“It’s Not My Job”
I've got to admit that, during my career, whenever somebody's tried to throw the "That's not my job" line at me, it's got my back up. "That's not my job" has never cut any ice with me because I've always considered it a feeble attempt at a get-out clause, and what it tells me about the person who says it is never good. I’ve never had time for excuses, and it’s only been over the last couple of years when I’ve started to realise that maybe, depending on the circumstances, I should be a bit more forgiving of the “That’s not my job” excuse than I used to be.
Because it’s not always an excuse.
The importance of listening in the workplace
Sure, there will always be people who’ll try to swerve being given anything else to do simply because they don’t want to be bothered. But, if you’re a halfway decent leader or manager, you'll already know who those people are and have taken steps to either encourage a better mindset or inspire them to find another workplace where they can make their excuses and waste somebody else's time. It's never nice having to let somebody go, but you’re not doing anybody – especially them – a favour by keeping them on if they don’t want to be there. But that’s a subject for another time.
On the other hand, if you ask a normally conscientious and reliable employee or team member to do something and they reply, “That’s not my job”, I’ve come to learn that taking a deep breath, looking at things from their side, and maybe asking a few pertinent questions, is usually the best solution.
Why is it not always wrong for somebody to say, “That’s not my job”?
There can be any number of genuine reasons, including:
They're already overloaded with work and don't have the capacity to do it.
They believe the job is another colleague’s responsibility, and they’re being dumped on because the colleague doesn’t want to do it.
They don’t realise that what you’re trying to do is give them more responsibility and an opportunity to learn and advance.
They're finding it hard to cope with their own job.
The job roles in your organisation or team are so fuzzy that they’re not clear what their responsibilities are.
And what’s the common denominator connecting all those reasons?
Lack of proper communication, usually from both sides.
Don’t be too quick to react; if somebody tells you, “That’s not my job”, take a moment to consider the situation before you respond.
In the case of our list:
Explain why you’ve asked them to do it, ask them why they can’t do it, help them to switch their priorities around or pass on what they’d usually do to another team member so they can undertake this new task instead.
Appreciate that when you ask somebody to do something new, there’s usually something they’ll need to give up in order to do it. I’m a firm believer that most people in business are already at capacity, so when you give them something new, understand you’ll probably need to take something else off their plate. That’s the trade-off.
Explain why you’re asking them to do it and make it clear that it's not because their colleague is dumping their work on them. Also, be aware that there's probably a deeper subtext to this – perhaps the "That's not my job" person has genuine reasons for feeling frustrated and unappreciated that you need to flesh out and address, or maybe there's a conflict brewing with their colleague that you weren't aware of.
Explain that you're trying to give them a chance to learn and advance because you think they're ready to take on something new that will increase their skill set and benefit their career. If they're still resistant to that, dig deeper find out why. Maybe they're too overworked already; maybe they're lacking in confidence; maybe they want to be sure there's a genuine reward at the end of it, so they’re incentivised to take this new job on.
Find out why they're finding it so hard to cope with their existing workload and work with them to identify and implement solutions.
Ensure that everyone in your organisation or team has a documented job description, that their responsibilities are clear, and that they know their benchmarks. That way, when they tell you, "That's not my job", you'll be in a stronger position to remind them what the parameters of their job are and why you've asked them to take on this other task. Sometimes, when the lines are blurred between job roles in a team, people are inclined to say "Yes" to every task they're given until that moment when they start feeling overloaded and resentful. Alternatively, when the lines are blurred between job roles in a team, it can sometimes make it easier for your less proactive team members to step back and leave their more willing colleagues to do all the heavy lifting. Either way, as a leader, you've got a problem on your hands if you don’t address it.
On the flip side, there's something about that phrase, "That's not my job", which is so belligerent and negative that it can be challenging for a leader to bite their tongue and take a step back. It's hard not to take it as confrontational and questioning your authority, and that's when a big nasty mountain can easily be made out of a molehill. I know what that's like. I've been on the receiving end of "That's not my job" a lot of times throughout my career, and I haven't always responded in the most diplomatic ways, but that’s why I wanted you to think about this question:
As a leader or manager, when someone tells you, "That's not my job", what's your knee-jerk reaction? Are there ways you could respond better? Could there be genuine reasons why "That's not my job" is an honest, legitimate answer?
If you've ever said, or are ever tempted to say, "That's not my job", be honest with yourself about your reasons for saying it. Even finding another way to say it can be a good start because just rigidly saying “That’s not my job” tends not to end well if you can’t back it up.
Always keep the lines of communication open because clarity of communication is critical.