I don’t think Mr. Ramsey is in touch with the economic situation in the workplace at present. With layoffs rampant, and an excess of laid off workers willing to take your job for less pay, now is not the time to be telling your boss...”Sorry, that’s not in my job description.”
Smart employers don’t run constant OT regardless of the economy. People working a lot of OT get fatigued, tired people do lower quality work. Having a work force that can get your project done in 40 hours results in a better output. Plus when you force your people to live at work you actually dramatically cut down on productive hours, people that have to do 12 hour days all the time they probably only actually work 6 or 7 hours, the rest of the time they’re on the phone and running their personal lives that you’re not letting them have with those work hours. It’s hard for employees to take a stand, but employers need to understand the basic math, 40 hour work weeks actually help the bottom line.
You’re missing the point of the article.
It isn’t a matter of saying, “Boss, it is not my job to do x, y or z.”
It is a matter of saying, “Boss, you gave me 3 tasks and I only have time to complete 2 immediately. Please prioritize x, y and z so that I can meet your expectations.”
Our job descriptions all end with “other duties, as assigned”. Covers just about everything.