How can I politely decline a duty not in my job description

Question

How do I tell my management that I do not want to train new hires any longer, when this is not part of my job?

There are plenty of people that have been here for far longer than I have, but do none of the training.

Training new hires is not in my job description, and I do not get any extra money for training.

I have trained over 10 people so far.

The majority of the new hires are new to the field and young, so there is a lot of catty behavior that I do not wish to be part of.

I have been told that I am a trainer because I teach the new hires the right way to do things, however I just want to come to work and do the work that I was hired to do.

"I have been told that I am a trainer because I teach the new hires the right way to do things" - what does this mean? Are you a good teacher? — Captain Emacs, Jun 10 '17 at 18:19
I'd like to think I'm a good teacher, they have stuck every single new person with me even though there are about 30 other ppl who do the same job as me — Contemplating, Jun 10 '17 at 18:29
I wish I knew more about this "catty behavior" of which you speak. — A. I. Breveleri, Jun 11 '17 at 00:23
@Paparazzi which could be another step in the wrong direction for the OP. — Erik, Jun 11 '17 at 07:37
Does your contract or work agreement include "any other duties" ? Most do. In which case, you do what you're asked to do. — HorusKol, Jun 11 '17 at 12:40
"Other duties as assigned." You can ask, but tread carefully. — DLS3141, Jun 12 '17 at 15:52

score 18 · Answer 1 · answered Jun 10 '17 at 19:30

First you need to think very carefully about whether you really want to do this. Being the go-to trainer has a lot of potential career upside. It may stand between you and layoffs (We must keep Contemplating to train the new hires when we get some more money). As mentioned in a comment, it may be a stepping stone to promotions.

I would not focus on the job description. Usually, job descriptions have some sort of "such other work" clause that easily covers training people to do what you know how to do.

If you have really thought about it, and still want to reduce or eliminated the training, arrange a one-on-one meeting with your manager:

I seem to be getting a lot of the training. I do much prefer [normal work]. Is there any way you can reduce the amount of my time that is going on training so I can spend more of my time doing [normal work]?

score 6 · Answer 2 · answered Jun 12 '17 at 02:31

How do I tell my management that I do not want to train new hires any longer, when this is not part of my job?

You simply have a conversation with your manager and explain that you would prefer not to have to train new hires. And you explain why.

Skip any mention of "not in my job description". That would be a big mistake. Almost every job requires "and other tasks as required". And a job description is never detailed enough to mention every aspect of your job.

Skip any mention that you "do not get any extra money for training". I'm assuming you are either salaried, or paid for all your hours of work. People don't get extra for performing a task that they would rather not perform.

Skip the part about "catty behavior". That sounds petty.

And be aware that trying to avoid doing anything "extra" likely means you'll be passed over for any promotions, and potentially any raises.

If you are simply happy doing your routine job without every going outside your comfort zone, you can convey that to your manager.

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Jun 10 '17 at 21:41

Are you paid by the hour? As long as i am paid by the hour, I am happy to do things for my company. If I clearly take bigger responsibility then it is sure that this will come up in my next meeting where i discuss an increased salary with my boss.

People who don't do thing for the company because "it was not in the description" usually have a problem negotiating a raise when the times are bad for the company. It is another thing if this keeps you from other duties for the company, but that is a different thing.

score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Jun 12 '17 at 12:52

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The transfer of knowledge from senior to employees to junior ones is part of everybody's job description. A business can't function if new employees can't learn how to perform tasks from veteran ones. To imply that this is an ancillary task - an afterthought - completely misses the point of what it means to work as part of a team in a workplace environment.

I have a sneaking suspicion that you may not provide as much value at your actual job title as you do in the job training. There's this saying, "Those who can't do, teach." Perhaps your employer feels you're just better suited to instruction.

answered Jun 12 '17 at 12:52

sleddog

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It's not very nice to assume people are bad at their job just because they're asked to teach others. – Erik Jun 12 '17 at 14:47
@Erik I didn't invent the phrase "Those who can't do, teach", nor did I contribute to the stereotype's creation. I'm implying that OP provides more value as an instructor than a doer, otherwise management would not be assigning them so many training tasks. – sleddog Jun 12 '17 at 14:56
The second line to that is, "...and those who cannot teach, administrate." – HardScale Jul 08 '17 at 21:29

How can I politely decline a duty not in my job description

4 Answers4