# Am I Right to be Annoyed by This? (Workplace Situation, No Drama Yet) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 6, 2019, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-annoyed-by-this-workplace-situation-no-drama-yet/844483 "2019-12-06T20:46:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-annoyed-by-this-workplace-situation-no-drama-yet/844483/61 "2019-12-10T19:25:45Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I’ve worked in government all my life. Do people in the corporate world use “Sorry, that’s not in my job description” as a reason to get out of doing something? Sure. You just risk “getting out” of doing the things that ARE in your job description as well. “That’s not my job” can work OK for peers, it’s less effective when used on management. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-annoyed-by-this-workplace-situation-no-drama-yet/844483/62 "2019-12-10T19:46:06Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I’ve worked in government all my life. Do people in the corporate world use “Sorry, that’s not in my job description” as a reason to get out of doing something? I’ve tried it. It didn’t work. (And I have pretty relaxed relationship with my boss so the exchange was pretty casual and had no consequences.) ---
**Author:** ![icantdraw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3ec8ea/32.png) [@icantdraw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icantdraw)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-annoyed-by-this-workplace-situation-no-drama-yet/844483/63 "2019-12-10T20:17:17Z")
Who does the actual asking? If it is the boss would think a response of, “I can, but I won’t be able to get my other work done if I am sitting at the front desk. If that is ok with you, then no problem.” Would be appropriate. If it is another equal, “I can’t take time to work the front desk, during this week my other tasks have priority.” ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-annoyed-by-this-workplace-situation-no-drama-yet/844483/64 "2019-12-11T00:13:58Z")
Well Cindy’s back, closing’s not done, and Big Vendor is still not caught up. Boss isn’t as pissy as last week though. He’s tangled up with auditors and such. Best thing is to work quietly, and lay low for now. Thanks all for your opinions. Not as exciting as staff rebellions and storming off dramatically to find my dream job. But that ain’t gonna happen. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-annoyed-by-this-workplace-situation-no-drama-yet/844483/65 "2019-12-11T13:42:08Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > If your boss asked you to run the reception desk for the indeterminate future, wouldn’t you at least ask for an explanation given your job description? > > There are some special tasks that make sense to assign to an employee, while there are other tasks that would be straight-up crazy. I think an employee should tread carefully before playing the “not in my job decription” card. But I think straight-up craziness should always be questioned. I was in the AF for the first 22 years of my career, “job description” was just “whatever needs to be done anywhere” 🙂 I’m a contractor for the Federal Government now and I’ve never even seen my Statement of Work. I just do “whatever needs to be done” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-annoyed-by-this-workplace-situation-no-drama-yet/844483/66 "2019-12-11T18:50:13Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I’ve worked in government all my life. Do people in the corporate world use “Sorry, that’s not in my job description” as a reason to get out of doing something? People in unions (or otherwise with strong contracts) might do so, since they have a way to enforce that belief and protection against getting fired over it. I’ve never heard someone say it in my private-sector career. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-annoyed-by-this-workplace-situation-no-drama-yet/844483/67 "2019-12-11T18:54:23Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > People in unions (or otherwise with strong contracts) might do so, since they have a way to enforce that belief and protection against getting fired over it. Years ago, my Dad (who was in a union) was telling me he just hung out in the break room all day because the light bulb above his workspace was burnt out. I asked him “Why didn’t you just change it?” “Not my job” he said 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-annoyed-by-this-workplace-situation-no-drama-yet/844483/68 "2019-12-11T19:00:36Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Boss may also be a sexist asshole, but he’s not doing it alone. The other two seem to be playing into it. She has every reason to see them as part of the problem. It doesn’t matter if you think they’re part of the problem, because they’re not. Assigning motivations are personal blame to them is pointless; they are not the real problem (not to Two Many Cats, anyway.) The problem is the boss, full stop. It doesn’t matter WHY Cindy is taking time off. It makes no difference if she’s lazy, if her husband is dying of cancer, if she’s shirking, if she’s ill, if she’s just in the habit of doing it and no one has told her not to, if the odd vacation system creates a eprverse incentive to do this, or whatever. Doesn’t matter if it’s justified or not. All irrelevant. All that matters is that Two Many Cats is being asked to execute a set of duties at work that she simply cannot effectively do. That’s it. Blasting Cindy and Annie for their perceived shortcomings is pointless and unprofessional. The problem is the misallocation of duties. How Boss is going to fix that I don’t know. Maybe he will, maybe he won’t, but it’s his problem to solve. HE can look into why Cindy keeps taking too much time off. ---
**Author:** ![gnarator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gnarator/32/8266_2.png) [@gnarator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnarator)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-annoyed-by-this-workplace-situation-no-drama-yet/844483/69 "2019-12-11T23:28:33Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I’ve worked in government all my life. Do people in the corporate world use “Sorry, that’s not in my job description” as a reason to get out of doing something? Occasionally. My company does business in 8 states, and I am responsible for certain duties for my state. I have counterparts in the other states. Sometimes a higher up will ask or demand that I do something that is outside of my duties and/or in another state, which is almost certainly a bad idea, and I usually decline. ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-annoyed-by-this-workplace-situation-no-drama-yet/844483/70 "2019-12-12T00:14:07Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I’ve worked in government all my life. Do people in the corporate world use “Sorry, that’s not in my job description” as a reason to get out of doing something? It’s not as prevalent these days, but time was when nearly every job description included “And other related duties as requested.” Definitely CYA for management. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-annoyed-by-this-workplace-situation-no-drama-yet/844483/71 "2019-12-12T01:58:53Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I’ve worked in government all my life. Do people in the corporate world use “Sorry, that’s not in my job description” as a reason to get out of doing something? Not in those words - but if there is a business reason why they shouldn’t do something, they will say so. But I’ve spent most of my working life in government/union environments, and I’ve rarely heard someone say “Sorry, that’s not in my job description” , be told to do it anyway, refuse to do it and \*not \*be disciplined with the exception of refusals due to safety. All three unions I’ve belonged to had a mantra of " Obey now, grieve later". [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-right-to-be-annoyed-by-this-workplace-situation-no-drama-yet/844483.md?page=3)