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I'm sure this is not right, but I don't have any knowledge whether if it's illegal or restricted. I'm working as accounting clerk and I got asked do some duties for reception because company is not doing so well and they want to save money on salaries. it wasn't in job duties when I was hired. The worse part is many employees resigned because company is not giving any raise over two years and every time someone like HR or IT or reception resigned they just push work around to existing employees with out any compensation.

For example accounting team have to deal with IT issues because we don't have IT anymore, but we don't have any IT knowledge.

I don't think this is right, but I have lack of knowledge if it's illegal or restricted. can someone tell what can I do?

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    What country are you in? – Dan Pichelman Dec 7 '18 at 20:01
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    Probably not illegal unless they’re asking you to do something that would require a license you don’t have, like giving investment advice or performing open heart surgery. – AffableAmbler Dec 7 '18 at 20:05
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    It's called "additional duties as required" and many employers use it. In most places it is not illegal. If you don't want to do the work, start looking for a new opportunity. – sf02 Dec 7 '18 at 20:08
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    You know all those people who resigned? Join them as soon as you can get a job with a company that isn't spiraling into the drain. If they can't have a real IT person on staff, or contracted to perform duties when needed, either they don't have enough money to stay afloat or they're too badly mismanaged to stay afloat. – David Thornley Dec 7 '18 at 22:22
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It might help if you clarify which jurisdiction you are in. However, in general your employer can ask you to do whatever needs to be done - they are not restricted to just what was in your job description. Certainly, in most jurisdictions, it would not be illegal for your employer to request this.

As you say in the question, many people have been leaving the company, and yet critical jobs like HR, IT or reception still need to be done, so it sounds like they are having to reach out to those that are left to muck in with areas where they may be a little out of their comfort zone. Sometimes, there are jobs that have to be done by someone, even if there may not be a specialist available - it's not a perfect world.

In the situation you describe, I would be looking to dust off my resume and look for other opportunities asap, as it doesn't sound like the company is in a healthy place.

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  • Good answer. You could also compile a record of every time you are asked to do something outside of your role (with evidence). Then, you can give your employer an ultimatum: Either stop asking me to do things, give me a payrise to reflect my extra input, or I'm looking for new work. Most times you will get told to lump it or leave it. But it's an opportunity to negotiate a payrise if you have leverage and are so inclined. Just a thought. Careful about how that makes you look though. Politics. – HelloWorld Dec 8 '18 at 12:34

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