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Blog Post: Keeping Job Descriptions Alive in a Changing Workplace

When I think about job descriptions, I realize how easy it is for them to become stale. In past roles, I’ve seen descriptions that hadn’t been touched in years—sometimes they didn’t even come close to matching what employees were actually doing. It’s a common issue, and as the SHRM article “Job Worth Doing: Update Job Descriptions” points out, letting them go out of date can create bigger problems later on, like compliance risks, confusion during hiring, or frustration from employees who feel misaligned with expectations.

What stood out to me from First, Break All the Rules by Buckingham and Coffman (2016) is how great managers look beyond checklists of skills or experience. They focus on talent—the natural patterns of thought and behavior that make someone excel. That idea really changed how I think about job descriptions. Instead of just listing duties, why not describe what success actually looks like? For example, rather than saying “responds to customer inquiries,” we might say “creates positive experiences by solving problems with empathy.” That small shift focuses more on outcomes and less on tasks, which leaves room for people to bring their strengths to the job.

The HBR Definitive Guide to Recruiting in Good Times and Bad also made a great point about connecting job descriptions to the bigger picture of workforce planning. These documents shouldn’t be static—they should evolve with the organization. One approach I’ve seen work well is reviewing them during annual evaluations or whenever team goals shift.

With the labor shortages highlighted by The Seattle Times, flexibility and clarity in job roles have become more important than ever. Keeping job descriptions current isn’t just good HR practice—it’s a way to make sure people, and the organization, are growing in the same direction.

References:

• Buckingham, M., & Coffman, C. (2016). First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently. Gallup Press.
• Job Worth Doing: Update Job Descriptions. SHRM.org.
• Definitive Guide to Recruiting in Good Times and Bad. Harvard Business Review.
• These Businesses Found a Way Around the Worker Shortage. The Seattle Times.