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Acting Verses Covering Appointment

It is possible that some people do not like to end up in this situation. If you end up in such a situation, you may like it. You want clearly defined tasks and responsibilities specified in your appointment. If you have a choice, you would want to avoid the hassles of working for others.

Earning a living doesn't necessary mean that you need to have a regular job. There are many people who carry out odd jobs.

Strangely, you see that these people do manage to survive. And you wonder.


As an Employee
If you have a regular job you may sometimes feel that you are in the wrong job. Or is there anything wrong with the job?

Your employer may require you to perform so many tasks. You believe that some of these are not related to the job you have been recruited for. You feel unhappy, sometimes annoyed.

You do not know what is happening. The boss gives some reasons such as multi-skilling or someone is away on sick leave. You become more confused and ask why. You feel you want to move out.

As a worker, you may not know whether your employer can force you to perform those extra duties.

As an Employer
If you are the employer, you may not realize whether you are going against the law or you are doing things right.

Sometimes you notice that the employee's performance goes down and you wonder why. Your employee leave but you do not understand why.

Get to know the relevant regulations before you decide on anything that affects your employees.

Issues on appointment as acting and covering duties may come up from time to time. It is good to understand the basic difference between acting in a job and covering a job. This will help in making better decision on the issue of acting verses covering appointment.

Covering Appointment
Well, when as an employer, you instruct an employee to do the work of another employee who is away, that is covering the duties and responsibilities of that other employee. This means that the employee is doing two jobs at the same time.

For example, the inventory clerk is made to cover the duties of the purchasing clerk who is on long medical leave.

Acting Appointment
When you tell an employee to perform another job, usually at a higher level, and you do not require that employee to perform his or her current job, that is acting in that other job.

For example, a workshop supervisor is made to act in the position of Assistant Manager (Technical). Another supervisor may cover his duties or one of the senior technicians is made to act as a supervisor.

Paying Extra Compensation
In both cases, it is normal that an extra compensation is paid. It is fair and reasonable.

Does your policy provide for acting or covering appointment without compensation? This is unfair and manipulative. It demotivates people.

As an employer, you need to re-look at that policy. It is good to truly understand the actual intention when making decision on the issue of acting verses covering appointment.

Do not use reasons such as "multi-skilling" unless the two jobs are closely inter-connected or complimentary in nature. For example, you cannot include "removal of waste (sewerage)" to the list of duties of a security guard. Outsource activities like this.

Practical Solutions
In the case where two jobs are very similar and one person can effectively perform them, it is better to make the two jobs into one, make one employee perform that job and pay him or her a higher base salary. In this case, you don't have to decide on the acting verses covering appointment issue.

However, your types of activities may not require any such decisions. Under some working arrangement, covering another person's job is practically impossible.

In a factory, for example, where employees are assigned respectively to watch over different stages of a mechanical operation, it is not possible for one employee to perform another employee's job while performing his own specific task. It is impossible and dangerous.

If you clearly understand the difference, it is not very hard to decide any matter regarding acting verses covering appointment issues.

For a sample appointment letter, click HERE.

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