To try and manipulate my boss

[JungleInTheRumble]

So the job I do basically has 2 types of work (type 1 and 2). I love doing type 1 work but I hate doing type 2. I've asked my boss on a number of occasions whether I can reduce the amount of type 2 work I do in order to focus on type 1 work.

My boss agrees that I am much stronger at type 1 than type 2 but he refuses to agree to reduce the type 2 work he gives me because, according to him, you need to be good at type 2 work to be good at type 1. I disagree with this and can point to plenty of people in the office who do solely type 1 or 2 work (in fact when I started I was told I'd be doing type 1). I feel like I spend so much of my time on type 2 work which, for various reasons, I really struggle with when I could be focussing my efforts on type 1 work which I am much better at, certainly better than average.

The most annoying thing is that I really do enjoy this job (and most importantly can see real career opportunities here). it's just the type 2 work which I hate. I'm applying for new jobs but tbh my ideal situation would be to go to my boss with a new job offer and say "look, I'm taking this other job unless you give me what I want". Would that be really cheeky and unreasonable? Those of you who manage people, would you look very unfavourably on someone who did this?

Sorry if this is super confusing!

As a manager (and business owner) I would be concerned about your attitude on numerous levels.
You're showing that you would happily waste another company's time by going through a recruitment process purely to try to gain leverage in your current role. That's shitty and selfish.
Secondly, you're showing you are not a team player because someone has to pick up the Type 2 work.
Also, you seem unconcerned about how your move to only Type 1 work would impact the team/company.
Then, you're trying to set a precedent that if you don't like a management response, you will hold them to ransom to get what you want.
I wouldn't want to create that dynamic with any member of staff.

I have issued a similar ultimatum once with success. I had been employed to do a specific role, but was suddenly bring given a lot of work that was nothing to do with that role and that I really, really hated doing. I was young and didn't had no particular commitments and was confident I could get some temp work if I walked. I explained to my manager that these tasks were not the job I applied for and that if they wanted my role to do those tasks they would need to employ someone on that basis as I no longer wanted the job. It worked out for me in that case, but I rally was just being honest with them and wanted to give them a chance before I handed in my notice.

I think if you are planning to leave anyway then giving them the reasons why and a chance to make a counter offer is not unreasonable. They may choose not to take the chance though.

I don't think what you are planning is manipulation. I see it more as negotiation. If you can find another job that will allow you to crocodile wrestle all day then it would be quite reasonable to go to your boss and ask if he can match that job. Just make sure you would be happy to walk away to the new firm if your proposal doesn't suit your boss.

I don't see it as holding anyone to ransom. If you are in a position to choose what sort of job you have why would you stay in one that you didn't enjoy? The op dislikes a part of her job enough to be applying for other jobs. If she gets one she will quite reasonably tell her current employer why she is leaving. They are free to respond by wishing her well in her more job or by making a counter offer.

Fucks sake... I can't type for toffee this morning. Sorry for the appalling spelling and stuff.

Sounds like a really smart negotiation strategy - you win either way. Go for it!

I don't rate woowoo's advice. It's all about putting your concerns second to the existing company, the new company, management, the team, Uncle Tom Cobbly and all.
If you don't look after yourself then no-one else will. But do it nicely and professionally.

This depends entirely on what type 1 work is and what type 2 work is.

On the face of it, without this information, YABU and I would accept your resignation and find myself a team player willing to do all the job I employ them to do.

It depends on what the type 2 work is. If you're great at doing the project work but terrible at budgeting, then yabu as your boss is right as it represents a core business skill that you can't avoid even if you are the boss.

Or, if you dont like photocopying the minutes for the meeting but you love going to the meeting and giving your twopennorth, then yabu, as it is a rite of passage to do 'menial' tasks on your way up.

However i got the impression from your op that this is about specialising, and if so yanbu. For instance you might be a lawyer who would rather specialise in conveyancing for businesses rather than residential properties; or you want to do only qualitative research, and your boss has a different background and thinks everyone in research should do quantitative research too; or you want to be an account planner and your ad agency wants to put you down an account management route...etc etc.

If it's the latter and there are jobs in your industry where people only do the Type 1 work then yes, try and get that job!

You won't need to 'issue an ultimatum'- you will go and give your notice, and say 'blah company have offered me this, i want to do type 1 work, it's a shame to leave as I love this company'.

At that point if they don't rate you much they'll say 'oh dear, never mind, good luck!' If they think you're a shit hot talent they'll come back with a counter offer.

I am always fascinated by the way different people on mn view their jobs, judging by the responses to posts like these.

Is it part of your current job description ? If so then YABU. It's a risky strategy and if you are happy to be told 'congrats, sorry to see you go' then take the risk. If not then you need to try and identify a route you can take i.e. Is there someone in the office who likes type 2 work or would be willing to be trained on it? You need to think about solutions for your boss if you can and present them if you raise the issue again.

And remember - We all have elements of our work we hate (however senior)!

I think people are being a bit overly harsh here. What you suggest isn't unusual, as can certainly help you to negotiate a better role.

However, your manager will only 'fight' to keep you if he thinks you're irreplaceable (or too much hassle to replace). So be fully prepared to be disappointed, and to take the other job.

YANBU OP. This is just the normal way to get what you want in a win-win situation for either your current company or a new company. WooWoo your advice is based on how you'd feel as a manager, but it's not the manager who's asking for advice, it's the worker.

I have similar in my role, except there are 3 types of work. Managers differ greatly in how they see it - some think it's fine to be great at 1 type and only OK (or rubbish) at the other 2, while others insist you have to be as good at each one and spend exactly 1/3 of your time on each. You need to work with the manager you've got, but there is obviously potential to bend the "50-50 on type 1 and type 2" rule if other people don't have to do both.

Also I agree you should only give an ultimatum if you would genuinely leave, otherwise your credibility is gone.

And it's not manipulation, it's doing the right thing for you, which you are perfectly entitled to do. As senua says, you don't have to put yourself last after everyone else. The average man wouldn't even question whether it's wrong to do this, he'd just do it.

Good luck!

OP, is the type 2 work actual shit-work that everyone hates, or are there some people who actively prefer it to type 1?

I would agree that issuing an ultimatum would get his back up, esp. as he's already given a perfectly reasonable explanation for not deploying you exclusively on type 1. Just give notice (once you have a new job you'd be happy to go to) - boss will probably be prepared to negotiate to keep you, but then the negotiations would be on his terms and therefore he wouldn't be as resentful. I know a lot of people who've handed in their notice and ended up being offered better pay and/or conditions to stay, myself included!

(In my particular case, I was offered a generous pay-rise to stay, but I left anyway as there were no long-term prospects for me in that job, but it sounds like that's not the case for you, so better to tread a bit more carefully.)

Healthy negotiations (not manipulated ones) are perfectly acceptable imho.
If , you find an alternative it makes sense to say why you are resigning.

When you manage a team of people it's important to ensure you have a good mix of competencies. You don't need a bunch of unmotivated, mediocre 'all rounders'.
I realised early on that you get far more out of staff if you allow them to play to their strengths and give them an opportunity to shine.

Think about how any changes might positively impact on the team and then sell it to your boss as a solution to a problem that you had noticed.
So, rather than telling your boss you want to concentrate solely on task 1, you might be better pointing out how much more effectively than colleagues you complete task 1 activities and that if you split your time more to 80% task 1 and 20% task 2, the productivity increase will be clearly beneficial to the entire team. (Assuming that's the case!)

Bosses like quick gains and unruffled feathers! If your request is likely to cause friction, look for an alternative solution.

My worry would be, even if you win, you've forced your manager's hand and created a problem for them. That's not going to be fun interpersonally and how well do you think your manager will back you to the higher ups going forward? I wouldn't do it like that. I'd have another chat again and really try and understand why specializing in your preferred work isn't OK, and if you still thought your mgr was wrong, look for another job. Holding people to ransom makes you hated.

How long have you been there? You say that you were told you would be doing mostly job 1. Have you got that anywhere in writing? How long have you been doing job 2 for? They might argue that as you have been doing it for so long that it has become your new job iyswim.

I dont understand how it is ok for others to be exclusively job 1 or 2, but not you.

Seems like an immature way to go about things. Blackmail too.

If your job necessitates you doing both then that's your job. You can't duck out of the boring/hard/unpleasant/low level stuff. If you refuse to do it, you're suggesting you're not up to the job.

He has already outlined his view that y type 1 work is dependent on knowledge of 2. You would possibly lose your job there as he would accept your resignation.

For eg. I worked in a role with a technical side and a customer services side. I was strong on latter but weaker on former. However, it was my continued interaction with technical side which facilitated my strength and credibility to customers if you get me?

The boss' guide to ultimatums:

the employee is threatening you at an inconvenient time, when you have no options available. Appease them while you look for a replacement. Once you have your alternative solution in place, tell the employee to stuff it.

It's now them who has the problem at an inconvenient time.

If you genuinely took the job on the basis that you would be doing one type of work and not the other, you aren't being unreasonable at all. Have a polite and respectful conversation where you explain that you really enjoy X and not Y, so you will be open to jobs where you have the opportunity to do more of this from now on. You would like to stay with the company but an adjustment to your remit would be needed before you could commit to this. Then, if your boss values you enough, he will make it happen. If he doesn't he will not object to your leaving.

You say that your boss agrees that 'you're much stronger' at type 1 work and you say how 'weak' you are at type 2 work... Have you ever considered that a) you need to improve at type 2 work and you don't get to 'pick and choose' when somebody's paying you to do it and b) perhaps you're not as strong at type 1 work as you think, ie. you're better at 1 than 2 but actually not that brilliant overall?

Be careful with issuing an ultimatum. Don't unless you're really prepared to go through with it. He may give in - or he may grab your offer to resign with both hands and you'll be out the door before you know it.

I think I must have worked for some pp's in the past

They were the ones who didn't value their employees and had a high turnover of staff as people just used them as a cv filler.