Can an employer make me do duties beyond my job description?

[Bobliomatic]

Hi guys,

First I apologize if this is completely the wrong section. Also I won't be giving out where I live so just a general answer (or the rules of your state) would be great for my question.

So I'm working at McDonald's now for the past three years. It's the only job I have ever had and everyone thinks I am great there or at least to my knowledge. I am a hard worker and I try my best to do all I can to get the company to succeed. Saturday's are usually the busiest days of the week and I am scheduled to maintain the lobby (cleaning the floors, tables, trays, mugs, play place) while, if it does get busy, I'll assist inside. Recently we have our head managers traded to different restaurants by our new store owner who purchased the franchise.

So what I used to do is to run the inside (serving customers) and maintaining a very clean lobby (outside) for the last 3 years. Now, before my head manager left they tried getting me recognized by the new managers (there are 2 now) that I'm great for lobby and great with tasks. With this being said now, they are dumping a lot of work on me thinking I am some kind of superman.

Please keep in mind each crew member working is assigned to ONE task. You're either taking orders, collecting the food and putting it on the trays, packaging fries, making coffee, or lobby. My main task every Saturday is lobby. I am responsible for cleaning it up!

- I am expected to run the lobby on the busiest days while being inside for 3-4 hours of my 7 hour shift. Before (old managers were present), I come in when I can and when I think I'm ready. Usually I help inside 1-3 hours depending on the amount of customers. Now, they ask me to come in carelessly of what I am really doing.

- I am now expected to do cleaning duties inside and outside now. They are frequently asking me to grab stock up for them while everyone else is standing around and there is a light amount of customers. I asked why am I doing this and they said, "I need everyone in their stations just in case a big load happens to walk in"

- I am expected to run two stations at the same time? Example, someone calls a medium fries (I need to package it) while I need to run the coffee station (make someone a coffee and hand it to them). I never see anyone else doing this in my 3 years except my old head manager who has 30 years of experience.

I tried explaining to them about 3 times now that I am no super hero here and they're making me do the impossible. What one of the head managers told me was (exact words): I really hate whining, can you please get what I asked you to do, then you can carry on with what you were doing. Thing is, her tasks are one after the other. When the lobby is pure filthy, then it's time for me to go out..........

_____________________________

My second complaint:

I find my new boss trying to be a real big money saver. So far he has made me sweep large amounts of leaves off of the ground and shovel snow as well (we have a very, very big parking lot). He has also asked me to do a ton of other yard work like cleaning up the entire side walk where the street is. My general job description is I was hired to do service. This was cleaning and serving food to customers. Is he allowed to make me do this type of work for a low pay? ($9.50 an hour).

Please note I am trying to find a new job but I cannot leave without finding one first as I need to pay for my university. Thanks everyone for the help.

[mcsap]

Your boss can make you ( ask you I guess) do whatever they want as long as it is legal. You may not like it but that is LIFE.

I had to go make a death notification a few years ago , I didn't want to do it but I was the senior officer working and it was my job to do so.

With new managers will come changes. it doesn't matter what you were hired to do , what matters is what you are told to do. You have the total freedom of refusing to do it and or quit.

Let us know how you make out.

[Bobliomatic]

Thanks for the answer mscap. Just found it odd I'm doing yard work at McDonald's. I don't want to leave a bad impression because of this because it may affect my future career as a police officer. Hopefully I can find another job real soon, I have been looking for months now. Thank God though for the one I have now regardless of the type of work. Thanks again!

[mcsap]

When I was hired as a police officer , the BEST job reference I got was from a temp agency that I had worked for about 18 months before I got hired. I showed up when they asked. I showed where I was asked to go. I did what I was asked to do , even if I didn't like it.

I didn't even think that they would remember who I was. I could have complained and been grumpy. Not been on time , done a poor job. Let my attitude towards the manual labor jobs define who I was , but I DIDN'T.

What kind of reference do you think I would have gotten ?

[DeltaV]

And this, my friends, is a prime example of what is wrong with the work ethic of the younger generation.

[Kimble]

And this, my friends, is a prime example of what is wrong with the work ethic of the younger generation.

No kidding! Cleaning up after a major disaster like Hurricane Katrina isn't necessarily in the job description of most police officers, but when you're told to do something by a boss that needs to be done for the sake of the mission, do it or find another job.

[txinvestigator1]

Can an employer make me do duties beyond my job description

No. There is no more slavery in the US. You are free to seek employment elsewhere. It matters not what specific duties you were assigned on the day you were hired, your boss can assign whatever tasks he see fit. You can do them, refuse and get fired, or go work somewhere else.

Pretty simply, actually.

[icu650]

I don't think you will ever make it as a cop with your "that's not my job whiney butt attitude". If you do get on, it won't be long before a Sergeant has enough of your crap and puts you on a nursery school crossing where you belong, if that is within your job description.

[icu650]

I meant to add; Maybe these functions aren't in a Police Officers job description but this is how it ends up especially in a major city where there is more people. You will be asked to know everything.

Cleric,doctor,plumber,contractor,baby sitter,father,mother,brother,cook,clown,… exterminator,traffic cone,mechanic, tire changer, fortune teller, expert on the invasion of alien beings into a refrigerator,Martha Stewart, fishing buddy, gunsmith, boy scout leader, cookie salesman, chocolate salesman,family counselor,banker,loan manager, suicide prevention administrator, life guard, boat captain, jelly fish expert, insect professional knowing the forty two uses of a discarded cicada shell, lost and found official, master bicycle mechanic and then there is being the cop.

[Joeyd6]

Is he allowed to make me do this type of work for a low pay? ($9.50 an hour).

Wow! I was hired as grocery bagger who ended up collecting carts in the hot summer and snow filled winters; doing bottle returns covered in soda/beer; cleaning bathrooms; cleaning spills; dusting and every other crap job.....for $3.85 an hour!

[Fury]

Hmmm, sounds illegal to me. I would file a report with your local police department ASAP before this gets out of hand.

[Samuel]

Hmmm, sounds illegal to me. I would file a report with your local police department ASAP before this gets out of hand.

lol That's just WRONG - I wouldn't even waste a trainee's time with the OP. You should have told him to complain to the aclu or the nearest group of hosedraggers or something else like keep harassing oblahma to make work easier for him...

[ChesCopPodz]

Methinks you're not sure what your job description is. I worked at McD's through high school. Every one of the tasks you mentioned IS in the job description. Maybe you think it's not supposed to be in your job description for Saturday, but it is. There were many days when I'd come in as the breakfast cook, then when more people arrived to work the lunch rush, I'd be doing stock or cleaning. And some days I'd be making food during the lunch rush and someone else did the other stuff.

Trust me, nothing you mentioned is outside the scope of your job.

[Fury]

lol That's just WRONG - I wouldn't even waste a trainee's time with the OP. You should have told him to complain to the aclu or the nearest group of hosedraggers or something else like keep harassing oblahma to make work easier for him...

Fair enough, ACLU may have been a better choice!

[mcsap]

The worst part is that he actually had to WORK.

Try this , I left home at 17 and went int the military. I showed my parents a thing or two !