We have now gone from multi-tasking to multi-jobbing. Jobs these days are not only increasing in hours, but they are also gradually increasing in tasks, making them ‘multi-roles’. Are you one of these people who are ‘lucky’ enough to have such a role? And how do you handle it?Sadly, gone are the days when job descriptions were the bible of the workplace. You were given them as a golden hand out when you started, and they sat proudly next to your contract. Nowadays, at times you would be lucky just to have one. Or you may have to write your own. Or there is one, but it is so out-dated that it has lost all relevance. This is not always intentional on behalf of the employer, but in the end it can serve them quite well.
Today I see people whose job description technically includes two or three solid roles into it: project managers in charge of business development, digital marketers in charge of customer experience, researchers in charge of brand strategy, finance managers in charge of corporate strategy…the list goes on. And this also applies to advertised positions: check out the extra-long list of responsibilities and companies who want you to do everything from the bottom up, for a median salary. How can you master your core job, with specialist skills? How can you spread yourself and your time so much to create more and be more?
Well the truth is, this happens more and more in businesses as profit pressure increases. Several people share one person’s workload after they leave. Or some unlucky workers who covered during someone’s leave find themselves stuck with their workload permanently since they showed great diligence. And the consequences of these ‘multi-roles’ are not glorious: stressed workers, mistakes being made, lack of long-term view (as employees sprint from one thing to the next), and overall decrease in productivity as well as skills level of a team (when someone leaves, they take a lot of knowledge with them).
I believe this is the reflection of a transitional phase, as the definition of work evolves from the traditional full-time, to a more fragmented, specialist approach with flexible working hours. But a lot of companies remain stuck in the middle – resisting the flexible work strategies because they are scared of change and of losing control. So they simply pass the added pressure onto their workers until some of them ultimately crack and leave. And the cycle goes on. The same tends to happen at management level to a lesser extend – executives combining portfolios, brands or regions. We are simply losing the quality of work, and the essence of competence as we cram more into less brain space.
So what can you do, if you have inherited a multi-role? First you need to look after yourself, to ensure your stress and energy levels, your mental and physical health are where they should be (refer to my post about being in the ‘orange zone’). Because without these fundamentals in place, you cannot do a good job on any of the fronts you have to be on. Secondly you need to realistically plan out your work weeks, and call out for help if anything is not manageable or if there is any risk of not delivering to expectations. It might not sound like a thing you wish to do, but that is called managing your own performance. It is not your duty to deliver outcomes at any cost, it is your duty to call this out and be part of the solution.
The best way to use a multi-role to your advantage is aligned with your career goals, if you are clear on them. You may need to gain multiple skills for your future role, therefore it might be a good fit for you right now. But importantly, you have to make it work for yourself in terms of well-being. Or you may identify that you wish to focus on one aspect of your multi-role. Then it is up to you to pro-actively create a case for your business to make it work as a win-win. Unless you show the added value generated by splitting a role (equal value sadly won’t cut it), you will remain solely in charge and wear the consequences.
There is always another option, always a door. If you feel stuck in a role larger than you, you can pro-actively turn it around or take action. We cannot be everything in a role, even if some people really would wish that. You have your own set of special talents that need to shine through – the role is only the channel. If the channel becomes too big, your talents get diluted along with your motivation. So find a job channel that matches your inner talents, so you can fully express your potential.
