Nicole Kennedy

Posted Nov 13, 2026

The job is not what you expected: how to have a constructive conversation

You accepted the role with a clear understanding of the work. A few weeks later, the reality looks different. Before either side decides the appointment is not working, it is worth establishing exactly where expectations have diverged.

Spinwell Global · 7 min read · Candidate Advice & Employer Insights

The interviews focused on leading a programme. Your diary is now filled with reporting and meeting administration.

You expected to build a new capability. Instead, most of your time is spent covering an existing backlog.

Or you joined to provide specialist advice, only to discover that nobody has agreed who can act on your recommendations.

These are illustrative situations, but they raise the same question: is this the normal adjustment of starting a new job, a temporary business need, or a role that differs meaningfully from the one discussed?

The answer should not depend on assumptions.

For the employee, the priority is to explain the difference clearly. For the employer, it is to understand the concern before treating it as a lack of flexibility or a performance problem.

The most useful starting point is a conversation about the work itself.

First, identify what is actually different

“The job is not what I expected” describes a feeling. To resolve it, both sides need something more specific.

The mismatch might concern:

Responsibilities: the main tasks differ from those discussed.
Priorities: urgent requests have displaced the work the person was hired to deliver.
Authority: the employee is accountable for outcomes but cannot make the necessary decisions.
Support: the expected team, access, training or management input is missing.
Measures of success: performance is being judged against expectations that were never explained.

These are different problems and need different responses.

A specialist who needs access to a system does not necessarily need a different role. A programme manager who discovers that the programme leadership sits elsewhere may need a more fundamental discussion.

Before the meeting, write down two or three concrete examples. Compare what you understood with what is happening, then explain the effect on your ability to do the job.

The purpose is not to build a case against someone. It is to make the issue clear enough to address.

Separate settling in from a lasting mismatch

An unfamiliar organisation can make familiar work feel very different. New systems, stakeholder relationships and approval processes take time to understand.

A structured induction should help someone understand their role, obtain the information they need and learn what is expected of them. Acas recommends explaining work objectives, how performance will be assessed and what support or training is available.

That provides a useful test: has the role changed, or has the person not yet been given what they need to perform it?

Consider three illustrative situations:

For a defined period, a new analyst handles support queries to understand users’ problems.
An unfilled vacancy means a new analyst is assigned to support queries indefinitely.
Support queries occupy a new analyst’s time, but neither they nor their manager knows when the intended analytical work will begin.

The first may be a purposeful introduction. The second may represent a different allocation of work. The third needs clarification before either side can judge it.

Ask what is temporary, why it is necessary and when it will be reviewed. “For now” is not a sufficiently clear answer if the arrangement is affecting agreed objectives.

How to raise the concern constructively

For an ordinary disagreement about responsibilities or expectations, an informal conversation is usually a sensible first step. Acas advises checking relevant workplace policies and speaking with a suitable person, such as a line manager, another manager or HR. Serious concerns, or matters that cannot be resolved informally, may require a formal route.

Request time to discuss the role rather than trying to resolve it between meetings.

A useful opening might be:

“I’d like to check that my understanding of the role matches what you need. During recruitment, we discussed a focus on X. Most of my work so far has been Y, which is limiting the time available for X. Can we agree whether this is temporary and what my priorities should be?”

This explains the difference without assuming why it happened.

Bring the relevant job description, objectives or written recruitment discussions where they help clarify the issue. Be clear about what would improve the situation.

That might mean:

Protected time for the core work.
A decision on which tasks should stop.
Access to a person, system or resource.
Clearer decision-making authority.
A realistic timetable for moving into the intended responsibilities.

Aim for an answer to “What needs to change?” rather than only “Who understood this incorrectly?”

How managers should respond

A concern about the role deserves investigation, even when it is raised informally. Acas recommends a two-way discussion that allows the worker to explain both the problem and their proposed solution.

Start by asking:

“Which parts of the role are different from what you understood, and what impact is that having?”

Then compare the employee’s understanding with the brief, recruitment conversations, induction and current objectives.

Avoid relying on “Everyone has to be flexible.” Flexibility may be relevant, but it does not answer whether the employee has been given conflicting priorities or an unclear remit.

Explain any changes in business needs and acknowledge where the recruitment message may have been unclear. Where the employee has misunderstood part of the role, clarify the intended responsibilities and check what support would help.

The goal is not to defend every earlier conversation. It is to establish a workable understanding now.

Agree a practical reset

A productive meeting should leave both sides knowing what happens next.

For a routine mismatch, a short written summary can cover:

Priorities: the most important outcomes for the next few weeks.
Responsibilities: what the employee owns, supports or is not expected to take on.
Decisions: what they can decide and what needs approval.
Support: the access, training, resources or management input required.
Review: when progress will be discussed and what improvement should look like.

Make any temporary arrangement explicit.

For example:

“For the next three weeks, the immediate priority is resolving the reporting backlog. The original improvement project will be paused during that period. We will review the workload on the agreed date before restarting it.”

That is clearer than adding urgent work while leaving every original deadline unchanged.

Acas recommends keeping a record of the issue, discussions and agreed next steps, even when a problem is handled informally. It also advises checking whether the worker considers the problem resolved.

Know when clarification is not enough

Not every disagreement can be solved by resetting objectives.

A concern involving changes to contractual terms needs a different level of attention from an ordinary discussion about weekly priorities. Acas explains that contractual changes generally require agreement, while noting that some contracts contain clauses allowing certain changes. Employers and employees should check the relevant terms and seek appropriate advice rather than assume an informal discussion settles the contractual position.

Equally, concerns involving discrimination, harassment, health and safety or other serious matters should not be reduced to a conversation about “managing expectations”. Follow the relevant reporting procedure and obtain appropriate support. Acas recognises that some problems are too serious to raise informally.

Where an ordinary role discussion produces no meaningful change, revisit the agreed actions. Were they completed? Has the underlying issue changed? Is there still a credible plan?

A review date is only useful if both sides use it to assess what actually happened.

Check the reality, not just the reassurance

At the follow-up meeting, return to the specific concerns.

Has the employee gained the promised access? Have competing tasks been removed? Are the priorities clearer? Does the manager now have a fair basis for assessing performance?

Acas recommends regular conversations during induction, including listening to questions, reviewing progress and arranging additional training or support where needed.

A constructive conversation does not guarantee that every mismatch can be resolved. It should, however, replace uncertainty with a clearer understanding of the role, the available support and the choices ahead.

For employees, that means explaining the gap with examples and asking for practical decisions.

For employers, it means making sure the person is being assessed against expectations they understand, with the support needed to meet them.

The question is not simply whether the new starter can adapt. It is whether both sides are working towards the same job.

The Spinwell perspective

At Spinwell Global, we believe a useful recruitment conversation should make the work clearer, not simply make the opportunity sound attractive.

For employers, that means being open about immediate challenges, priorities and the support available. For candidates, it means asking what the role will look like in practice, including the decisions, constraints and expectations that sit behind the title.

If you are planning a specialist hire or considering your next move, speak to Spinwell Global about the responsibilities, environment and outcomes that matter to you.

This article provides general workplace guidance, not legal advice. Individual circumstances and contractual arrangements will differ.

About Spinwell Global

Spinwell Global is a specialist recruitment consultancy with offices in the UK, Dubai and Singapore. We place contractors and permanent professionals across digital, technology, risk and security into public-sector, private-sector and startup organisations worldwide. We are an approved supplier on the Digital Outcomes and Specialists 7 framework through the Government Commercial Agency.