precedent to be set, which I am usually good at not letting happen. He then demands that I call him twice per day and let him know what I'm doing.....I politely refuse to do it. After a month of his urging he says that I'm putting him in a difficult position....which of course he won't describe (He's second only to the CEO). He then sends me an email stating that he's holding my expense reimbursements until I comply....which is BS, if even legal as it's MY money. Tired of his crap I submitted my notice. Here's the deal. You are entitled to suffer any bad precedent you allow to be set. However, there's nothing wrong with being a team player either. If you're advancing the cause and you're ok with it.....fine. A pat on the back can go a long way. If you're not ok with it and say nothing....it's YOUR FAULT. If your employer truly feels you have your job as an act of company charity, advise them that you're replacement should come from a homeless shelter. The bottom line is you were hired because you were the best selection of those who applied. Eventually a failure to find and retain good employees either teaches a company to change their ways or puts them out of business. Hiring for the same position repeatedly is also expensive. You were hired to do a job, not to sacrifice your dignity. I am reading this after just giving my notice. I too disagree with this article. A little background….New boss was hired. Starts off with an action item letter that basically accuses me of being lazy. Next of course comes twice the work. A couple months go by and he asks me to wash his car and vacuum it out for him…..stunned that he could be that big of a jerk, I allowed a bad precedent to be set, which I am usually good at not letting happen. He then demands that I call him twice per day and let him know what I’m doing…..I politely refuse to do it. After a month of his urging he says that I’m putting him in a difficult position….which of course he won’t describe (He’s second only to the CEO). He then sends me an email stating that he’s holding my expense reimbursements until I comply….which is BS, if even legal as it’s MY money. Tired of his crap I submitted my notice.
Here’s the deal. You are entitled to suffer any bad precedent you allow to be set. However, there’s nothing wrong with being a team player either. If you’re advancing the cause and you’re ok with it…..fine. A pat on the back can go a long way. If you’re not ok with it and say nothing….it’s YOUR FAULT. If your employer truly feels you have your job as an act of company charity, advise them that you’re replacement should come from a homeless shelter. The bottom line is you were hired because you were the best selection of those who applied. Eventually a failure to find and retain good employees either teaches a company to change their ways or puts them out of business. Hiring for the same position repeatedly is also expensive. You were hired to do a job, not to sacrifice your dignity.

]]> By: Sam http://workawesome.com/career/this-is-not-in-my-job-description/#comment-174093 Sam Tue, 13 Dec 2011 11:56:56 +0000 http://workawesome.com/?p=869#comment-174093 Yeah this is very true. I'm an in house graphic designer for a lighting company and I have to do a ton of stuff for everyone else to look good and never get credited. For example. a Huge presentation for John Lewis I did the entire thing (43 pages of detailed photography, cut out images specs and design) in one day for a colleague and the presentation i'm told went very well and the guy i did this presentation for was praised by our boss for "Such a fantastic job on the presentation" and this colleague also was praised for the style and design of his amazing presentation. Not once was my effort and overtime mentioned or even acknowledged. But that's life, and as much as I hate no getting credit. I can take pride in the fact that this is all helping towards a healthy portfolio and will eventually help me to get a much better job in graphic design for a larger agency at better pay. Working towards a dream here. Got to keep my head down. Yeah this is very true. I’m an in house graphic designer for a lighting company and I have to do a ton of stuff for everyone else to look good and never get credited. For example. a Huge presentation for John Lewis I did the entire thing (43 pages of detailed photography, cut out images specs and design) in one day for a colleague and the presentation i’m told went very well and the guy i did this presentation for was praised by our boss for “Such a fantastic job on the presentation” and this colleague also was praised for the style and design of his amazing presentation. Not once was my effort and overtime mentioned or even acknowledged. But that’s life, and as much as I hate no getting credit. I can take pride in the fact that this is all helping towards a healthy portfolio and will eventually help me to get a much better job in graphic design for a larger agency at better pay. Working towards a dream here. Got to keep my head down.

]]> By: Sara http://workawesome.com/career/this-is-not-in-my-job-description/#comment-142451 Sara Fri, 28 Oct 2011 04:36:28 +0000 http://workawesome.com/?p=869#comment-142451 Hello all, today my supervisor attacked me with anger. I am an accountant and working for a small company for last five years, I was reporting to the CFO directly, but once CFO decided to hire his close friend, from around two years ago I have to report to his friend. He is so rude, loses his temper so fast, disrespectful in society, and looking for any reason to put me down. I used to do all accounting jobs: AP/AR/ Expense reports and etc..but he decided to hire another person and took part of accounting job from my tray, and instead gave me Secretary job! Answering phones, ordering foods, placing office supplies... Although I am doing a great collecting job, so they didn't take AR ...so I am processing all accounts receivable job plus all the works that a secretary does. First year when he came to picture and started to verbally abuse me, I got my first panic attack, I started to take medication: Zoloft and Lorazepam to take it easy. With this medication I am a happy worker, I smile all the time in office, like every body loves Raymond...now every body loves Sara at work!! But I should say I am totally disagree with the writer, why? Today right between invoicing the customers, he asked me to call janitor because men restroom is dirty!! I told him I just called them yesterday, made a complain last week, and right now I am in middle of some important work...he came chest to chest pushed me back!! I was shocked, confused and I couldn't stop my tears...I took two steps back and ran to humman resource, to make the story short....what a mess...friends advised me to go to go home, make a documented report and since HR person was on meeting to send an email from home to him. I did same thing, and I was so stupid to call my husband and told him what happened....he is a senor engineer and very well known in bayarea...he calmly told me don't worry and just document everything . I don't blame him, but he drove to our company and told my supervisor if you touch my wife, I kill you! Well my supervisor called 911, and they had a short conversation with my supervisor and me and the human resource. They told me my husband shouldn't do this, and I need to document everything. My supervisor is an angry, bully person (in his sixties) .. I feel threatened...so scared, but he denied all, he said I was planning all this in advance to make him look like bad!! My idea is you have a personality, and you have self steem, don't let anyone to bully you or boss you around.. I have done factory job when I was younger ( I am a lady and forty three years old)...I have experienced sleeping at night hungry because I didn't have money...I know what hungry means, but I also know what means when you end up getting nervous break down. If they fire me, I sue the company, if I go down, I take my supervisor down too with me. This should be a lesson for all employers to take the HR complains serious. Although HR told me they are happy from my performance but I don't trust them. The asked me to go to office tomorrow to talk to them and have a new work plan. Even though they fire me, I don't care, I have a personality, an accountant at 43 years old can't be a janitor to concerns about men s restroom cleaning!! Hello all, today my supervisor attacked me with anger.

I am an accountant and working for a small company for last five years, I was reporting to the CFO directly, but once CFO decided to hire his close friend, from around two years ago I have to report to his friend.

He is so rude, loses his temper so fast, disrespectful in society, and looking for any reason to put me down.

I used to do all accounting jobs: AP/AR/ Expense reports and etc..but he decided to hire
another person and took part of accounting job from my tray, and instead gave me Secretary job! Answering phones, ordering foods, placing office supplies…

Although I am doing a great collecting job, so they didn’t take AR …so I am processing all accounts receivable job plus all the works that a secretary does.

First year when he came to picture and started to verbally abuse me, I got my first panic attack, I started to take medication: Zoloft and Lorazepam to take it easy.

With this medication I am a happy worker, I smile all the time in office, like every body loves Raymond…now every body loves Sara at work!!

But I should say I am totally disagree with the writer, why? Today right between invoicing the customers, he asked me to call janitor because men restroom is dirty!!
I told him I just called them yesterday, made a complain last week, and right now I am in middle of some important work…he came chest to chest pushed me back!! I was shocked, confused and I couldn’t stop my tears…I took two steps back and ran to humman resource, to make the story short….what a mess…friends advised me to go to go home, make a documented report and since HR person was on meeting to send an email from home to him. I did same thing, and I was so stupid to call my husband and told him what happened….he is a senor engineer and very well
known in bayarea…he calmly told me don’t worry and just document everything .

I don’t blame him, but he drove to our company and told my supervisor if you touch my wife, I kill you!

Well my supervisor called 911, and they had a short conversation with my supervisor and me and the human resource. They told me my husband shouldn’t do this, and I need to document everything.

My supervisor is an angry, bully person (in his sixties) .. I feel threatened…so scared, but he denied all, he said I was planning all this in advance to make him look like bad!!

My idea is you have a personality, and you have self steem, don’t let anyone to bully you or boss you around..

I have done factory job when I was younger ( I am a lady and forty three years old)…I have experienced sleeping at night hungry because I didn’t have money…I know what hungry means, but I also know what means when you end up getting nervous break down.

If they fire me, I sue the company, if I go down, I take my supervisor down too with me. This should be a lesson for all employers to take the HR complains serious.

Although HR told me they are happy from my performance but I don’t trust them. The asked me to go to office tomorrow to talk to them and have a new work plan.
Even though they fire me, I don’t care, I have a personality, an accountant at 43 years old can’t be a janitor to concerns about men s restroom cleaning!!

]]> By: AnonymousJoe http://workawesome.com/career/this-is-not-in-my-job-description/#comment-139650 AnonymousJoe Mon, 24 Oct 2011 17:36:22 +0000 http://workawesome.com/?p=869#comment-139650 Heard that and I guess we're all getting pimped BIGTIME! I like what you have to say and I dream about when I drop "THE TWO WEEKS NOTICE BOMB"! BUT, as you said getting a job ain't easy! I just want to add that my boss is FAT, WEARS A WIG EVERYDAY, DUMB AS DIRT, AND HAS NO SELF ESTEEM WHAT-SO-EVA! I feel better now! Heard that and I guess we’re all getting pimped BIGTIME! I like what you have to say and I dream about when I drop “THE TWO WEEKS NOTICE BOMB”! BUT, as you said getting a job ain’t easy!

I just want to add that my boss is FAT, WEARS A WIG EVERYDAY, DUMB AS DIRT, AND HAS NO SELF ESTEEM WHAT-SO-EVA!

I feel better now!

]]> By: Albert http://workawesome.com/career/this-is-not-in-my-job-description/#comment-136953 Albert Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:22:09 +0000 http://workawesome.com/?p=869#comment-136953 Just smile, grin and bare it, and do whatever the boss asks you to do. You will be rewarded for it in the end. This has never worked for me, with any boss I've had. It's complete rubbish and totally unrealistic. The overwhelming majority of bosses will simply interpret your willingness to capitulate as a sign of weakness and as a green light to take further advantage of you. As the old saying goes: If you give someone an inch, they'll take a mile. You always have the right to say 'NO', and you don't relinquish that right simply because you happen to be an employee of someone else. Don't listen to all the lectures to the contrary. The people doing the lecturing are either brainwashed, or bosses themselves. Just smile, grin and bare it, and do whatever the boss asks you to do. You will be rewarded for it in the end. This has never worked for me, with any boss I’ve had. It’s complete rubbish and totally unrealistic. The overwhelming majority of bosses will simply interpret your willingness to capitulate as a sign of weakness and as a green light to take further advantage of you. As the old saying goes: If you give someone an inch, they’ll take a mile. You always have the right to say ‘NO’, and you don’t relinquish that right simply because you happen to be an employee of someone else. Don’t listen to all the lectures to the contrary. The people doing the lecturing are either brainwashed, or bosses themselves.

]]> By: nichelle http://workawesome.com/career/this-is-not-in-my-job-description/#comment-135959 nichelle Wed, 19 Oct 2011 01:43:02 +0000 http://workawesome.com/?p=869#comment-135959 wow, some people here really don't seem to get it. either you must have a GREAT job or you haven't been a victim of this recession. who gives a crap about how things SHOULD be? we have to live with the way IT IS. is it right that i got hired to do customer service at a print shop but in addition to that i now also do all of the social media managing, graphic design and web design/building for no extra pay or title changes? NO. can i just say, "sorry i'm not doing all this," and expect to keep my job? maybe. but how the hell do i know that for sure? the reason i got all of the graphic design work is because the graphic designer got fired! "having balls," has nothing to do with it. at a job i had a couple years ago i had no problem telling my bosses that certain things weren't in my job description... but i also had no problems finding jobs then. after being laid off twice in one year it took me 7 months of applying to jobs every single day to finally get hired somewhere. so to say, "if you're not happy with your boss then get a new one," is an incredibly ridiculous thing to say in 2011. sure you'll EVENTUALLY get a new job if you keep applying but that 'could' literally take months/years. you think i'm going to risk not having a job again after going through that hell for almost a year? i think not. it's a crappy feeling to come to work everyday and bust your ass while knowing you're underpaid.... but, i do have to remind myself that at the end of the day, unlike a LOT of people, i do have a job (that's in my field) and i'm making a hell of a lot more than i did on unemployment... AND this all looks good on my resume. this has been great motivation to work hard to grow my side business so hopefully i'll be my own boss one day and not have to work for someone else... but unfortunately that day probably isn't going to come soon for me and for a lot of people, it never will. wow, some people here really don’t seem to get it. either you must have a GREAT job or you haven’t been a victim of this recession.

who gives a crap about how things SHOULD be? we have to live with the way IT IS. is it right that i got hired to do customer service at a print shop but in addition to that i now also do all of the social media managing, graphic design and web design/building for no extra pay or title changes? NO. can i just say, “sorry i’m not doing all this,” and expect to keep my job? maybe. but how the hell do i know that for sure? the reason i got all of the graphic design work is because the graphic designer got fired! “having balls,” has nothing to do with it. at a job i had a couple years ago i had no problem telling my bosses that certain things weren’t in my job description… but i also had no problems finding jobs then. after being laid off twice in one year it took me 7 months of applying to jobs every single day to finally get hired somewhere. so to say, “if you’re not happy with your boss then get a new one,” is an incredibly ridiculous thing to say in 2011. sure you’ll EVENTUALLY get a new job if you keep applying but that ‘could’ literally take months/years. you think i’m going to risk not having a job again after going through that hell for almost a year? i think not.

it’s a crappy feeling to come to work everyday and bust your ass while knowing you’re underpaid…. but, i do have to remind myself that at the end of the day, unlike a LOT of people, i do have a job (that’s in my field) and i’m making a hell of a lot more than i did on unemployment… AND this all looks good on my resume. this has been great motivation to work hard to grow my side business so hopefully i’ll be my own boss one day and not have to work for someone else… but unfortunately that day probably isn’t going to come soon for me and for a lot of people, it never will.

]]> By: Michelle http://workawesome.com/career/this-is-not-in-my-job-description/#comment-129503 Michelle Sun, 09 Oct 2011 07:20:20 +0000 http://workawesome.com/?p=869#comment-129503 I find this article ridiculous and insulting to employees everywhere. Bosses are human beings, as are their employees. Unless the job description is "personal assistant" there is no reason for anyone to feel obliged to run personal errands OR DO SOMETHING ILLEGAL for their boss. Just because we have a high unemployment rate doesn't mean that we should give up our personal lives for work. By following the ideas promoted in this article, it's sending the message to working people everywhere that this is ok. When/how did this become ok? Paid employees are not slaves and if someone is hired as a web designer, they're there to design, not to pick people up from the airport or falsify data. What happens when you get caught and go to jail? The boss sure as hell isn't going to stick up for you. I feel sorry for anyone who feels that they need to do any of this in order to keep their job. There are so many other options than staying in an abusive situation like that. And that's what I would consider the type of employment described in this article, abuse. A good employer does not ask an employee to do anything illegal and does not run them ragged completing tasks that they were not hired to do. I mean seriously, driving for 90 minutes on icy roads? Tell your boss to call a taxi or tow truck! I find this article ridiculous and insulting to employees everywhere. Bosses are human beings, as are their employees. Unless the job description is “personal assistant” there is no reason for anyone to feel obliged to run personal errands OR DO SOMETHING ILLEGAL for their boss.

Just because we have a high unemployment rate doesn’t mean that we should give up our personal lives for work. By following the ideas promoted in this article, it’s sending the message to working people everywhere that this is ok. When/how did this become ok? Paid employees are not slaves and if someone is hired as a web designer, they’re there to design, not to pick people up from the airport or falsify data. What happens when you get caught and go to jail? The boss sure as hell isn’t going to stick up for you.

I feel sorry for anyone who feels that they need to do any of this in order to keep their job. There are so many other options than staying in an abusive situation like that. And that’s what I would consider the type of employment described in this article, abuse. A good employer does not ask an employee to do anything illegal and does not run them ragged completing tasks that they were not hired to do. I mean seriously, driving for 90 minutes on icy roads? Tell your boss to call a taxi or tow truck!

]]> By: Touchet http://workawesome.com/career/this-is-not-in-my-job-description/#comment-120468 Touchet Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:10:52 +0000 http://workawesome.com/?p=869#comment-120468 Here is the deal. When the boss asks you to drive there car, wreck it. Then, when you are hurt and have to pay for the damages, sue them and the company for millions and you won't have to work again. They will be out of a job and you will be rich. Here is the deal. When the boss asks you to drive there car, wreck it. Then, when you are hurt and have to pay for the damages, sue them and the company for millions and you won’t have to work again. They will be out of a job and you will be rich.

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