When does it become more than “and ad hoc / additional duties when required”

[MabelMoo23]

So that’s it really.

I’m currently Band 5 NHS Admin, I’ve stepped down in my career due to kids and husbands job and lack of flexibility from previous employers (especially those who claim they are inclusive - but that’s another thread…) and have extensive experience in project management / stakeholder management.

As a result I can do my job standing on my head and am delivering it well and as a result, my job has evolved and I’m doing way more outside of the job spec including a lot of governance and managing events for them as they’ve twigged that actually I can do a lot of stuff and am pretty good, and each time I do something, not long after, something else comes along.

Now that’s not really a problem in itself, I was bored to tears when I started and pretty resentful about leaving my career behind so my role has naturally evolved. However, when does it become more than that old chestnut of “additional duties when required” that employers put in to cover themselves and actually you are doing and delivering way way more than your actual job?

now being NHS I appreciate with agenda for change you can’t just ask for a pay rise so I am asking for my whole job to be reviewed and re-banded to reflect this - because it’s well documented that women just get on with it and think they will be rewarded for their results and sadly that doesn’t happen. Hence me asking for a review. Especially as I’ve benchmarked on NHS jobs and there are several roles open similar to what I do at a Band 6, so it’s not me being a CF.

but just wondered, what the consensus is around doing way outside of your job? When does it become more than “additional duties as and when”?

This is so common in admin jobs. There's another thread running about being mistaken for a PA where people are complaining but equally delegating down to any poor admin/PA within swinging distance. You get sucked into all sorts of shit if you are good.

How accurate is your job description? Maybe start there and add on all the additional stuff. You can ask for a rebanding but that's difficult in the NHS. If you're not happy with what they come back with then apply for the Band 6 job. That's what a bloke would do...

Moving jobs is generally the best answer to this one

Not NHS but a similar banded structure. I succeeded in getting my role re-graded (I had just done some nationally-significant work in my department’s field!) and, while it was a bit of a hassle at the time, I never regretted it. The effects of a pay and grade uplift are beneficial for your pay, status and pension in the years to come.

Is there much to lose?

I've had this issue in a public sector role. My view is that if they won't at least amend your contract and job description to reflect the work that you're actually doing then they are taking advantage. For me, it wasn't just about the money, it's the fact that there's no way to prove to future employers that you did that work, gained experience and held extra responsibilities if it's not recognised somewhere in writing. I know a few people who tried to fight this through the unions without success. I just quit.

Thank you all. I’m doing everything on the job spec and way way more including event management which you would normally contract out to someone else or get an actual event manager to do. And my view is that actually no, you don’t get to benefit from my years of experience and pay me an admin wage.

my view is that I’ve got absolutely nothing to lose by raising it and doing a business case of what I’ve delivered because if they say no, then I’m no worse off, but they might agree - and also if they say no, then I know exactly how much I’m valued!

Due to your circumstances at the time, it sounds like you've taken a job that you're over qualified/experienced for. If you're managing OK to over perform in this job perhaps it's telling you that you'd be alright going back to what you were doing before.
I don't necessarily think that they're taking you for a mug. Did you willingly take on the extra responsibility out of boredom. That said, I can't see how they can fairly expect you to carry out duties that are clearly above your pay grade.
You can ask for a pay review but the NHS tends to rely on the goodwill of its staff, a great many of whom work above & beyond their grade as normal. Therefore, they might not be able to afford you.
Is it possible for you to go back to your old job.

I offered to do the first thing out of boredom, but did it well and since then it’s been an avalanche of other stuff.

returning to my old job isn’t an option as it doesn’t exist anymore, as it was a fixed term contract and I had to leave due to zero flexibility even though it was promised and I’ve got children.

I just think that when you are expecting someone to actually run and manage events which were never in the job spec and you are being paid an admin wage - that is absolutely taking advantage, and is very different from taking on admin duties that other people might do simply due to to workload - it’s a totally different skill set and a man simply wouldn’t stand for it.

I don't honestly think they are doing it to take advantage. If you did the first job well and have happily accepted the rest of it then there's probably not much thought process involved.

Clinical roles are generally very well defined and you're expected to stay in your box. That has pros and cons to be honest!

Just say no if you're unhappy. You could well be back to square one on the boredom front though. Time to look for a new job?