Using Employees for Non-Company Work

[Colwyn]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? Illinois

I work in the advertising department of a large hobby corporation which is owned by several individuals who live out-of-state. They have "asked" that our department do design work -- on company time -- for, variously, a restaurant that they own, their yacht, and their horse ranch, none of which are directly related to the corporation outside of the fact that these people own them all.

Though my supervisors don't feel we should be doing this work, they submit to the owners' requests because "well, they're the owners" and "well, we're all getting paid anyway." My opinion is that I should not be asked and cannot be forced to do work that is not directly related to the company for which I work, regardless of who the owners are or what other businesses they may own. I consider myself employed in this one advertising department only and, as such, responsible for doing only work directly related to that department. Am I correct?

And, if I am correct, what legal resource (or recourse through our internal Human Resources department) do we have if we are "forced" to do this outside design work?

Thank you!

 

[Beth3]

No, you are not correct. The company owners may require you to do any type of work AT ALL provided it is not illegal or unsafe. If this were a publicly held company this would likely be a different issue but since it's privately held, the owners have complete and total latitude in how they want their employees to spend their time, including assigning work that has to do with their outside interests and other companies they own.

Either view this as project work that expands your expertise in your field and thus enhances your longer-term career prospects or, if you are dead set against it, look for a job elsewhere where you will only be required to perform a proscribed set of duties.

Personally, unless this other work requires an onerous amount of overtime, I'd think it would likely be a welcome change of pace and an interesting challenge.