can they ask me to leave?

[pearshape]

i recently got offered a job (public sector)but before i started i was told the main duty would be doing everyone's filing in the office and basically being a 'runner'. This is something i really didn't want to do so i sent a email declining the job offer as i said it wasnt something i wanted to do. I received an email back offering me a different position in the same department as an audio typist, something i am happy to do. I have been doing this job well for a while now. they employed someone else in the 'runner' position who hated it and left after two days. problem is they are now saying that i have to do this until they find someone else. I complained that that was the job i didn't want but have been told getting notes is in everyones job descripition (i haven't received a job description yet) I REALLY don't want to fetch notes for others. the notes are kept in an awful dark, dank basement and it is not what i agreed to do. i am employed on a 12 mth temp contract with a view to being permanent. what can I do?

What does your contract say about your duties?

Not a lot you can do really. You can refuse but if they decide to dismiss you there will be nothing you can do about it this early in your employment.

Unfortunately you are likely to find that your contract will contain words along the lines of "and any other duties commensurate with banding" so unless there are health and safety issues which would stop you doing the job you'll just have to get on with it

i haven't had a contract. it seems very unfair that i declined this position but will be made to do it anyway!. i didnt ask for an alternative, i was looking elsewhere...they contacted me and offered me an alternative. I have carried out my current position very well and have been told how well i'm doing. Just seems wrong that they can force me to do something i walked away from.

I have hand psoriasis which flares up so have open sores on my hands. lugging big sets of notes around would be painful. i'm ok with typing. would this make a difference to my case? Its not so much digging deep to help out, if i had wanted to do this job i would have accepted it in the first place!

Well they can't force you, you can still decline the position if you want to, just hand in your notice.

If you have a medical condition you can tell them about that, then ultimately if your GP says you are not fit to carry out those particular duties he or she can write you a note along those lines.

i don't want to decline the typist position which i am employed to do and handing in my notice now won't look great on my cv. I am annoyed as this 'runner' position has been extremely hard to fill because of the working conditions, if i agree to do it i could be stuck doing it for a very long time. The condition of my hands was a consideration when turning down the job initially. I am happy doing what i was employed to do and am doing it well which is why i'm upset.

I totally understand why you're upset, but your options this early in your employment are extremely limited unfortunately, that's just the way it is.

Tell them about your medical condition if that may help.

Get a doctor's note and wriggle like hell. If it still turns out you have to do it, do your "proper" job really well and the "runner" job really badly. Forget to get the notes, always have to be asked to do it every single time, bring the wrong ones etc......

You're not in any different position to before, you can either do the job or not.

I suspect your hands were a consideration ,but not the main reason you declined the job initially - if you feel that strongly, tell them that if they insist you will have no choice but to resign and hope they change their mind?

It's my understanding that with such short service, you don't have many employee rights, trying to use your health against them is unlikely to endear you to anyone IME (wrong though that might be)

that's a good idea bobbly. I will end up doing it badly anyway. The area that stores the notes is vast and in a very, very bad way. it's extremely hard to find anything. There are literally loads of note requests waiting. I can get a doctors note but wouldn't want to jeopordise my current job.

People who are the most valued in organisations are the ones that become the 'glue' without which the office falls apart. You can become the glue without being the dogsbody and that's what you can concentrate on. To do that I'd suggest you always try to be cheerful and flexible when it comes to helping out - doesn't matter if it's there in the job description or not. the job needs to be done and who is going to do it if you don't? I'd suck it up and also I'd spend some time trying to work out what can be done to make the job more 'saleable' to a prospective employee. Eg could the basement be re-organised? could a process be introduced whereby trips to the basement were only done twice a day and a rota was set up to share the effort out? Or whatever. Could the job be done out of office hours and so appeal to someone looking for non-standard hours? Could it be split into two part-time?

Of course it's not your job to either do the work for a while, or come up with ideas, but if you do do that then you will be helping accelerate the process of offloading the work to someone else and also be making a good name for yourself. Far better to be seen in that light than in the light of 'the new joiner who keeps whinging'