Two thoughts on the obligatory "and other tasks deemed necessary" clause
that has been in just about every job description I have ever read:

1. There is an upbeat side to doing things that aren't in your job
description. Learning how to do something that nobody knows how to do makes
you more valuable to your employer and make you a better, more well rounded
professional.  I have seen it happen more than once. A low to middle
management person becomes an expert at organizing bulk mails, manipulating
data bases across programs and platforms, tending a small network,
supervising rental functions, etc. results in a higher salary when that
person asks for raises or threatens to leave. I've played that card a number
of times. I also believe that having done those jobs makes me a better
manager of those people who do those types of jobs under me. It can back
fire of course.  There is a saying that accomplishing the impossible only
makes it part of your regular duties.

2. The phenomenon of the ever growing job description is not just in the
museum world.  It is all over. 80 years ago or so there was a revolution in
house keeping.  New appliances and cleaning products were invented to free
women from household drudgery.  The opposite happened. Housewives were even
more burdened than ever. The new products and associated ad campaigns just
raised the standard for what constituted a clean house. I think the same is
happening now.  With the proliferation of computer technologies we are now
expected to do things we wouldn't have been expected to do 20 years ago
simply because we can.  The standard for what a executive or museum curator
has been broadened.  Now that a $50 program and an hour of time can create
what passed for a professional flyer or invitation 20 years ago we are all
expected to do our own design work.  And more often I would imagine. Now
that every word processor comes with a spell checker everyone has to write
their own letters. Whatever happened to secretarial and steno pools?   That
whole profession has been virtually wiped out by tools that allow (or make)
us do our own typing, which takes time away from curator, educating, or
directing. Again, it's happening all over.   Work habits are changing and I
reckon they will continue to do so for awhile.  If the computer and cell
phone sales and ad people have their way we will all be giving up our free
time to continue working. When it becomes as simple to check your email or
teleconference from home as it is to make a phone call or turn on your TV,
how much longer will it be before we are all expected to.  Even on our days
off and vacations.

Just my two bits worth.  Call it inflation.



--
Matthew White
Director of Museums
The Mount Washington Observatory
North Conway, New Hampshire




> From: "Burke, Laurence M. II" <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Fri, 04 Aug 2000 16:59:49 -0400
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Professionalism and numbers thread
>
> It seems to me that whether this is "degrading", "beneath the
> status/station", or just different, this should be a reason to pay more
> money, not less, as long as this is something more than a very occasional
> jaunt, or an emergency situation (e.g. : the example about being between
> cleaning contracts).  You are (even if only informally) increasing the
> responsibility of the job.  Personally, I don't find that sort of
> flexibility to be against my work ethic, and is sometimes a refreshing break
> from the usual tasks (though I concede that cleaning up after a visitor has
> been ill on the floor is not "refreshing").  :-)  I find a casual disregard
> of strict job descriptions to be de rigueur in all small museums, gradually
> diminishing as the organization increases in size.  On the other hand, I
> have worked with two people who have quit because they felt that the job
> description was not a good description of what they were actually asked to
> do, and one who quit because it was not flexible enough!

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