Thread

Hiya,

Not sure if this will apply to everyone here but was just wondering what you can do when you have the silly clause in your job contract that reads something along the lines of :

Expected to do anything else that is asked of them in relation to their job role

or something like that anyway. Usually the last clause in a contract.

I just ask as I have been working at a Commercial Production house in the UK now for the past 8 years or so and I am now Senior Producer where we make radio adverts, jingles and do audio to video. Basically anything involving sound.

My boss though seems to think that I should be re-designing the web-site because it comes under that clause.

My question here is :

“Yes I have the knowledge to do so but just because I can does it mean that I should or indeed should be expected to do so?”

If I didn’t have knowledge of coding then I probably wouldn’t be asked to do so and I just feel that a lot is placed on to me above and beyond my workload due to the fact that I have a lot of hobbies in my own life.

Just wondering what other people perhaps do in this situation and whether or not you think this is fair or not. A lot of the time I feel as though my job is under fire if I don’t do what is asked of me yet I don’t think that I should be doing a lot of it even though I am capable of doing so. I mean if this was sent to a person who charges for this sort of thing then they would have to pay. I just feel I am being used a lot of the time by a lot of people. Sob sob boo hoo I hear you all say!! 😊

Anyway any thoughts or suggestions would be gladly welcomed as it is always me that has to do any extra work and no-one else is ever asked to do this so was just wondering if I have any options, legal or otherwise?

Best wishes,

Mark

Of course it’s not fair - nothing is in business. Put yourself in your boss’s shoes - how can this work be done easily…

You best option is to talk it through with your boss so that you both understand what your objectives and priorities are to make sure it does not impact on what you are meant to be doing. If you don’t think you can fit it all in then you need to flag this and work out a schedule of what you think can be done by when. Second guess what your boss is going to ask or suggest.

You certainly will find that in smaller companies that you are asked to do anything that’s needed and often that is an attraction of working in a small company. I don’t any more and miss that! I worked in a very small PR company many years ago and started off the art department. On my own I built a darkroom because they couldn’t afford to get one built. That was fun!

You have to be flexible these days but talking it through is always the best option.

If you already have a full workload, I’d suggesting asking the boss whether he really thinks this other stuff is the best use of your time for what he’s paying you. This works even better if you’re an hourly employee (overtime!!!) but you’re probably on salary, am I right?

Thing is, if you are on salary you’re almost certainly being paid to do management-level stuff even if you’re not called a manager, which means you’re helping take some of that load off him. The more time you have to spend doing other, marginally related stuff, the more time and attention he’ll have to devote to things he has probably gotten accustomed to delegating to you.

It’s important he understand that, so that he doesn’t suddenly wonder why he’s having to do things you used to do for him. You don’t want him blaming you for his having diverted you from your main role.

Mark, just tell him you’ll do the redesign but that you’ll be unavailable for other work for the next 8 weeks or so… that’ll make ‘em think twice 😊

Mark, just tell him you’ll do the redesign but that you’ll be unavailable for other work for the next 8 weeks or so… that’ll make ‘em think twice 😊

Right on! If he really values your web skills then it’s worth asking for some sort of compensation for the job. Maybe negotiate some extra holiday, a bonus or something like that?

The clause “or anything else that’s related” is pretty commonplace, it’s like a get out thing so the employer can use you for anything, rather than be limited to certian tasks.

I used to suffer the same thing at my previous employment (the people who deliver mail in the UK…lol). My job grade was officially a manager, despite everything I did being technical (server management + tecchie stuff). There were times where I had to cover some department because of sick leave etc which I hated (imagine going from a tech environment to something like personnel at the drop of a hat - totally different environments!). The point is that my employer saw me as “just another manager” and therefore able to do any management role as required, I didn’t really have any choice on most occasions.

Mark, just tell him you’ll do the redesign but that you’ll be unavailable for other work for the next 8 weeks or so… that’ll make ‘em think twice 😊

Hmm I don’t think he’d like that somehow 😉

Actually I get what you are all saying but I am thinking more along the lines that let’s say I was an Accountant yet I knew how to fix cars and my boss expects me to service all the cars in the company just because I can. Surely this isn’t right is it?

I know that this is a different example but I think that it goes along the same lines really. This is not something that I was employed for as I was employed to work as a sound engineer not a web-designer. I know unfortunately there is that darned clause but surely there must be some line that legally should be drawn somewhere surely?

Cheers,

Mark

I’m a little confused as to how the clause is even applicable. It states “in relation to their job role” - web design isn’t related to the role of senior producer any more than accountant is related to mechanic.

Hi Andy,

Yep that’s my point although I just feel that I am constantly put into these situations and feel like my job is going to be under threat if I don’t do what is asked of me because of the clause. Really a difficult situation to be in.

Best wishes,

Mark

Here’s a clause for you, “you can be terminated for any or no reason”.
I highly doubt that one’s in your contract, or I’ld be surpised anyways.
Big box retail has that for their hourly help, can you believe that one?

Maybe pick a list of other duties you’ld have to delegate to find the time. I’m not sure why you wouldn’t want to do the site knowing your expertise, that is if you have full control of the art and everything else.
If the site would be a compromise to your normal quality, then no.

Hiya,

Thanks for the info. I don’t think that the “or no reason” would be allowed over here because if you are terminated (sounds so Arnie that does 😉 ) you not only have the right to appeal but you have full legal right to know why you have been terminated. You can’t just get rid of someone without them having a reason for having done so. Yes admittedly you can be made redundant if a company is making cut-backs but there are still legal channels that have to be followed. I would hope for the companies sake that none of them would try to just sack someone without an explanation or they could be for the high jump I would expect.

I know that with my expertise (about 1% at the moment 😉 ) that I will be able to do what we need without a problem but it’s more the fact that I know that while I am going to be doing this that I will still be expected to do everything else that I do too. It seems like I’m the only one in the company who ever has to pick up slack and do everyone else’s work whenever it is asked of me. If ever I need any help with things then I not only don’t get it but in a lot of the cases wouldn’t be able to get it as I have been roped in to do items that only I can do. No one else in the company has the knowledge. Sure we could get someone out-sourced to fill in but they would just never do that so I am stuck in a bit of a downward / upward spiral and just find it a little annoying at times.

As I said before yes I have the knowledge to do this without a problem but I think that it’s more the fact that just because I know how to do something that it is expected of me.

Another example would be that I am also a holder of a helicopter pilots license (just personal hobby use) and I know that there’s no way my boss would ever suggest me flying anyone to any meetings or anything but then again it comes to just because I can doesn’t mean that I have to surely? If he ever did ask then I would have the safety net of the law behind me as there is no way that I would pay for the flight and as I am not a commercially trained pilot then the money would not legally be allowed to come to me from anyone else and no-one could pay me to do the flight. As I have the law behind me then there is no way that could be forced on me but I don’t have any legal come back on this one so I just feel like I am always being backed into a corner all the while.

When I first started at the company about 8 years ago now I had never created a database in my life before apart from on the net. I was expected (just because I was good with computers) to go away and create a database for the company to use. I had to go away and learn Filemaker and create our company database which we have now been using for 8 years and without which the company couldn’t operate. Yes it’s great what I have created and if we didn’t have it then we would have to be doing things very very differently in fact it would almost be impossible to search through the literally hundreds of thousands of scripts if they were all just on paper so I understand that this was a much needed part of the company but the fact that I wasn’t employed to be a database creator and in fact a studio engineer just peeves me a little. I remember reading about a lady on the internet who used Filemaker to create nothing more than what was essentially an address book for their company which had around 5000 employees. Yes our company is only around 10 employees but our database does everything from storing client details, entire adverts which includes scripts, end audio mp3 files and deals with the whole of our invoicing and PRS returns automatically. In the article I read the database the lady had created saved the company around £500,000 a year. We don’t even make that much a year yet our database does SO much more that I just felt that it would be nice to have some kind of recompense for creating it but it just seems that if I don’t do these things that my job is on the line.

Anyway it’s probably just me moaning and pretty sure that this happens to many other people but was just wondering if there was any way around all this jiggery pokery!

Perhaps I should lose my memory for a few months and see how well the company does then!! 😉 😊 😉

Best wishes,

Mark

Agh I miss filemaker…cdml… 😊
To,yet again, be devil’s advocate….how come you didn’t see this line 8 yrs ago and said no to the job?
There is also an option of saying “NO” in a nice way, you are not there for your boss to like you but to apprechaite the work you do on advertising side.
I would ask him if he has made this offer since he thinks that:
-your busniess is slowing down and there is not enough for you to do
-you are bad at what you do now
-you have spare time to kill
-this offer came as incentive to earn extra

Years ago, I worked as wan/lan/dba/webdesinger/you-power-it-i-admin (in their eyes - just a computer guy) where due to some financial difficules they decided to downsize and then ask me if I ‘would not mind’ helping unloading freight of trucks in their warehouse for ‘just a few hrs a day’.
I went home, updated my resume, got angry at the fact I didn’t invent monster.com and re-relized how little I was apprechiated. 😊 needless to say…moved onto bigger & better things.
The fact you did not jump up in the air and said “sure, I would love to do it” is a good indication of what you really feel about it.
All the best!

Well when you have just left one job due to months of stress and then find another which looks like it is going to be perfect sometimes you miss the small print!! 😉

Saying no though just seems impossible as it is just expected of me unfortunately. Our business isn’t slowing down in fact it has only ever grown which is good admittedly, pretty sure I’m not bad at what I do otherwise I would have thought I would have been let go ages ago. In 8 years I have made over 30,000 radio adverts, jingles and other such items which is more than some people make in a lifetime 😉 spare time to kill!! I wish 😊 Earn extra? Not a chance 😉

The problem is that it isn’t a “Can you do this instead for a while” but “Can you do this whilst doing all the other work!”. I wouldn’t mind but no-one understands it at all and so they don’t get what it takes to undertake creating a web-site. I will be setting up, installing, coding, designing and doing all the graphics work myself with no help from anyone else. Try to explain that to anyone there though and that is impossible as they don’t care about that side of things and just say to me “Ah well we know you’ll be able to do it”! The problem being that they always want to put an exact end date on everything. This is pretty impossible when you are expected to jump between designing a site, creating radio adverts and all the other items that I have to do but you try explaining that to anyone and it is just impossible, believe me I have tried numerous times!!

Well I’m off to bed now ready for the next day, and worst in radio production! Everyone always wants 20 adverts on a Friday afternoon making that are going on air on the Monday and they don’t have any scripts ready, voices in mind or anything!! Fun day ahead I should think!!! 😊 😉 😊

Best wishes,

Mark

😊 I totally unedrstand Mark where you are coming from.
Then maybe try to explain that it will take a loooooong time to get this done considering all other duties you have and what all it takes to get the site done. That way you can aliviate some of the time pressure and can get this done at your own speed. It seems like you enjoy doing web stuff anyhow and it is a matter of ‘doing it unedr your terms’. No stress, no false expectations and you walk away a hero with antoher entry in your web-design portfolio 😉
Just antoher way to look at it!
Hang in there.
All the best!

Yep I will have to hang in there. Unfortunately as they don’t understand how long things take and explaining this to them is totally impossible as they don’t want to hear as they see it excuses then I don’t unfortunately get the luxury of time, oh well back to the grind stone I guess!

Best wishes,

Mark

Hi Mark, I know I’m a little late to the conversation but I don’t get to read the forums but once or twice a week…

Your situation is one that I’ve found myself in a time or two, so I have an idea of what you are experiencing.  Fortunately, there ARE good ways of handling such scenarios but the exact method will vary depending on your communication style and that of your manager.

I view this as a negotiation between you and your manager and it would be my inclination to approach it as such.  In a successful negotiation, it is generally important to start out with the positive stuff…  Perhaps how nice it is nice that your talents are recognized and appreciated, and that it makes you happy to be able to contribute to the health and growth of the organization in a variety of ways.

Similarly, it is also important to recognize the other person’s perspective without making too many assumptions…  Maybe along the lines of how good web developers can be expensive and/or difficult to find, or that “hired guns” don’t always do as good of a job.  I realize my examples may seem a little lame but I’m just hoping to get your wheels turning.

Third, state your position clearly and unemotionally - It could be that you are concerned that your effectiveness will be called into question if you are unable to keep up with the ever-increasing workload and fall victim to a lack of focus.  Remember that you are seeking a mutually beneficial outcome and it probably won’t hurt to say this out loud.

Finally, no negotiation (or sales pitch) is complete without a call to action.  You need to ask for a resolution of some kind - and I won’t try to give examples here since they would be way off base.  Ask your manager to do exactly what you want to have happen…  DON’T MAKE HIM/HER GUESS!

There are volumes of great books written on effectively managing all sorts of interpersonal situations.  If the advice in this thread doesn’t seem adequate then it may be a good opportunity to catch up on some of the great literature in this field.  I will try to post a list of my personal favorites sometime this weekend.