Most employers underestimate the importance of a job description in the relationship with their employees. When it comes to employee satisfaction and engagement it is just right to start the relationship off with a good job description.
- What is a job description?
- Why is a job description important?
- Do job descriptions matter?
- What is a job description in HRM?
- Who gives a job description?
- Job description vs Job specification
- How do you write an ideal job description?
- Can you work without a job description/
- What happens if I don't have a job description?
- What is illegal to put in a job description?
- How does a job description protect employers and employees?
- The importance of a job description - Summary
What is a job description?
Why is a job description important?
Often it is not only the employee induction that is totally neglected but also the new employee’s Job Description. It is necessary to have a specific job description design structure in place.
More and more we find that HR Managers and other people responsible for the job description and the compiling of it have a misconception that an employment contract and a job description are the same things.
How often have you heard “It is in your Job Description” but when you ask to see it for yourself you are referred to your Employment Contract to try and find it?
A job description lays the foundation of an organization and its people by providing clarity on the responsibility and expectancy of everything contained within that work environment.
It guides the leadership through a pre-determined course of action when it comes to the managing of resources within the company. It just makes the task so much easier to know what the expectancies of the organization are.
A well-designed job description's purpose is to streamline work processes from the recruitment and selection of employees to the after-sales service you provide.
There are a lot of reasons why we say a job description’s purpose is very important for the effective running of any business.
A job description is important as it serves a major purpose in most facets of managing an organization.
- Recruitment and Selection
- Effective process development
- HR Management
- Decision making
- Planning and forecasting
Recruitment and Selection
The importance of a job description cannot be overlooked when it comes to recruitment and selection strategies in the company.Not only does it help leadership to attract applicants that meet the qualifications required but it also helps to make sure there is no confusion between the organization and the applicant regarding what is required.
Having a solid job description policy in place allows applicants to determine if the position is what they are aiming for or not. It is also upfront about certain requirements that are not negotiable and this cuts out a lot of unnecessary applicants.
Effective process development
When an organization is setting up work processes it determines the requirements to run these processes. As part of the development process staffing requirements are determined and this is what your job descriptions are based on.The job description helps to confirm and verify specific skills and abilities needed to run a process effectively.
HR Management
In most cases, the Human Resource Management (HRM) department will be responsible for all Job Description issues. This will include the Job Description policy development and implementation throughout the recruitment process to ensure policies are followed.The job description will also assist HRM in ensuring that they recruit people that will be the best fit for the job and the organization.
Decision making
Not only does the importance and the purpose of a job description apply to good decision making but it is crucial for management in order to make the correct decisions. By identifying the needs of the organization and having the right human resources in place anomalies can be eliminated quicker.Through a proper job description, the right people are in the right place to take the action needed to avoid losses for the organization.
Planning and forecasting
As the job description forms the basis of most processes it is easy to understand when we say that the bulk of our resources depends on its content. To make long-term plans and forecasting you have to know how the end product of your planning will be put to work.Especially when it comes to employee-related processes such as recruitment, induction, training, coaching, team development, project management, and discipline we cannot ignore the role it plays in trying to predict what will be required in the future.
Do job descriptions matter?
As we have seen so far job descriptions matter in the sense that it provides a much-needed guideline in the daily activities of the organization.Without proper job description policies in place, there will be many important oversights by the leadership that can cost the organization money and valuable time.
What is a job description in HRM?
A job description policy in Human Resource Management (HRM)
is one of the core documents that provide guidance and is connected directly
to other policies within the sphere of human resources.
The job description policy in itself sets the standard of
what is contained in the Recruitment, Training, Disciplinary, and other human
resource policies. Failure to have a proper Job Description policy in place
will render other policies fairly useless as they will never be complete or
descriptive enough without some of the core elements missing.
It is also the task of the Human Resource Department to make
sure that job descriptions comply with any legislation or any other law
requirements. This is required to eliminate any disputes that might come from
employee claims.
Who gives a job description?
A job description will normally be issued by the Human Resource Department but it is not uncommon in smaller companies that the most senior person in the recruitment process will issue a job description.The correct procedure is that the job description must be part of the recruitment process so the potential employee is aware of what the job entails before time is wasted on interviews and induction.
Job description vs Job specification
What we can say though is that there is a crossover of information between the two documents in order to accommodate the job description’s purpose during the recruitment process.
The main and only difference between the two is that the job description is focused on the person whereas the job specification is more focused on the work process.
The purpose and functions of a job specification are different from that of a job description. The job description is one of the functions of the job specification where it is in full use. The job description on the other hand is based on the needs of the job specification.
How do you write an ideal job description?
An ideal job description should theoretically contain all
the information that will allow employees to fully understand the scope of the
position they occupy. Obviously, not everything can be told in a document like
this but an effort must be put in to indicate at least the Key performance
areas.
There is nothing wrong with guiding the employee further by
referring to specific standard operating procedures and job specifications
within the job description.
The job description format does not matter much but it must
be easy to read and understand with no room for vagueness. Some organizations
will put so much content into the job description that in the end, it becomes so
complicated nobody can understand it.
The more you put into it the better chance you have that it
can be misread or misused against you.
You should at least cover the following in a standard job
description format:
- Job Title \ Position
- Overview of what the main purpose of the organization is and how this position fits into the big picture
- The main objectives of the position and the overall purpose of the person holding this position
- Key performance areas and specific responsibilities of the position
- Skills required to fill this position. (This is where the job specifications apply)
- Terms and Conditions applicable to this position and the organization as a whole
- References – Other job-specific policies and documents the person in this role needs to be compliant with
Following this guideline will provide employees with enough information regarding the role they need to fill without overcomplicating the process. It is no need to repeat points made in a letter of appointment already.
Can you work without a job description?
Working without a job description is entirely up to you but keep in mind that if anything happens you will be on your own. Unfortunately, most employees will not demand a job description for fear of not getting selected. The latter is almost certain to be the most common outcome.What happens if I don't have a job description?
If you don't have a job description and it is not legally required then unfortunately you will be subject to possible exploitation. In this case, you will follow instructions and all agreements will be hearsay.In some countries where there is decent labour legislation, the luck is on your side because if worst comes to worst at least the instructions will have to be reasonable and within the scope of your appointment.
What is illegal to put in a job description?
In the United States job descriptions and their contents are protected by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EOCC) which guards against discrimination or sensitive content directed towards race, colour, disability, religion, age, sex, and other minority classifications.
Most countries have put something similar in place but the monitoring of such cases has collapsed and it is virtually only existing on paper.
It is also illegal in most cases to include anything prohibited by other higher legislation which can override and make it an illegal agreement.
In other words, the job description cannot include anything deemed illegal practice by other laws and legislation.
Can a job change your job description?
Once again this will depend on the country of your origin and the legislation applicable to this action.
Where there is more advanced labour legislation in place you will find that changing a job description is allowed on mutual agreement. There are however other factors involved such as reasonability, operational requirements, compensation, and legality.
How does a job description protect employers and employees?
A job description as we have seen has multiple functions but the main objective of having it in place is to ensure that both employer and employee have a mutual understanding and agreement on what is expected.
Employees are protected in the sense that they are fully aware of what expectations the employer has committed to when the appointment was finalized.
In the same instance, the employer is protected by the fact that the employees were made fully aware of expectations and agreed to adhere to these conditions when they signed the letter of appointment.
The importance of a job description - Summary
"NOT MY JOB IS ONLY A REMINDER THAT SOMETHING UNREASONABLE MUST BE INCLUDED IN NEXT FOOL'S JOB DESCRIPTION"
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