A lot of times job descriptions are more like guidelines than actual sets of rules that employers are expected to follow.
And while it can be frustrating to be hired for one particular set of tasks, and then get dumped with a whole new set of tasks that is outside the scope of what worker was hired for, it’s not like it’s illegal for an employer to expect you to tackle these additional duties (unless one’s hiring contract expressly states otherwise).
However, that doesn’t mean that workers still can’t help but feel like they’ve been bait-and-switched at their jobs, which is what TikToker Raymundo Martinez (@.ray_mtz03) intimates happened to him while working for Walmart.
Martinez says that while he initially applied to work in the retailer’s toy department, he soon learned he was expected to take on a wide berth of duties and found himself being cross-trained in a variety of different departments and taking on additional duties that differed greatly from his initial position.
@.ray_mtz03 #fyp I even hit my head when I was bringing the carts #walmartemployee #employee #walmartassociate #employeeofthemonth #walmart #viral #ray_mtz03 #trending #9to5 #funny #overworked #slave #foryou #foryoupage #fypage #fypシ ♬ original sound – theylovemeefr
He wrote in the text overlay for the TikTok: “When they hired you for toys and now they have you pushing carts, covering electronics, being a cashier, helping opd, in stationary, fabrics, garden, seasonal, domestics, home, and consumables all in one shift.”
In the short clip, he pushes a trail of carts into the Walmart location, adding in a caption that he banged his head through the cart holding area while bringing them inside.
Martinez’s video was viewed over 240,000 times since April 4. There were some TikTokers who questioned the fairness of expecting employees to perform duties of other positions that pay more, without offering a salary bump. OGP at Walmart refers to online grocery pickup, and viewers suggested these workers make more money than others. “When they pull me for ogp but don’t give me ogp pay…” one said.
Someone else quipped that Martinez should be “promoted to CEO” for performing so many different job duties, which he seemed to agree with.
Another said that in addition to him getting pulled into other areas in order to perform different job duties, he is still probably tasked with ensuring the toy department is organized as well. “And they’ll still expect toys zoned and all,” they wrote.
Someone else simply added, “With the bare minimum pay.”
It appears there have been other instances of Walmart placing expectations on its workers to branch out in different areas of the store outside of their job descriptions. A 2010 Avvo q&a featured a legal question from a Riverside, California Walmart associate who asked: “I work for Walmart in connection center. That is my primary job code. Am I obligated to work in other areas in the store such as electronics, photo, unload the truck and cart pushing?”
The same employee also added that they weren’t receiving additional pay or raises for tackling on these extra job duties while mentioning that in their original job description, there’s no mention they would be taking on these additional roles. They were so frustrated with the experience that they asked lawyers the best way to address the situation without losing their job.
On of the attorney answers provided on the website may’ve not been the most hopeful response for the fed-up associate: “The short answer is: Walmart can force its associates to work in different departments or perform different duties regardless of job description. This is assuming the associate is not subject to an employment agreement and is not being retaliated or discriminated against.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Martinez via TikTok comment and Walmart via email.
