What Can You Do If Your Employer Is Increasing Your Duties?

If your employer expands your job responsibilities, without your consent and without a proper increase in compensation, this may be unfair and it could amount to a constructive dismissal. 

Employers are often guilty of expanding employees’ job descriptions without the employee’s consent and without increasing compensation. 

Your employer is not entitled to expand your role without your consent, especially if there is no increase in compensation. 

When you join the company, you agree to a specific role and neither party is allowed to change that unless both of you voluntarily agree to do so. 

From time to time, you may be asked to do additional duties in order to ensure that the company operates properly. Generally speaking, this is a reasonable request and one that you should try to accommodate. In fact, most employment contracts state that you may be asked to perform additional duties from time to time. 

The problem arises when you are being instructed to perform additional duties permanently or for an undefined period of time, without additional compensation. If this happens to you, it may be grounds for constructive dismissal- and you may be entitled to compensation. 

Here are the steps you can take if you are in this situation: 

1. Raise the issue. Write to your employer and state that you have been instructed to perform additional duties outside of your agreed upon job description. 

2. Ask your employer to correct the issue. Ask your employer to remove the additional duties or to increase your compensation to properly account for your expanded role. 

3. State the consequence. Indicate that if they continue to direct you to perform additional duties, outside of your JD, without increasing your compensation, you may have to resign on the basis of constructive dismissal. 

You should always seek advice before resigning your job. 

It is unfair for your employer to change the terms of your employment without your consent and without fairly compensating you. 

Of course, it is sometimes necessary to go above and beyond to ensure the success of the company, which by extension, leads to your own success. But that must be within reason. It should not become a situation where you feel taken advantage of. And you should be properly compensated for the work that you do.