Importance of Job Descriptions

What are things that you consider when on the job hunt? What do you first look at? Location, Pay, Title, maybe even what your duties would be?

Why They are Important :

In todays constantly changing workplace, job descriptions serve as the cornerstone of nearly every HR process. Jill Bidwell, who is a senior HR generalist captures it best she described the job description as “the mother of all HR processes.”

It is true that everything from the original recruitment, evaluations , training and compensation all starts with the initial description. Maintaining these descriptions can be a challenge due to how it can be put low on the to do list. Janet pointed out that very few groups regularly update these descriptions, simply due to a lack of time and manpower. It is important to note that keeping these outdated descriptions can start many different issues, things like inefficiencies and even legal exposure. Michael Kannisto warned that unclear or inaccurate descriptions could harm the employer’s legal defense if a dispute were to arise.

To be up to date, experts recommend looking over these job descriptions at least once a year while also looking at performance evaluations and updating them accordingly. I think one of the key ways to do these descriptions accurately is by making sure to collaborate on this with employees, managers, as well as HR to all play a key role.

In my opinion, the biggest takeaway is that job descriptions need to be treated as live documents. When organizations regularly visit them, they allow themselves to be completely transparent, fair and adaptable. As Bidwell talks about, a well written description dosen’t define a job but it shapes development plans, supports benchmarking and helps drives organizational growth. Overall, maintaining job descriptions isn’t just HR’s task but it is a longterm investment in  honesty, culture and success.

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