The Importance of Job Descriptions

The company that I have been with for the last 6+ years, I have been in a union for the entire time. I must say, up until this summer, I was a huge fan of being in a union. I felt protected, I felt like I was paid appropriately, and I have great benefits. However, when my company was facing mass layoffs, I learned quickly that the Union can get in the way of making the best choices when it came to laying off people. I always knew that working in a union was a double-edged sword, but never really experienced quite like this summer. Instead of laying off the people who were poor performers, or the people who were most detrimental to the state budget, by our contract, the lay off list was ONLY based on seniority. This is consistent as what was noted in our week 10 Lecture 1: Introduction to Labor Relations. I have to admit, if the layoffs go through with my company, then we will lose true assets to the company. These people are very hard workers, smart, and dedicated. On the flip side, you have employees who are incredibly lazy, do not perform, and are an all-around morale killer, but since they have 20-30 years in the union, they are untouchable. Another issue I have with the union is if they got everything they wanted (I know this would never happen) the state would be bankrupt. The reason it bothers me is it reinforces the negativity around unions.

After saying all this, I am still thankful for my union. I believe that they are fighting for my best interest, even though at times it may not feel that way. I have great benefits, great pay, and outside of this budget mess with my company, I feel very secure with my job. know a lot of people dislike paying union dues, however I have opted into paying my dues, as thanks for fighting for my rights.

I must admit, after I took the Life Stress Inventory, Coping and Stress Management Skills Test Links to an external site, and Type A Personality Survey, I did not feel like I learned anything new about myself. I know this is bad to say, and I do not think that it is a good thing that I know about these things, and have yet to get help. I know I have some things that I need to work on, and I hate making excuses for why I have not yet sought professional help. I am a homeowner, I work full-time and go to school full-time, and I have a teenager and a “threenager.” Needless to say, I am very busy in my life and do not feel like I have the time to work on myself.

After I graduate, I have promised myself to work on myself, both mentally and physically. I want to tap into my company’s resources, as they have plenty of resources to help out their employees. Whether it is a gym membership discount or certain mental health options/benefits. The resources are there for me; I just need to reach out and take advantage of them.

According to the article How job burnout can hurt your health – and what to do about it, “Burnout is real, and we’re seeing a lot of it these days,” said Dr. Tené Lewis, associate professor of epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta. “People are overwhelmed on all fronts. And we know it’s bad for your heart, your blood pressure and your brain.” Recognition of the problem is growing. In 2019 the World Health Organization classified burnout as an occupational phenomenon “resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed” (Precker). Organizations are implementing stress management programs, whether that means they offer them through training, policies, or digital applications, and more. By giving employees different ways of finding help for their stress, it gives them opportunities to find which works best for them.


Source

Precker, Michael. “How Job Burnout Can Hurt Your Health – and What to Do about It.” Www.Heart.Org, 12 Oct. 2022, www.heart.org/en/news/2022/10/12/how-job-burnout-can-hurt-your-health-and-what-to-do-about-it.

When I worked at my previous company, I remember being very happy with my compensation when I first started working, even though I was only making $17 an hour. I went from being a welder at another job to a welding inspector with this company. From there, I got several other certifications because I was told I would earn more money. I was now certified to be a masonry inspector, material tester, and lastly, a reinforced concrete inspector. My company was right, I was earning more money than I ever had, but that was because I was working 50-60 hours a week, not because I was earning more per hour. I remember walking into my manager’s office two years after I started, and requesting a raise. At the time, I was making $19 an hr, and my manager told me I would not be getting a raise.

As a Special Inspector (this was my formal title), we are the eyes and ears or the boots on the ground for the Engineer of Record (EOR) who designed the building. Whether it was schools, hospitals, or office buildings, we were letting the EOR know that these specialty items were being built to code and the contract drawings. This came with a lot of responsibility, and I realized quickly that earning $19 an hour was not enough. I was not motivated enough to take on that type of responsibility.

I was working a lot, sacrificing a lot of time and effort for the company. I felt overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated. I started looking around for other opportunities and learned that if I got more certifications, I could go to work elsewhere. I studied a lot, took the exams, and got the certifications that I wanted. This made me look appealing to potential employers and landed me a job with my current company. My current hourly rate is triple what I started out at with the previous company, and needless to say, I am much happier now.

The most beneficial training for me has always been hands-on training. Over the years, I have learned that training by someone talking to me, or in a presentation style, is not very beneficial, and learning does not truly start until I start doing it myself. Training feels much more natural when I am able to get my hands on something or be able to see what I am learning in the moment. This helps me learn how to do the task that I am being trained to do, and in turn, gives me the opportunity to put my twist on things.
When I look back at specific training that has helped me learn the most, it was when I was training in my current role as a Project Manager. My manager always explained to me that in this particular role, there are multiple ways to peel an onion, and if I can get to the same center of an onion safely, then go for it. This gives me the opportunity to learn how to perform my job, but allows me to put my own twist on it. My manager’s method of training is very similar to how it is described in First, Break All the Rules : What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently when Buckingham and Coffman state, “One of the signs of a great manager is the ability to describe, in detail, the unique talents of each of his or her people — what drives each one, how each one thinks, how each builds relationships. In a sense, great managers are akin to great novelists. Each of the “characters” they manage is vivid and distinct. Each has his own features and foibles. And their goal, with every employee, is to help each individual “character” play out his unique role to the fullest” (Pg. 134).


Sources

Buckingham, Marcus, and Curt W Coffman. First, Break All the Rules : What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently, Gallup Press, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/osu/detail.action?docID=1584214.
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Interviews can be very intimidating, and because of that, it is important for the interviewers to have an open mind, be compassionate, and listen. In the last interview that I had a chance to participate in, the interview panel all got notebooks of the three candidates that we would be interviewing. When looking at the candidates on paper, it can be very misleading and can lead to an early bias of the candidates before the interview even begins. When we conducted the three interviews, the gentleman who had the most experience and appeared he have the best chance to get the position, interviewed poorly and displayed a few red flags that were concerning. In contrast, the candidate with the least amount of experience did not stand out well on paper, but through their responses, it was evident that they would be a great fit for the position and the company. Although they occasionally stuttered and got a little too deep into the weeds of some of the questions, it was evident that this individual was very nervous during the interview.

The lesson here is to remain unbiased and make a good decision based on the facts, what they said, and how they presented themselves. It is helpful to keep a structured interview so that each candidate has a fair chance to answer the same question. Even though unstructured interviews give the hiring manager the opportunity to get to know each candidate better and to get a better understanding of each person in a unique way. However, according to the article How to Take the Bias Out of Interviews, “while unstructured interviews consistently receive the highest ratings for perceived effectiveness from hiring managers, dozens of studies have found them to be among the worst predictors of actual on-the-job performance — far less reliable than general mental ability tests, aptitude tests, or personality tests” (Bohet).

Sources
Bohnet, I. (2016, April 18). How to take the bias out of interviews. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2016/04/how-to-take-the-bias-out-of-interviews

As with every company, having a great manager is key to success. As mentioned in First, Break All the Rules : What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently, “The most important difference between a great manager and a great leader is one of focus. Great managers look inward. They look inside the company, into each individual, into the differences in style, goals, needs, and motivation of each person” (Buckingham and Coffman). A proper job description allows each manager to understand what is expected of each employee, and how to get the best out of them.

When developing and maintaining job descriptions can be a difficult task that can often be placed at the bottom of the to-do list. This can specifically be difficult for companies facing certain changes. Some ways to keep up on maintaining job descriptions are to look at how the position is changing, if any. Ways to track change could be to look at data from interviews, observations, surveys, and more. If there is little change in the job, then it would be good to review positions annually or when filling an open position. If the data shows that there is a significant change in the job description, then this would be something that I would want to do right away.

If job descriptions are not kept up, it could lead to undesirable outcomes. As mentioned in Job worth doing: Update descriptions, “For example, “If you don’t keep it up-to-date and you have [an employment] claim against you, that nonupdated job description can do as much damage as a good one could benefit you. It can work to help in your defense or it can work to help the employee” filing the grievance, Flewelling says” (Tyler, 2023). When considering the development or maintenance of job descriptions, it is critical to develop roles that will align with human needs by ensuring work remains manageable, is engaging, and meaningful. A well-written and up-to-date job description can increase efficiency and simplicity, and furthermore, increase employee performance while reducing errors. Clear and concise expectations also promote autonomy, purpose, and confidence in the employee.

Sources
Buckingham, Marcus, and Curt W Coffman. First, Break All the Rules : What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently, Gallup Press, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/osu/detail.action?docID=1584214.

Tyler, K. (2023a, December 21). Job worth doing: Update descriptions. Welcome to SHRM. https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/hr-magazine/job-worth-update-descriptions