Throughout my time working, I have participated in jobs that have relatively self-explanatory job descriptions. This made the actual job description easy for firms to maintain because the role was simple and didn’t change over time or evolve. I know that this isn’t the case for most jobs and job descriptions. Roles and responsibilities constantly change and firms need to stay on top of job descriptions so there can be a clear line of communication to what is expected in a person’s role. Updating job descriptions can be hard because sometimes changes in responsibility or daily activities are small and adapt over time. When this occurs it can be harder to be reminded to be on the lookout and to change a job description for a specific position. The article, “Job Worth Doing: Update Descriptions” went into detail about the importance of updating as well as some best practices that should be followed with it to ensure descriptions are up to date. The suggestion I thought was most effective from the article is when there is manager one on ones or a performance review talk to the employees and see what they are doing. Following this cross reference is what is being accomplished with the job description. This will allow for consistent up to date descriptions that will become a habit to check and fix if you remind and set time aside for it. Developing job descriptions can be a bit harder. If there is someone in the role currently it’s important to have a discussion with the person to ensure an accurate description. If there is a new role being created I think it’s valuable to mention that the role is new so that there is understanding that specifics are harder to be given.
Tyler, K. (2018, April 11). Job worth doing: Update descriptions. SHRM. Retrieved October 22, 2021, from https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/Pages/0113-job-descriptions.aspx.
