Crafting Clarity:

The Importance and Challenges of Job Descriptions

By: Calla Krummel

When I first encountered job descriptions, I didn’t fully realize how essential they are—not only for attracting the right talent but for shaping the entire employee experience. A well-crafted job description does more than list tasks; it paints a clear picture of the role’s purpose, daily responsibilities, and expectations. This transparency is vital, as it gives potential hires the information they need to assess their suitability for the job. As Lovdahl notes, job descriptions serve as the “reel” that draws candidates in by outlining daily tasks and responsibilities, ensuring that applicants have a solid understanding of what the role entails. When done well, job descriptions act as an initial commitment to honesty and clarity, establishing trust and mutual understanding between the organization and potential hires.

Real-Life Example: Role Clarity in a Hospital Emergency Room

Imagine a college student (me) working in the ER at a local hospital. The job description listed duties like greeting patients, handling paperwork, and supporting nurses with non-medical tasks. However, as the ER faced staffing shortages, we were then asked to assist with additional tasks, like transporting patients or organizing supply rooms. These new responsibilities created stress among coworkers because they weren’t part of our original roles, causing worries about overstepping boundaries with the nurses. This example i’ve faced illustrates how an outdated or incomplete job description can leave employees uncertain, leading to misalignment and frustration.

However, the development and maintenance of effective job descriptions present several challenges. As roles evolve over time, descriptions that were once accurate can become outdated, leading to misalignment between what employees believe their roles should entail and what supervisors expect. For example, as noted by Rodriguez, poorly defined job descriptions in his organization led to unclear performance standards and low employee morale. Without regular updates, employees can find themselves responsible for tasks beyond their understanding or skill set, resulting in frustration and dissatisfaction. Misalignment between HR and supervisors often compounds this issue, as Rodriguez’s case illustrates. When engineers, rather than HR specialists, were tasked with drafting and maintaining job descriptions, the lack of expertise in HR processes led to a disconnect in role clarity and ultimately contributed to a negative workplace culture.

Moreover, job descriptions that are out-of-date or poorly crafted can lead to legal risks. Tyler’s SHRM article, Job Worth Doing: Update Descriptions, highlights how outdated descriptions can increase the potential for compliance issues, particularly concerning labor laws like the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Regular updates are crucial not only for compliance but for ensuring that both the employee and employer have a clear, legally sound understanding of the job’s requirements. As Navarrete suggests, setting a company policy to review and update job descriptions annually can address these issues proactively. This ongoing commitment to clarity and accuracy in job descriptions can help an organization attract candidates who are a better fit, thus reducing turnover and strengthening employee engagement and morale.

Real-Life Example: Adaptability in a Accounting Role

Another example i’ve faced is as a student worker employed as an account at OSU. Initially, our job description emphasized processing invoices, maintaining records, and audits. Yet, as the university’s needs grew, the students now process all of the university’s invoices not just the large volume vendors. For example we are now supporting all departments and help create financial reports and statements. This increased everyone’s workloads, and because our job description hadn’t been updated to reflect these changes, we were uncertain about expectations and performance standards until meeting with your supervisor. In this case, the outdated job description led to confusion and made it challenging for the students to fully understand our evolving roles.

An additional challenge is finding the right balance between being specific and adaptable in job descriptions, a balance highlighted by Fernández-Aráoz in his Definitive Guide to Recruiting in Good Times and Bad. Fernández-Aráoz explains that while clarity and thoroughness are essential, descriptions must leave room for growth and adaptation as both the role and the employee evolve. Job descriptions that are overly rigid can stifle innovation and discourage employees from taking initiative, while overly broad descriptions can leave employees feeling uncertain about their responsibilities. By incorporating flexibility into job descriptions, HR teams can better align roles with both current needs and potential future changes.

One way to overcome these challenges is to create a collaborative process for updating job descriptions that includes supervisors, HR professionals, and employees. Involving current employees in the development process, as Minium suggests, provides a unique perspective on the actual day-to-day tasks and requirements, ensuring the description reflects the realities of the role. Employees who actively participate in shaping these descriptions feel heard and valued, which can positively impact their job satisfaction. Additionally, by gathering insights from team members who know the role intimately, HR can better articulate the necessary skills and responsibilities in a way that attracts qualified candidates while giving existing employees a clearer path for advancement.

In summary, job descriptions are foundational to the employee experience, guiding recruitment, performance evaluation, and role clarity. Maintaining up-to-date, specific, and legally sound descriptions requires continuous effort and collaboration but yields numerous benefits for employees and the organization alike. As Tidwell explains in Job Worth Doing: Update Descriptions, “The job description is the mother of all HR processes”—a statement that emphasizes the critical role of accurate job descriptions in every aspect of human resources management. By committing to regularly reviewing and updating these documents and embracing both clarity and flexibility, organizations can establish clearer expectations, foster higher morale, and create a more engaged, productive workforce.

Cited Sources:

Tyler, Kathryn. (2013, January 1). Job worth doing: Update descriptions. https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/hr-magazine/job-worth-update-descriptions

Fernández-Aráoz, C., Groysberg, B., & Nohria, N. (2009). The Definitive Guide to Recruiting in Good Times and Bad. In Harvard business review (Vol. 87, Number 5). Harvard Business Review.