What is meant by extra duty?

Question

I'm researching information about joining the air force and I keep hearing people talk about extra duty other than their jobs. What does that mean? I also heard you're forced to volunteer in the military, is that true?

Answer 1

Extra duty and additional duty aren't the same thing.



"Extra duty" is punitive. Those are duties specifically assigned to you as punishment for something; e.g. showing up late to work. That can either be as a result of formal punishment (Article 15) or as a corrective action taken by your supervisor (supervisors are limited however by how much and what kinds of extra duty they may assign).



"Additional duties" are things beyond your primary job that you do regularly. These are typically assigned by your supervisor. They can include all kinds of things; every job or department has things that need doing. What your additional duties will be depends on where you work and what your job is. For example, for me, I was a flight medic. My *primary* job was to fly on aircraft and take care of patients. But I was also assigned to the logistics section for a while. When I wasn't flying, I worked with the NCOIC of logistics to help keep all of our equipment inventoried and in order. When I moved to a different unit I was assigned to the training section. When I wasn't flying, my additional duties included keeping track of aircrew training and scheduling instruction flights and check-rides with flight instructors.



Additional duties can really be just about anything that needs doing in your section.



Volunteering is another animal. There are volunteer opportunities you can choose to participate in (e.g. community service, etc.) and things for which you will be "voluntold". For example: The squadron commander wants to have a Family Day event at the unit. They need 15 people to help set up tables and chairs. You didn't volunteer to do that but your supervisor said you're doing it anyway. You've been voluntold.



Of course, you can use your free time for whatever you want within reason and if you want to volunteer you are more or less free to do so. I spent a fair amount of time volunteering with Habitat for Humanity while I was on active duty. That's mostly up to you.

.

Answer 2

What you are asking about are 'additional duties' and 'volunteer opportunities.'

Like some others have said, the term 'extra duty' refers to punitive work someone must do as part of their Article 15 punishment.

Everyone has 'additional duties.' They are the random tasks that someone in a unit has to do that aren't really in the job description of the main job. They are things like voting officer, vehicle control NCO, unit security manager, physical training leader, etc.

'Volunteer opportunities' (that one isn't an official term) would be things like cleaning up the highway the squadron adopted.

Answer 3

Extra Duty........is *generally* meant as a punitive term.



You go to Capt's Mast and are stripped of one rank, perhaps fined, and most assuredly, assigned "extra duty". (if not outright receiving brig time)



Fines of Extra Duty are usually 15 or 30 days......you are restricted to the ship, and after the "normal" work day, you have to muster with the Master of Arms, and they will ensure you perform some menial task.......cleaning P-ways, polishing bright work, that sort of thing.



People assigned to the BRIG.....will also be let out for this "extra duty". ...and then returned to the brig.



Additional duties .......can be chores or assignments above and Beyond your normal job.



You could be tasked with helping with a working party. It's NOT a punishment.......it's simply a task that requires more hands....and lucky you, if you get tapped.



You could be asked to stand someone else's watch........for whatever reasons. ....maybe they are sick or have been injured and the shift needs to be covered at the last second.



You can volunteer for additional duty........like working for the COM-REL committe, like I did.



Not required....they can't make you........it's strictly voluntarily for those who wish to work on community projects in foreign ports, instead of drinking and going to whore houses.



That sort of thing looks good on evals, which help with promotions.



as for volunteering........well, the old Navy joke is.......



Navy stands for.......



Never

Again

Volunteer

Yourself.

Answer 4

Extra duty can mean and encompass a number of things really. Some of them may be related to the organization and work center you are assigned to while some others will be related to post or base type activities. Many organizations have their own mini snack bar and fridge for instance. They use the profits from them to purchase award plaques, shadow boxes, and flowers for their members when they have won an award or maybe retiring or a member has a death in the family rather than just passing the hat. You might be given the job of keeping the fridge stocked or even having to go to the commissary to purchase items from the monies generated and keeping the snack bar stocked. Annual or bi annual inspections usually generate some additional duties for those assigned. Those duties can include sprucing things up and some extra cleaning or maybe spending some time making sure your and other's areas are ready for inspection and even doing things like double checking paperwork and documentation to avoid any got ya moments during that inspection.



A lot of posts and bases also have some base or post wide duties that individuals are sometimes tasked with supporting and dedicating some time for. Retirements and changes of command for high ranking officers for instance usually include some military ceremonies and a brief social function afterwards. Those events require planning and also some people to do those things needed for that to happen and so perhaps you will be tasked for one of those or asked to volunteer. Some of these things and duties can be really great to do and help make a difference in you getting promoted as well as interesting to participate in. So while you might not be forced to volunteer its not maybe a good idea to refuse those offers or opportunities when they present themselves to you is how some of this works. When I served I used to tell those assigned under me to try and participate in at least one organization wide function, project, or ceremony every year and at least one base or post wide function, project, or ceremony every two years. That way they would always have something more on their performance reports for consideration than just doing their job which is always not enough especially when you are talking about promotion at the higher ranks. Participating in these things also helps teach you something more about things in the military and expands your thinking and understanding of things as well as stands you just a little bit taller in the eyes of your commander than someone that just does enough to get by or just does their job and nothing much else beyond that.

Answer 5

there are collateral duties and there are extra duties. collateral duties means something else you get tasked with that is not specific to your MOS/Rating/AFSC and slot you are filling at the command. things like Voting officer, PRT coordinator and Morale officer.



Extra duties can be punitive, but not always. things like: field days where you have to come in on a Saturday and strip and wax the office floor. scrubbing the bathrooms. standing a second watch on your duty day. being the duty driver tasked with picking the newbies up at the airport.

Answer 6

OK. Your job is Cook. Your additional duty is to head up your unit Savings Bond Drive. Your job is Administrative Officer. Your additional duty is to be in charge of the Base wide HIV testing. It is a duty somewhat unrelated to your job but gets you something extra to put down in your fitness report.

Answer 7

there are literally hundreds of jobs that have to be done everyday, that there is no afsc for



they go from the standbys everyone knows-- mowing grass, sweeping and mopping, cleaning backrooms



to military related jobs, like technical order monitor, tool room, ARB Teams, mobility teams, etc



some of those are full time jobs, instead of doing your afsc-- you do those jobs full time, some are just extra duty, you have to do your job, plus your responsible for doing those other jobs.



2. and there are functions, while not technically mandatory-- in reality, you must attend and there are things they will tell you to buy, while technically they cannot force you-- in reality, you have no choice.



they hold all the cards-- they control who goes to different schools, they control who gets assigned to good jobs and who gets assigned to crappy jobs, who get assigned to details

Answer 8

It's punishment.

Answer 9

"extra duty" -- when there's an emergency of any kind, you get to do more than your job/rate calls for. The military is like that. It isn't a 9-5, five days a week job. If that bothers you ... don't enlist.



"volunteer"? when the sergeant says, "I need three people to ... you, you, and you" ... you've volunteered.

Answer 10

googlee

Answer 11

My Navy experience

1) Collateral duty, sometimes mistakenly called extra duty, is a job outside your normal duties, for example as the active duty corpsman I had the collateral duty of issuing ID cards to the local retirees and dependents.

2) Extra duty was the term used to discribe corrective action/punishment for minor infractions. For example I once had a young sailor who was always 1 or 2 minutes late for quarters. His extra duty was to report to me every hour on the hour from knock off ships work until taps.

In the military you can be "volunteered" by your boss for anything. I would always tell my people "I need a volunteer for a job if I don't have one 5 minutes after I dismiss you I pick one". Never tell them what it was until they volunteered or were picked. If it was a nasty job and they volunteered they got a rewarded with time off at my discreation