Why nipping unnecessary tasks in the bud can help both you and your boss

Last week I wrote about illegitimate tasks, and some readers wanted to know more about these and how to tackle them. Researchers say illegitimate tasks are those that employees have to deal with that they perceive are unnecessary or unreasonable.

Obviously, there are a range of tasks that most of us, outside of jobs in the military, boxers, wrestlers, law enforcement and the like would deem unreasonable (though perhaps at times of frustration not unnecessary), such as using physical force to overcome others.

At the other end of the spectrum are tasks that are entirely legitimate such as doing your job – provided the job has clear role expectations. So if you are employed in a hamburger joint, preparing, cooking or selling hamburgers as well as doing it to relevant hygiene and safety standards are almost certainty going to be legitimate tasks.

In such a job, picking up the supervisor’s children from school, babysitting, walking the manager’s dog, or shopping for an anniversary present probably would not be legitimate, unless of course these tasks or expectations were set out in your contract of employment, or were mentioned and preferably documented during a recruitment process.

Some tasks or demands could fall outside of relevant employment laws. Being asked to do something illegal, or being expected to accede to sexual advances for instance, definitely would not be legitimate.

However, outside of these extremes it can be trickier to draw the line, and there are probably a range of “good-will” tasks that are politic to go along with to keep the peace or maintain team spirit or morale. Providing these don’t amount to a significant burden or distraction, or are occasional in nature, they are probably not an issue for you to die on a hill in protest. However, if you feel a task is unreasonable, you should raise it as an issue in polite manner at the time of being asked. Simply seeking clarification of why you are being asked to undertake a task can be enough to have a request withdrawn. The key with unreasonable tasks is to consider: Is this reasonably part of my job description? Is what is being asked reasonably within my power, resources and/or skill set? And do the costs of undertaking the task outweigh the costs of refusal?

Unnecessary tasks are also problematic. Firstly, you need to ask whether this is a matter of perspective. A task may seem unnecessary to you, but may be part of a bigger picture for management. If you feel like that, politely seek clarification. Similarly, I’d counsel against an attitude of management know best, as this merely perpetuates a culture of poor communication at best, and at worst a culture that may tolerate bullying.

Nipping things in the bud, and providing feedback that you do not understand why you are doing a task, if presented politely and positively, can actually be welcomed by supervisors, as they may be unaware how their directions are landing, and they may even be open to changing how things are done.