When entering into the working world, especially as a student or learner who neither had been exposed to the work environment nor has a mentor to guide them, exploitation may be an inevitable thing to happen: you might accept it before you even recognise it.
It’s your first time working. You have this notion that you must impress your boss, to not be problematic, because it’s your first job and you also need a positive reference for future jobs, right?
But what happens in an event that you find yourself doing jobs that are not in line with your job-description or what you expected to do? What do you do?
Let me give you an example:
You are employed to work as a trainee accountant at a small accounting firm to become a Professional Accountant (SA). The training is for 3 years. During your first year, you’re tasked with the following, along with very few accounting jobs:
- Making filter coffee for the boss
- Answering the phone when the secretary is not around (twice a week)
- Preparing re-usable paper for printing: that means taking out the paper that was printed on one side from a pile of papers, and from old files.
- Making Board and Board Committee job applications for the boss
This continues to your second year and expands to include the following:
- Being in charge of the boss’ diary (like a personal assistant)
- Following up on the boss’ completion of income from companies in which he is in committees and boards
- Buying consumables, like coffee, tea, sugar, printing paper, etc., for the office during lunch time. If that meant being left with 10 minutes of lunch hour by the time you are back because of queues or having to walk to the shop and back, then so be it
- Booking flights and accommodation for the boss, for board meetings outside the province (and the admin that comes with it)
- Preparing claim sheets for all expenses spent that need to be reimbursed by the companies in which the boss is a Board or Committee member, incurred because of meetings attended (again, with all the admin that comes with that)
And please note: there are no automated processes. Everything is manual. It’s a small business.
Now, there may be 2 arguments/ a debate here:
1. Be grateful that you have a job. Do what you are told irrespective of the additional work that is irrelevant to what you applied for.
[Question: For how long? The training is supposed to be for 3 years. That’s what the contract says. It’s been 2 years, and you haven’t completed ¾ of the competencies you need to have satisfied by the end of the training. There isn’t even anyone monitoring your progress and work uploaded on your logbook as expected.
2. Address it with the employer; and if that doesn’t work, apply at another company.
[Now, it may sound like a good idea to address it, but when you know your boss and where this will end up, you have to think and do what will bring the best result. As for applying at another firm: you first have to secure employment at that other firm, and that other firm should be looking for candidates like you at the time you need to change firms. Another concern is to think whether they would consider you looking at your reason for changing firms, even the fact that you’re changing firms.]
The above is actually not a made-up scenario. It’s a true story – my story. I had endured the exploitation for 2 years. I got to know the boss well enough to know that addressing my issues will not help me at all. It would either get me fired or end up still doing some non-accountant jobs as there was still no one else who would be doing them. I was told, “There is the door” once, since I had told the boss I’d be in his office at 8:00, which was at the time I was supposed to start at work, even though I had arrived much earlier.
Now, do you see where I’m coming from?
I did address some concerns. When I realized that the finger was pointed at me and that the boss is not admitting to the exploitation (not surprising, really), I figured I had no chance here.
The thing is - I felt that I was dragging myself to work. Every day felt like a mission. Is that life? Is it worth it to drag yourself for the sake of income, while at the same time being in a work environment where you feel drained?
I had enough, and when I was provoked one instance by the supervisor, I got angry and decided to quit with a resignation letter, because I knew that my anger would cost me if I stayed there any longer. I did not want to say anything I’d regret, because by then I had tolerated enough exploitation. I did report to the Institute of Professional Accountants, and still awaiting their response. I shall see on which side they are on.
In the real world, this is one side of how it actually is out there in the working world. Perhaps I failed from the beginning for being so desperate for a job that I did not concern myself to research about the company, and trust me online research is not enough. You need an objective opinion from inside. That may not be an immediate and feasible solution. Perhaps standing firm by your rights as an employee pertaining your job description from day 1 would do the trick?
As a student or learner who is about to enter or has just entered the working world, be alert of such things.
It’s either you make a good and informed decision from the very beginning, or endure to the point of delaying your own progress.
Please do share your comments, even experiences and / or advise. You can engage on a discussion on the Facebook page:
Until next time.
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