Am I Being Abused?

[Pixel8]

I am wondering if I am being abused, especially in a legal/ethical sense on this - I sure do feel as though I am.

The bosses have promised another group that their designers will design and print a flyer/brochure type thing for them as a favor. We are not a design firm, so they are not in a "client" kind of a status.

I am an in-house designer. The other party's leaders are friends with my employer. So, colleague to colleague, they agreed to help. The event flyer in question has nothing to do with us at all.

THANK!

[Drorain]

I did two banners for the president last week...in the middle of all the trade show work...they pay you, and you do what they tell you to do. End of story...no legal issues there, ethically...if the company says they can do it, they expect their employees to deliver

[PrintDriver]

^Yup.
Happens all the time.
As long as you are being paid for your time, why worry?

[Pixel8]

Eh...just annoying. It's like me asking my gardener to do my lawn and my neighbor's lawn too.

[PrintDriver]

As long as you pay the gardner to do the other lawn, the gardener doesn't care either.
:D

[Pixel8]

Yah, no kiddin. That was what was bugging me exactly!!! No xtra cash! (oh well.)

I don't know, it just strikes me as being wrong somehow. I mean I work for THIS company, not someone else. They shouldn't be allowed just to have me do anything at all. There are limits. Or should be.

At any rate, I'm keeping up with the time I've put in so far today. Back to it!

[uncle carbunkle]

pardon me, but i'm lost.

are you not getting paid for this work? like, by your boss?

[Pixel8]

I am. But we're not a design shop. I've got plenty of work to do for my employer. I was wondering what you guys thought of doing work for a 3rd party, in addition to your regular, paid work.

[uncle carbunkle]

but you're a designer and he is your boss. i fail to see the issue.

of course, if your boss starts hounding you for your other projects whilst loading you down with 'extra' work, then you can plainly show him your schedule and say that you've got to cut out the 'extra'. but that's just time-management, and you hadn't mentioned that.

if you don't like your assignments, time to work for yourself?

[reuber1]

Actually, I can see Pixel's point...sort of. What's in the job description for when you got hired? Is that part of it? I guess I'd be concerned if I was hired, I don't know, to work as a production artist but then was told to fix the toilet because it was backing up, yeah I see a problem with that. Still not a legal issue, but it's annoying nonetheless, and a surefire way to undermine an employee's morale. "Hey what did you do today honey, make anything cool?" "No, I cleaned the shitter, go away." Again, a hypothetical, "out-there" example.

Anyway, if it's only a one time deal, I say what's the big deal? However, if it becomes a common occurrence and suddenly that becomes that much more of an added workload, I would definitely bring it up. On the flip side, I usually see doing something different for a change a blessing and gladly jump on the opportunity. If it keeps me off the phone, well, thumbs up to that.

[uncle carbunkle]

...I guess I'd be concerned if I was hired, I don't know, to work as a production artist but then was told to fix the toilet because it was backing up, yeah I see a problem with that. ...

and the relevance of janitorial references to this thread is...?

[reuber1]

Uncle, did you see the part where I said "a hypothetical, "out-there" example."?

I mean, according to everyone else's logic, as long as the boss pays, that's OK. Happened at my last job. I was to sell products, and had a few days where I had to clean shit off of the bathroom floor.

[uncle carbunkle]

yes i did - thanks for that.

still, even hypotheticals can be relevant. ie. i'm sure that, as an in-house designer, "design" is in the job description.

but point taken.

</bicker-fest before it begins, thank-you>

[PersonasBinar]

You're on the bosses nickel, if he wants you to do a something for one of his buddies..... I see no problem with that at all, it is within the realm of your function and expertise....he's not asking you to change the guy's oil. THAT I would have an issue with. Think of it as if he's proud to show off his staff's abilities. :D

[reuber1]

My mistake, I missed it where he says he is an in-house designer. I always thought Pixel was a printer guy for some reason. OK, then I see no problem with doing the 3rd party stuff.

I guess I'm just playing devils adv. here saying that even though the boss pays, I don't see him having blind authority to make the employees do whatever he wants. First it's a design for a bud who isn't an official client, then it's cleaning the toilet, then using the company car for trafficking drugs for the boss's cousin who lives in Mexico...there's a point where "the boss pays, do what he says" only goes so far. As Personas said, as long as it's within your realm of expertise. And again, the first paragraph.

[PersonasBinar]

that said ..... gimme the keys baby!!!!!!

[reuber1]

YEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!

http://sportsmed.starwave.com/media/pg2/2002/1125/photo/i_cheech_hi.jpg

[PersonasBinar]

atta boy

[Eraser Nubbin]

That might bug me a little if I did freelance work on the side.

[Silence04]

I would just stick to the deffinition:

boss (bôs)
n.

An employer or a supervisor.
One who makes decisions or exercises authority.
A professional politician who controls a party or a political machine.

[DeleteYourself]

I have yet to find a job where the actual workload corellated to the job description without any variance. And furthermore, I don't see why this bothers you. Seems like a good opportunity to design a potential portfolio piece.

Make the best of the situation and manage your time wisely.

[Silence04]

^right^

[Kool]

^ Yeah, one of my previous jobs used to make us go out and weed the flower beds when we got slow. Be glad you don't work there. Strangly enough after this happened once I never ran out of work again ;)

[Silence04]

speaking of odd ball duties...i had to make Badg-a-mint Buttons for a couple days straight before. button makers are no fun what so ever, yet more enjoyable that pulling flowers.

[DeleteYourself]

Badg-a-mint?

[urstwile]

This is a classic "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine" kind of thing.

First off, to start with, I agree with the others in that as long as you're being paid for your time in working on this other project, it's not unethical. Obviously, if it interferes with you getting your other work done, then that's a traffic issue, and your boss or whoever manages the demands made on your time needs to make sure to schedule deadlines appropriately.

A lot of what generates this type of thing at my job (an ad agency) is good will among the local business community, which generates contacts and thus, often generates more business for our company.

You never know, it might be that this other group has some contacts that are important to your boss to develop, so he/she's agreeing to have you do the project as a potential lead for more business.

Happens all the time. And not just in this business.

[PrintDriver]

Eraser, even if you were a freelancer on the side it shouldn't bother you. It might rankle that you aren't being paid your freelancer rate but you do work for a company making work-for-hire. Just be happy if you don't have a non-compete contract or you wouldn't have that freelance gig on the side.

[captain spanky]

i'm always doing work for other companies as a favor... i get a salary rather than a wage so i guess i'm being paid for it. I enjoy doing it though, it's a nice break from my company's brand guidelines...
as far as oddball things go... i'm a designer and i had to dress up as the company mascot (a giant green furry thing with a big green head) on a few occasions... also had to check people/passports in through an airport gate and then carry each and everyone's luggage to their room when we all got to majorca on a conference. On the job description? 'To assist in all other aspects of work as required by the role 3 managers'...kinda catch-all aint it? :D

[Silence04]

Badg-a-mint?


http://www.badgeaminit.com/ <-- the machine of ultimate death

[amiart]

Ummmmmmmm Is there any legal ramifications to this? i.e. what if the boss'es friend decided to sue and there is no paperwork trail to this as it was "ON THE SIDE" and nothing was ever recorded etc? Is this a HUGE Project where 30,000 posters would be printed and the color is off etc???? Or is this 60 banners and the bosses friend says hay thats the wrong color of blue etc.. Just something to think about.. Protect yourself...

[handsome rob]

This is very common, and you shouldn't feel abused by it. If your boss were to try to shoehorn you into the accounting department or have you spending all your time doing other work that doesn't add any value to your resume`, then you could get upset.

However...

If you are concerned that the time you are spending on this extra project is causing you to not have enough time to do the work YOUR company needs done, perhaps that's a subject worth (carefully) discussing with your boss.

[Eraser Nubbin]

Eraser, even if you were a freelancer on the side it shouldn't bother you. It might rankle that you aren't being paid your freelancer rate but you do work for a company making work-for-hire. Just be happy if you don't have a non-compete contract or you wouldn't have that freelance gig on the side.

I feel what you are saying PD, I just know that this happened to me and I was very happy to have some new material to work on but it just rubbed me a little bit that he was marking up my wage to whatever (which to be honest he does with all of his plumbers he sends out in the field) and becoming a design firm all of a sudden, he made it quite clear that I was working for him who was working for these clients as opposed to me doing the job on the side for these clients.
Just made me feel that I was competing against myself.


Oh and on a side note: as far as crappy jobs go that aren't in your job description, swabbing the "poop deck" of a busy truckstop/gas station would top my list of horrible things that made me want to vomit for $7.00

[Pixel8]

Thanks for the input. Interesting that this topic has racked up 4 pages!! Well, it's not so bad as cleaning the crapper, and yes, this is competing against myself. Odd, because my employers say they support small business and entrepreneurship.

So far a portfolio piece? Not by a long shot. This is a quick get it done and run a few copies. It's not a major deal, in and of itself. Took about and hour and a half, so it's not a huge traffic issue.

The question that was in my mind was why my employers feel they can just assign me to whatever as a though I am a resource to be used...like the copy machine or something. Some people around here DO get put on bad tasks though.

The issue to me is that it seems that they feel it's OK to use their staff however they want to and for whatever they want them to do. A lot of bosses do it, but it strikes me as disrespectful. That's the real thing that bugs me. There was no regard as to whether we were busy or anything.

I guess its just to pull good PR with someone, like you guys suggested. I just feel disrespected and made to feel like I'm some resource they can do whatever they please with. Time to go freelance. I'd say you're about right. Bosses will be bosses, but I don't have to agree with what they do.

[Jeizzavelle]

You are staff. THey employ you so that they can use you. Bosses suck ,it's fact. Unless your job or pa suck too, I'd just shrug it off and go on. To the bosses you are just another tool (like the copy machine) but they pay you so what the heck, right?

[Logo-Mechanix]

When I was hired I was hired as a Graphic Designer/Engraver. I will not clean bathrooms or mop floors, it was not what I was hired for and was not in the job description, if it was I would not have taken the job. Now that being said have I ever done anything that was not in the job description? of course but I have my limits.

[Kool]

Both places where I was a manager I made it clear to a new hire that they may be called on to perform other duties. They were both print shops and sometimes we all had to pitch in in bindery or make a delivery. Of course I also protected my people from most of the BS chores.

[LeftBrain Artist]

Its not abuse. Its more like, inappropriate allocation of resources. Using a claw hammer to open a bottle of beer isn't necessary, but if that's all you got, and you reaaallyy wanna drink that beer . . .

[markf]

Another way to look at it: If you feel like you have been wronged by your boss in some way, just goof off on the company time for a while.

For example, come to a forum like this one and bitch about it - while you get paid to do so. In fact, look at all the other people on this thread who are probably also goofing off on their company's time. Wow - don't we all feel better about the situation now :)

It's nice to see that there is still some kind of perverted justice in this world... :rolleyes:

[Kool]

^^^ LMAO, good point.

[Pixel8]

HAHAHAH!!!! Yah. GO MARKF!!!

EDIT: Sorry guys! Didn't mean to get this whole thing off on "Soap Box" territory!!!!

[yugyug]

When I was hired I was hired as a Graphic Designer/Engraver. I will not clean bathrooms or mop floors, it was not what I was hired for and was not in the job description, if it was I would not have taken the job..

yeah but have you ever noticed how most descriptions have a little bit at the end worded along the lines...

"you (the employee) may also be asked to fulfil other duties not previously listed in the description and if so it will be your obligation to do so. etc etc"
:o

I experienced this first hand at a print shop when the printer quit (spectacularly, in the middle of a print run) and I was relegated from 'graphic designer' to 'graphic designer slash plate maker slash guilotine operator' for a few days. But it was actually kinda fun.