My Experience Overcoming the Challenges of Changing Job Descriptions

I have come to realize that I really value when a company has clear expectations for their employees that are communicated in a clear way and also offer guidance and suggestions for improvement along the way.

I worked at a retirement home in Hillsboro from January 2018 to August 2021 and I feel I experienced a very confusing work environment since my job duties were not laid out to me. The job listing on jobs.com offered a general sense of a server position and they were looking for somebody personable who could give great customer service to the residents, the interview process went a little more in detail about how to serve but not what was expected of you during down time. Other employees gave feedback because we were expected to restock, clean, and change table settings etc but it wasn’t communicated to us until the manager left without notice and the assistant manager stepped up and printed out a bulleted list of exactly what we were supposed to do.

You can imagine the stress it had on myself and my coworkers and the strain on relationships with the morning shift when they arrived and saw that some things did not get done the night before making their work more of a hassle at 6:30 in the morning.

The part that was lacking was the development of a crystal clear job description which then yielded a domino effect with the communication on what needed to happen and upset coworkers blaming others but really it was the former manager. In this case, if the manager was new to a dining room like that I think it would be good to ask the employees what they need to be successful and develop a plan accordingly. The development that ensued once he left made a difference but there were still cracks and people were still sort of in the mindset that it was unorganized. I think being honest to coworkers that they’re trying to figure out a good plan for side work and what is expected of everybody is better than not saying anything at all.

First, develop plan whether it be a checklist or meeting with everybody, second, give it a trial run and ask for input, third communicate how individuals can improve.