A good relationship with your supervisor is key to succeeding in the workplace. However, this can become tricky when they start assigning tasks that are not in your job description, outside your skill set, or below your pay grade. And knowing how to handle this situation while maintaining work role boundaries can be difficult.

To help you out, here are a few tips on handling these scenarios and ensuring supervisors don’t overstep your workplace boundaries (or give you more work than you can handle). Afterward, you’ll be better equipped to stay professional and assertive while keeping your relationship with your supervisor nice and strong.

Maintaining Work Role Boundaries

 

1. Clarify the request with your supervisor

If you’re unsure of what is expected of you, you must ask your supervisor for clarification. This will help you understand the request’s scope and the boundaries you should keep in mind.

This will accomplish a few things. First, you’ll highlight that the task is unfamiliar and falls outside your job description. And secondly, it will give you a better understanding of the expectations of the task and how you should approach it. This will allow your supervisor to reiterate the expectation and provide any additional details you may need.

Additionally, you’ll be able to subtly remind your supervisor that you are working outside your job description. This will help ensure that you don’t get taken advantage of and will also set boundaries for future requests.

 

2. Check the company’s policy on job duties and overtime pay

Many companies have a policy document outlining employees’ job duties and how much they should be paid for overtime work. Make sure you familiarize yourself with this policy before taking on tasks outside your job description.

You can bring this up with your supervisor if you’re being asked to do something outside your job duties. This will help avoid misunderstandings and ensure you are properly compensated for your extra work. Additionally, by referring to the policy you can show that you are being objective and keeping to the company guidelines. This will put you in a much better position when discussing the details of the task in question.

 

3. Document all requests outside of the job description

Man filling out a document

A paper trail of any requests for work outside your job description is important. This will help protect you if there are any disputes about additional work you’ve done or the compensation you received for it.

Make sure to keep track of all communications, emails, and documents related to any requests for additional work. This will provide evidence if you need to refer back to it later. Whenever possible, ask your supervisor to email or message you confirming the request. This will make it much easier to prove you completed the work if you ever need to.

 

4. If tasks continue to be requested outside of the job description, speak to HR about your concerns

If you feel your supervisor is asking too much of you or the requests are outside your work role, it may be time to speak to HR about your concerns.

It’s important to be honest and professional in any conversation with HR. Explain the situation and provide evidence where applicable. HR can provide advice on how you should handle the situation and may provide some insight as to why your supervisor is making these requests.

As long as you stay professional, HR should take your concerns seriously and be willing to help you resolve the situation. Just keep in mind that it’s important to structure your conversation to show you are looking for a resolution and not just complaining. You’ll be in a much better position if you can demonstrate you are trying to work with your supervisor and just need some guidance.

 

Conclusion For Maintaining Work Role Boundaries

Maintaining work role boundaries is essential for any employee. If you find yourself in a situation where you are asked to do tasks outside of your job description, remember to clarify the request, check the company policy and reference it when speaking of non job-related tasks, and document all requests. If you feel this is a regular occurrence, you can speak to HR about your concerns.

Doing these things will help ensure that you are not taken advantage of and remain in control of your work. But if necessary, you always have the option of finding a brand new marketing career as well.