“This was not in the job description”
In my experience, there is always a way for a job description fall short of what is expected of an employee in an unknown situation, regardless of their role. As part of an organization, an employee surely must feel obligated to contribute to the greater whole when it comes to the spontaneous necessities the job might require, however, if not clearly stated, the responsibility may be left in a limbo state and not accomplished, hurting the organization somewhere along the line. There is only so much a job description can state. The rest is an employee’s choice and dedication to their job The challenge here is finding a good template that takes into account common sense and the growth that a position might encounter, while also stating clearly what is expected. Job analysis assists this process, finding several ways to match the description to the actual job, through surveys, observations, or simply through goals that have already been captured. A way to see the effectiveness and accuracy of a job description is what happens when an employee has a performance review. Did they receive bad or even good marks on something that wasn’t listed?
Something to think about: If you come across a small spill, who cleans it up, the janitor with it stated in their job description, or anyone who is available? If it is easy to clean, it would be odd for any employee not to. If you are a manager, you would be quick to clean it or delegate it. If you are the janitor, you wouldn’t think twice about it. How would you act?
I have been fortunate enough to have worked on job descriptions in the past. I worked for a company in 2019 that hadn’t updated their descriptions in several years, in fact, their letterhead was still the former company’s name. I learned many people were only given the description verbatim and them told most of the bullet points didn’t apply. Situations like these can lead to not selecting the right candidate for the position. It could lead to uncertainties in one’s job and it might even cause a drop in job satisfaction or even put the employee in a dangerous situation. It was also not uncommon for an employee to step down or even quit after feeling blindsided. How would you react if you had to do tasks and meet goals outside of your job description? What if it’s substantially more work than you anticipated? What if the opposite is true and you aren’t doing half of what you were told you would do? How would this affect your quality of work?
Ideas for Success
- Your titles should convey the position and level within the organization accurately.
- Keep the job descriptions concise but all-inclusive to the necessities of the role.
- Revisit regularly, but don’t change descriptions too often to avoid confusion or conflicts amongst employees, or even legal repercussions.
- The role, skills, and qualifications must be well defined (KSAOs).
- The description must take in account possible future job requirements.
- It must also capture the organization’s mission for the company and goals for the position.
- The description must be neutral and professional and should reflect well on the company.
These are just a few examples on how to make job descriptions that serve your employees as much they do to your organization. Ultimately, being accurate, professional, honest and descriptive can help better define roles and help your employees have a solid base from which they can perform and grow.