to ask how you would deal with this situation

[mileend2bermondsey]

and also if it is a big deal or not worth the hassle of making an issue out of. Might be complicated apologies in advance.

Started a new job fairly recently. During an appraisal told my manager (X) that I was enjoying my role but I would only care to stay there if I could always do a particular piece of work (call it 1). This is something that none of my colleagues would have been particualrly bothered about as no one really cared to do 1 anyway. This was not in a threatening or bratty manner, but I really dont want to do the job if I do anything other than 1 as I do not enjoy it, I would prefer to find another workplace. X agreed and all has been going well for a few months

Recently line manager (Y) has decided he is unhappy with certain people having fixed jobs and has decided we all have to change on a daily basis. Lots of people are unhappy about this. On one day two other colleagues and I swapped duties so we were all doing our preferred piece of work. Everyone was happy but then Y finds out and makes us swap back. It cant be classed as cross training as we are all pefectly capable of doing each others work, we just prefer to do our usual, regular work.

Y seems a bit of a control freak, I cant find any other reason why he would do this other than him liking the power of telling us what to do/making us unhappy. His reason is cross training (that is not needed, so obviously a BS reason).

I have mentioned in passing to X that I am not happy with the situation but he shrugs it off with 'oh its just for today' or gives some fake compliment about how im so good I can do any piece of work, just to brush me off.

WIBU to have a proper chat with X and say unless I get my old piece of work back I will be leaving. I am really starting to dislike the job because of it.

If you want to leave then leave, can you afford to. As a supervisor I used to do the same I.e making people swap roles because if I let X only do job 1 for a year then suddenly ask her to do job 2 (a job from the original job description) she can refuse as whilst there is no contract stating she is only to do job 1 it becomes a contract under custom and practise rules.

The problem with having people do set tasks is that eventually they won't be able to do any others. It is called silo working where I work and our managers like us to be able to cover for other people if they are away.

If any of my team told me they would only stay if they could pick the elements of the job they would do I would wish them well and send them on their way -to whatever company would be foolish enough to hire them.. YABU.

But we all can do each others roles, and do when absolutley necessary. I dont see why its happening when not necessary though. Perhaps ineed is on to something.

It is very unusual to stick purely to one task, they're well within their rights to expect you to do other stuff. You could always look elsewhere.

Chinam well my manager agreed to it immediately so perhaps is more considerate of his team than you are?

I actually think you're being unreasonable...if you were hired to do something of everything, that's your job. I understand the frustration with the different instructions from different people, but if you don't like the job, I'd look for something else.

Ok perhaps I should explain more clearly. We all do this same job, same roles, same duties. Some of us have preferred 'areas' to work in (not a usual sit down job). Manager says we cant stick to our preferred areas. No real reason why.

So say if you worked in a shop, one job could be "greeter" another "bagger" and another "till" and you only want to do "till" and your other colleagues don't really like it?

YABU - for legal reasons as previously stated as well as for operational reasons. Maybe you can do the other elements but the less you do them, the less easy it is to slip into them when needed and the more difficult to then "persuade" you to cover for a period of time.

No manager should allow him/herself to be dictated to by an employee.

Leave if you want to. Stay and be flexible if you want to but YABU.

Kelso
No, not really as we are all doing the same exact same job, just in different areas. Its kind of like if we were all shelf stackers, but I liked being in the condiments aisle, someone else always did cereals, another person was on crisps, ect. It isnt any colleagues that have a problem (as the majority like sticking to their own area too), its the line manager.

If you all have the same job you really can't specify that you will only do one task.

So you're telling your manager that you only wish to stay in a job if permitted to cherry pick? Sticking with one areas can be counterproductive: imagine you do Job A and one day the person doing Job B is off sick for a couple of days. Job B is maybe more of a priority for those couple of days so you're asked to cover it. In doing so, you maybe keep a critical service running and create a bit of goodwill.

I have plenty of preferred areas but plenty more that I need to do. I bloody hate some of them but I still do them.

How senior are you in the organisation? Are you not capable of working in the other areas?

The line manager has no problem here: you do.

I don't mean this flippantly (maybe I do actually) but do you have a lot of work experience?

If it's the same job why do you care so much about only working in the one area? Is it because you have mates there that you want to chat with? I can't see why you would have a preference as to what part of the workplace you work in, can you explain why?

So for example if you worked in a shop and you were all hired as general assistants but one of you prefers working the till, another stocking shelves, another stock rotation etc you can all do all the jobs and its your job to do so however you prefer working on the till so swap with others for jobs they prefer?

It's annoying to not be able to do your preferred job if your colleagues are happy for you to do so whilst they do something else, however surely if you all are paid to do the same job then it's entirely up to your manager what you do, regardless of your preferences. If you can throw away a job that you agreed to do because they won't let you always do the part you like best then do so.

Tbh I am with pp that said I wouldn't have agreed in the first place.

I have worked in places where this sort of thing happens and eventually it becomes a pain and a legal grey area.

Personally if I were you and you are not willing to stop doing task/area 1, then I would leave.

I'm imagining something along the lines of nurse/care assistant in a hospital. You can do the same job but the experience will be different on different wards. There are lots of people where I work that prefer one ward over another, and some who say they will quit if they ever get moved. If any of them swapped around against the instructions of management though, that would be a disciplinary. YABU for that bit alone.

So yes, leave if you like, but you'd be mad to think you'd get away with being so picky anywhere else either.

some
Basically I like area 1 as it is a smaller area and I can maintain the quality better and work alone. In the other areas you have to share and I dont feel like I can perform to my best when other people are involved. I dont like doing a half arsed job.

Writing this I see it is actually my problem, I just find it strange as my way of working is the industry standard so find it bizzare the way they do it here. I am surprised/confused as to why it has just now become an issue as I was really enjoying the job

Oh well, I accept AIBU and look for something else.

Sorry, YABU. Manager Y is being completely reasonable and a good manager by ensuring that everyone is rotated and no-one's skills are eroded.

I insist upon rotating my staff. We have lost one staff member because they didn't want to rotate. We don't miss her at all.

So you're saying that you can't work in a team?

Inflexibility is not a good quality. To take the nursing example, lots of people hate nursing in a side room -it's isolating. They still should do it as often as anyone else.

If your manager says to work in an area it is untrustworthy to swap as soon as their back is turned. Have some integrity!