“other duties as assigned” – the 4 words that can make your job anything

Tucked at the bottom of countless job descriptions is a line so familiar it may barely register: “other duties as assigned.” That language generally feels like a formality—an obvious catch-all to cover the reality that job descriptions can’t list every small thing a job might task you with. In practice, though, that line can end […] The post “other duties as assigned” – the 4 words that can make your job anything appeared first on Ask a Manager.

Career May 19, 2026 0 5 Add to Reading List

Tucked at the bottom of countless job descriptions is a line so familiar it may barely register: “other duties as assigned.” That language generally feels like a formality—an obvious catch-all to cover the reality that job descriptions can’t list every small thing a job might task you with. In practice, though, that line can end up doing a lot of work in ways new hires never anticipated.

At Slate today, I wrote about some of the weirdest ways “other duties as assigned” has been used — and what you can do if you’re being assigned work wildly outside of your job description. You can read it here.

The post “other duties as assigned” – the 4 words that can make your job anything appeared first on Ask a Manager.

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