Taken for granted or part of the job?
Discussion
Long story short: I work for a large IT company and have done so for the last 4 years (I'm the youngest here by many years, average age is about 40.) As well as my main duties, I do lots of other jobs. In the last 4 years or so I feel like I've become the 'he'll do it' guy for work that needs doing because either
a) there isn't a job role for that area of work and that work needs doing
b) someone can't be bothered to do it
c) i'm thorough in my work and work methodically and to a high standard - tasks that require attention to detail and good construction/layout get put upon me because i'm trusted to do so (which is a good thing, sometimes)
The main issue is I'm doing some tasks that are what I consider above my pay grade, such as managing people and chasing people for work (i'm not a manager) and carrying out work that isn't necessarily a part of my role, but because there is no one to do the piece of work, it gets put to me to do. Some of the work is for areas that are way above my pay grade.
I went to my ops manager about it, rather than my line manager as I've mentioned it to him before and it's gone nowhere. I said to my ops manager that whilst I am more than happy doing my work, I carry out a lot more tasks and jobs that are out of my job area and pay grade. I made it clear that I want to progress in the company and work my way up, however I did not want to become the person who ends up picking up the technical/admin/odd jobs stuff because they need doing. I also said I wanted more 'grounding' in my job - as if I was to leave, there'd be lots to put on my CV, but not a definitive job title.
I know for a fact that there are 'big' roles missing in my work area, to do with technology security, quality control and configuration, and although these aren't my job roles, I end up carrying out work in these areas. These roles also have a higher pay grade with them - I do not get incentives or bonuses after I've completed the work - in fact I don't even get a 'thank you' or acknowledgement for doing the extra work. I'm usually the first in the office every day and one of the last to leave at night, I just feel I'm being taken advantage of and whilst I like the work feel I deserve more money. Is this wrong of me to ask? Should I put my foot down and say that I'll do the extra work for extra pay? Should I request a review of my job role and title? Any constructive comments would be gratefully received.
a) there isn't a job role for that area of work and that work needs doing
b) someone can't be bothered to do it
c) i'm thorough in my work and work methodically and to a high standard - tasks that require attention to detail and good construction/layout get put upon me because i'm trusted to do so (which is a good thing, sometimes)
The main issue is I'm doing some tasks that are what I consider above my pay grade, such as managing people and chasing people for work (i'm not a manager) and carrying out work that isn't necessarily a part of my role, but because there is no one to do the piece of work, it gets put to me to do. Some of the work is for areas that are way above my pay grade.
I went to my ops manager about it, rather than my line manager as I've mentioned it to him before and it's gone nowhere. I said to my ops manager that whilst I am more than happy doing my work, I carry out a lot more tasks and jobs that are out of my job area and pay grade. I made it clear that I want to progress in the company and work my way up, however I did not want to become the person who ends up picking up the technical/admin/odd jobs stuff because they need doing. I also said I wanted more 'grounding' in my job - as if I was to leave, there'd be lots to put on my CV, but not a definitive job title.
I know for a fact that there are 'big' roles missing in my work area, to do with technology security, quality control and configuration, and although these aren't my job roles, I end up carrying out work in these areas. These roles also have a higher pay grade with them - I do not get incentives or bonuses after I've completed the work - in fact I don't even get a 'thank you' or acknowledgement for doing the extra work. I'm usually the first in the office every day and one of the last to leave at night, I just feel I'm being taken advantage of and whilst I like the work feel I deserve more money. Is this wrong of me to ask? Should I put my foot down and say that I'll do the extra work for extra pay? Should I request a review of my job role and title? Any constructive comments would be gratefully received.
Edited by GoGolf95 on Thursday 11th March 14:48
GoGolf95 said:
Long story short: I work for a large IT company and have done so for the last 4 years (I'm the youngest here by many years, average age is about 40. As well as my main duties, I do lots of other jobs. In the last 4 years or so I feel like I've become the 'he'll do it' guy for work that needs doing because either
a) there isn't a job role for that area of work and that work needs doing
b) someone can't be bothered to do it
c) i'm thorough in my work and work methodically and to a high standard - tasks that require attention to detail and good construction/layout get put upon me because i'm trusted to do so (which is a good thing, sometimes)
The main issue is I'm doing some tasks that are what I consider above my pay grade, such as managing people and chasing people for work (i'm not a manager) and carrying out work that isn't necessarily a part of my role, but because there is no one to do the piece of work, it gets put to me to do. Some of the work is for areas that are way above my pay grade.
I went to my ops manager about it, rather than my line manager as I've mentioned it to him before and it's gone nowhere. I said to my ops manager that whilst I am more than happy doing my work, I carry out a lot more tasks and jobs that are out of my job area and pay grade. I made it clear that I want to progress in the company and work my way up, however I did not want to become the person who ends up picking up the technical/admin/odd jobs stuff because they need doing. I also said I wanted more 'grounding' in my job - as if I was to leave, there'd be lots to put on my CV, but not a definitive job title.
I know for a fact that there are 'big' roles missing in my work area, to do with technology security, quality control and configuration, and although these aren't my job roles, I end up carrying out work in these areas. These roles also have a higher pay grade with them - I do not get incentives or bonuses after I've completed the work - in fact I don't even get a 'thank you' or acknowledgement for doing the extra work. I'm usually the first in the office every day and one of the last to leave at night, I just feel I'm being taken advantage of and whilst I like the work feel I deserve more money. Is this wrong of me to ask? Should I put my foot down and say that I'll do the extra work for extra pay? Should I request a review of my job role and title? Any constructive comments would be gratefully received.
It sounds like a list of why most people leave their jobs...a) there isn't a job role for that area of work and that work needs doing
b) someone can't be bothered to do it
c) i'm thorough in my work and work methodically and to a high standard - tasks that require attention to detail and good construction/layout get put upon me because i'm trusted to do so (which is a good thing, sometimes)
The main issue is I'm doing some tasks that are what I consider above my pay grade, such as managing people and chasing people for work (i'm not a manager) and carrying out work that isn't necessarily a part of my role, but because there is no one to do the piece of work, it gets put to me to do. Some of the work is for areas that are way above my pay grade.
I went to my ops manager about it, rather than my line manager as I've mentioned it to him before and it's gone nowhere. I said to my ops manager that whilst I am more than happy doing my work, I carry out a lot more tasks and jobs that are out of my job area and pay grade. I made it clear that I want to progress in the company and work my way up, however I did not want to become the person who ends up picking up the technical/admin/odd jobs stuff because they need doing. I also said I wanted more 'grounding' in my job - as if I was to leave, there'd be lots to put on my CV, but not a definitive job title.
I know for a fact that there are 'big' roles missing in my work area, to do with technology security, quality control and configuration, and although these aren't my job roles, I end up carrying out work in these areas. These roles also have a higher pay grade with them - I do not get incentives or bonuses after I've completed the work - in fact I don't even get a 'thank you' or acknowledgement for doing the extra work. I'm usually the first in the office every day and one of the last to leave at night, I just feel I'm being taken advantage of and whilst I like the work feel I deserve more money. Is this wrong of me to ask? Should I put my foot down and say that I'll do the extra work for extra pay? Should I request a review of my job role and title? Any constructive comments would be gratefully received.
If you have brought the issue up with your line manager and his manager, and its gone nowhere I think that tells you all you need to know
Regarding the job title on your CV, if you have done the work and can back it up in an interview, there should be no problem with listing them
This exact thing happed to my wife.
She sounds the same as you. Reliable. Honest. Hardworking. Very accurate and methodical. First in, last out. Never says no, just cracks on with it. Takes on any extra bits of work they need doing.
She had been at the company about 5 years when we realised there was 'a problem' so to speak. She was clearly getting put upon to do extra work and extra tasks, and all the other people in the department were quite a bit older than her and had been there a lot longer. Some had been there 25 years and that sort of thing.
Because they had been there a long time, the other team members were quite hard nosed and very good at simply refusing to do extra work, or do anything that was even slightly outside their job description. They were also good at telling the management that they had 'enough to do' and would even refuse to cover other people's work when they were away on holiday etc. They would claim they were too busy couldn't look at doing anything extra.
So gradually bit by bit, my wife was asked to perform other tasks that senior staff would normally do, she would problem solve, she would train new people, she was even getting sent to work in their offices in Germany and Poland from time to time.
She enjoyed the work, but was getting increasingly annoyed that they were asking for senior level work from her, without offering senior level pay. They gave her overtime pay here and there, and an annual bonus, but she would much rather have had a bigger salary and title.
She mentioned this to her manager in several one to one meetings, and also made a point of making it clear in her written annual appraisal that she felt she was being asked to work at higher level than her salary or title, and listed the tasks that she was doing that were above her current job description.
Her boss (a very competent lady) was pretty good to be fair. Once it was formally mentioned by my wife as being a 'problem', she acknowledged they were taking advantage, and she negotiated with the directors to bump my wife up to the top of her salary band into a 'senior' band.
She was still doing 'senior' tasks, but at least now getting paid as a senior, but was still listed as being the same job title and grade as the others she was doing far more work than.
This was ok for a while, but we felt the pay increase was just to keep her quiet for the time being, and my wife really wanted a bigger title or different role so she could progress either within the business, or use the better title to move to a bigger position with a different company.
So next annual appraisal she essentially requested that her job title fully reflected what she actually did within the business. Again, it was all formally noted/written down. The company pushed back a bit and said that they couldn't promote her as there were no spare senior positions in the business, and they couldn't just 'invent a new senior position' but at the same time, again, willingly acknowledged that she was doing all manner of things that weren't in her job description, and certainly weren't being done by her colleagues.
My wife stuck to her guns a bit, and politely suggested that this wasn't going to work for her long-term, and she didn't want to wait another 5 years for someone senior to leave just so she could get the title of a job that she was already doing.
Couple of months later and the company came back to her with an offer of a 'new' job title that they had made for her, to differentiate her from her colleagues and to acknowledge the work that she did. It did contain the senior designation that she wanted.
She's happy with it all now, and I think a lot of it was actually to do with moving to a level above her colleagues who had all been there forever and often treat her with less respect than she deserved because she was still 'the new girl' after 5 years. There was a lot of "We've all been here 20-25 years in this department, so you needn't think you are getting yourself above us in a hurry".
In short, if you are fairly certain that the company values you and values the work that you do, then I would formally push for recognition via salary and title, through the one to one and annual appraisal process.
Keep accurate records of the work you do that is above and beyond your job title and salary, and keep a record of your hours, and use them for negotiating.
Just be aware that if you push for a new title etc, they may be happy to just let you leave the business instead rather than give you any more money, and in which case, they clearly don't value good staff and you are better off elsewhere sooner rather than later
She sounds the same as you. Reliable. Honest. Hardworking. Very accurate and methodical. First in, last out. Never says no, just cracks on with it. Takes on any extra bits of work they need doing.
She had been at the company about 5 years when we realised there was 'a problem' so to speak. She was clearly getting put upon to do extra work and extra tasks, and all the other people in the department were quite a bit older than her and had been there a lot longer. Some had been there 25 years and that sort of thing.
Because they had been there a long time, the other team members were quite hard nosed and very good at simply refusing to do extra work, or do anything that was even slightly outside their job description. They were also good at telling the management that they had 'enough to do' and would even refuse to cover other people's work when they were away on holiday etc. They would claim they were too busy couldn't look at doing anything extra.
So gradually bit by bit, my wife was asked to perform other tasks that senior staff would normally do, she would problem solve, she would train new people, she was even getting sent to work in their offices in Germany and Poland from time to time.
She enjoyed the work, but was getting increasingly annoyed that they were asking for senior level work from her, without offering senior level pay. They gave her overtime pay here and there, and an annual bonus, but she would much rather have had a bigger salary and title.
She mentioned this to her manager in several one to one meetings, and also made a point of making it clear in her written annual appraisal that she felt she was being asked to work at higher level than her salary or title, and listed the tasks that she was doing that were above her current job description.
Her boss (a very competent lady) was pretty good to be fair. Once it was formally mentioned by my wife as being a 'problem', she acknowledged they were taking advantage, and she negotiated with the directors to bump my wife up to the top of her salary band into a 'senior' band.
She was still doing 'senior' tasks, but at least now getting paid as a senior, but was still listed as being the same job title and grade as the others she was doing far more work than.
This was ok for a while, but we felt the pay increase was just to keep her quiet for the time being, and my wife really wanted a bigger title or different role so she could progress either within the business, or use the better title to move to a bigger position with a different company.
So next annual appraisal she essentially requested that her job title fully reflected what she actually did within the business. Again, it was all formally noted/written down. The company pushed back a bit and said that they couldn't promote her as there were no spare senior positions in the business, and they couldn't just 'invent a new senior position' but at the same time, again, willingly acknowledged that she was doing all manner of things that weren't in her job description, and certainly weren't being done by her colleagues.
My wife stuck to her guns a bit, and politely suggested that this wasn't going to work for her long-term, and she didn't want to wait another 5 years for someone senior to leave just so she could get the title of a job that she was already doing.
Couple of months later and the company came back to her with an offer of a 'new' job title that they had made for her, to differentiate her from her colleagues and to acknowledge the work that she did. It did contain the senior designation that she wanted.
She's happy with it all now, and I think a lot of it was actually to do with moving to a level above her colleagues who had all been there forever and often treat her with less respect than she deserved because she was still 'the new girl' after 5 years. There was a lot of "We've all been here 20-25 years in this department, so you needn't think you are getting yourself above us in a hurry".
In short, if you are fairly certain that the company values you and values the work that you do, then I would formally push for recognition via salary and title, through the one to one and annual appraisal process.
Keep accurate records of the work you do that is above and beyond your job title and salary, and keep a record of your hours, and use them for negotiating.
Just be aware that if you push for a new title etc, they may be happy to just let you leave the business instead rather than give you any more money, and in which case, they clearly don't value good staff and you are better off elsewhere sooner rather than later
Burrow01 said:
It sounds like a list of why most people leave their jobs...
If you have brought the issue up with your line manager and his manager, and its gone nowhere I think that tells you all you need to know
Regarding the job title on your CV, if you have done the work and can back it up in an interview, there should be no problem with listing them
I have debated leaving a couple of times over the last year or so, the problem is I really do enjoy working here, and I work with a great team of people. I have been speaking to a few colleagues recently and they too are also unhappy with the workload they're receiving on top of their normal duties - so it appears it is not just me feeling undervalued. An update; I have since today been given 'extra' work to do, in the form of work along the lines of quality control - again this is not my main job duty, but there is no one here to carry out the work. I asked my manager if this was a move into the quality control sector of things, which I'd be happy to do. He said that it wasn't, and when I asked if this will be 'just another job' for me to add to my workload, he point blankly replied that yes, it is. No mention of extra pay for the extra work covered... I know for a fact that I am the lowest paid in my team, yet I cover a lot work across a whole range of job roles. If you have brought the issue up with your line manager and his manager, and its gone nowhere I think that tells you all you need to know
Regarding the job title on your CV, if you have done the work and can back it up in an interview, there should be no problem with listing them
Good point about my CV though, I will be sure to keep a record of all the work I cover in my position as a few others have also suggested. Thanks!
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