ABSTRACT
But that is not in my job description!” One of the most irritating and frustrating responses a manager hears from an
employee is a complaint that an assignment does not fit some predetermined definition of his or her duties and responsibilities. The complaint is heard as passive aggression, as a sign of conflict between a manager and an employee. Sometimes, frankly, the complaint is legitimate. Employees are asked to do work for which they are not being paid. At other times, however, the fault is with a human resource management system that is rigid and invites employees to think too narrowly about their jobs and the challenges and changes their agency faces.
