7 ms·

seriously, while I understand and agree with the sentiment in general, you're a clerk at a small store, sweeping the parking lot doesn't seem outside of your du

seriously, while I understand and agree with the sentiment in general, you're a clerk at a small store, sweeping the parking lot doesn't seem outside of your duties.

mindcrime 4y ago
But it doesn't matter what you think my duties are. And it didn't matter what my manager thought my duties were. It mattered what I thought they were. And on that day, considering the circumstances (some shit job I'm working for barely more than minimum wage as I work my way through college) I chose to decide that sweeping the parking lot was not an acceptable duty. Maybe I would have chosen differently if I'd desperately needed that job to feed a family, but that just goes to show that our lines are somewhat situation dependent.
- P5fRxh5kUvp2th 4y ago
  I'm sure you're a hoot to work with, but personally I'd rather be around people who have the humbleness to avoid thinking sweeping a parking lot was beneath them. If you can't take pride in a job well done as a store clerk, why the hell does anyone think you'll take pride in a job well done as a developer? That motivation is internal.
  - adave 4y ago
    Seriously you must be so fun to work with.It's a person's choice and there is no pride in being a low paid worker, get over yourself.
  - abiloe 4y ago
    > If you can't take pride in a job well done as a store clerk, why the hell does anyone think you'll take pride in a job well done as a developer? That motivation is internal. This is an absurd argument. They have nothing to do with each other. If you'd rather be a store clerk then why should expect you to have much motivation or competence to be a developer?
- RobRivera 4y ago
  I'm getting the impression many are not entering into good faith discussion on understanding your perspective and attempting to not only invalidate your experience, but to also cast judgement.
  - mindcrime 4y ago
    This is HN, it's expected. :-)
    - adave 4y ago
      Yeah these people have not worked these jobs and the type of thing workers already have to do on the regular like cleaning pee on the shop floor. I agree cleaning that parking lot was a power control move and things just would have gotten worse as they were probably going to use you to make an example of.
      - P5fRxh5kUvp2th 4y ago
        wrong. I've been homeless and have worked many many factory jobs in my life, including chicken factories and I promise you that shit is worse than sweeping up pee from a floor. There's a word for people who throw tantrum's and walk off of a clerk job because they were asked to sweep a parking lot: privileged.
malfist 4y ago
Right? What was advanced auto supposed to do? Hire a person specifically for cleaning the parking lot? There's a reason job postings all say "And other duties as assigned"
- mindcrime 4y ago
  Hire a person specifically for cleaning the parking lot? Or do what everybody else does, and contract with one of those companies that comes through a couple of nights a week with one of those parking lot sweeping trucks? The thing is, to a first approximation, nobody asks employees to go out and sweep the god-damn parking lot with a broom. This particular manager was just being a dick for the sake of being a dick. And I'm not somebody you can bully like that, because I will happily tell you to go fuck yourself and walk out. shrug There's a reason job postings all say "And other duties as assigned" And do you actually think that people take that to literally mean anything? Is there no task whatsoever that you would refuse to do? If so, I'd say you are a very strange person, as most people in my experience do have a line. That line is going to vary a lot from person to person, but I don't think I know a single person who would honestly say "Yes, I will do anything for my boss based on that clause in the job description."
  - jimmygrapes 4y ago
    Here is the missing piece of the tale: why did the manager want the parking lot swept? I've been in a shitload of positions where I was assigned menial tasks for a variety of reasons. In some of those. positions I could say no without drama, in some I could quit, in some I could say "Yes sir/ma'am", in some I could delegate, in some I could outsource. In every case, I could respectfully and tactfully ask why. "Is there any specific area that needs extra attention?" "Will somebody else be covering my standard duties while I do this?" "Is this going to be part of my regular duties or is this just to keep me busy?" ... and so on. Tone matters depending on the relationship you have with the manager. But a violent reactive act and profanity doesn't seem like the best way regardless of how righteous you feel years down the road. I wouldn't hire you if this was your "tell me about a time you dealt with adversity in the workplace" interview answer, that's for sure.
  - 4y ago

seriously, while I understand and agree with the sentiment in general, you're a clerk at a small store, sweeping the parking lot doesn't seem outside of your duties.

mindcrime 4y ago

But it doesn't matter what you think my duties are. And it didn't matter what my manager thought my duties were. It mattered what I thought they were. And on that day, considering the circumstances (some shit job I'm working for barely more than minimum wage as I work my way through college) I chose to decide that sweeping the parking lot was not an acceptable duty. Maybe I would have chosen differently if I'd desperately needed that job to feed a family, but that just goes to show that our lines are somewhat situation dependent.

P5fRxh5kUvp2th 4y ago
I'm sure you're a hoot to work with, but personally I'd rather be around people who have the humbleness to avoid thinking sweeping a parking lot was beneath them. If you can't take pride in a job well done as a store clerk, why the hell does anyone think you'll take pride in a job well done as a developer? That motivation is internal.
- adave 4y ago
  Seriously you must be so fun to work with.It's a person's choice and there is no pride in being a low paid worker, get over yourself.
- abiloe 4y ago
  > If you can't take pride in a job well done as a store clerk, why the hell does anyone think you'll take pride in a job well done as a developer? That motivation is internal. This is an absurd argument. They have nothing to do with each other. If you'd rather be a store clerk then why should expect you to have much motivation or competence to be a developer?
RobRivera 4y ago
I'm getting the impression many are not entering into good faith discussion on understanding your perspective and attempting to not only invalidate your experience, but to also cast judgement.
- mindcrime 4y ago
  This is HN, it's expected. :-)
  - adave 4y ago
    Yeah these people have not worked these jobs and the type of thing workers already have to do on the regular like cleaning pee on the shop floor. I agree cleaning that parking lot was a power control move and things just would have gotten worse as they were probably going to use you to make an example of.
    - P5fRxh5kUvp2th 4y ago
      wrong. I've been homeless and have worked many many factory jobs in my life, including chicken factories and I promise you that shit is worse than sweeping up pee from a floor. There's a word for people who throw tantrum's and walk off of a clerk job because they were asked to sweep a parking lot: privileged.

malfist 4y ago

Right? What was advanced auto supposed to do? Hire a person specifically for cleaning the parking lot? There's a reason job postings all say "And other duties as assigned"

mindcrime 4y ago
Hire a person specifically for cleaning the parking lot? Or do what everybody else does, and contract with one of those companies that comes through a couple of nights a week with one of those parking lot sweeping trucks? The thing is, to a first approximation, nobody asks employees to go out and sweep the god-damn parking lot with a broom. This particular manager was just being a dick for the sake of being a dick. And I'm not somebody you can bully like that, because I will happily tell you to go fuck yourself and walk out. shrug There's a reason job postings all say "And other duties as assigned" And do you actually think that people take that to literally mean anything? Is there no task whatsoever that you would refuse to do? If so, I'd say you are a very strange person, as most people in my experience do have a line. That line is going to vary a lot from person to person, but I don't think I know a single person who would honestly say "Yes, I will do anything for my boss based on that clause in the job description."
- jimmygrapes 4y ago
  Here is the missing piece of the tale: why did the manager want the parking lot swept? I've been in a shitload of positions where I was assigned menial tasks for a variety of reasons. In some of those. positions I could say no without drama, in some I could quit, in some I could say "Yes sir/ma'am", in some I could delegate, in some I could outsource. In every case, I could respectfully and tactfully ask why. "Is there any specific area that needs extra attention?" "Will somebody else be covering my standard duties while I do this?" "Is this going to be part of my regular duties or is this just to keep me busy?" ... and so on. Tone matters depending on the relationship you have with the manager. But a violent reactive act and profanity doesn't seem like the best way regardless of how righteous you feel years down the road. I wouldn't hire you if this was your "tell me about a time you dealt with adversity in the workplace" interview answer, that's for sure.
- 4y ago