We learned in lecture that a Job Description is a written document that states the essential responsibilities and expectations of a job. The information included in the documents are job identification such as title, department, and position, a job summary explaining why the job exists, a task statement, competencies required to perform the job, physical demands needed, and the working conditions such as if is it outside in the weather elements of inside in an office. But what are the challenges in creating and maintaining job descriptions?
Once a job description is created, there isn’t anything further that needs to be done, right? Unfortunately, that is the truth for many companies and job descriptions aren’t viewed as a living document, but job descriptions shouldn’t be static documents. Regularly reviewing and updating them to reflect changes in the job’s description, expectations, and requirements should be part of the Human Resources practice. Not having a job description of having bad job descriptions can cause a company to perform at a lower level than they could be and on the legal side, if a company doesn’t keep their job descriptions up to date, an employee could file a claim against that company.
Annually or semi-annually reviewing job descriptions can help ensure accuracy. Additionally, engaging employees in the process of developing and updating job descriptions can be beneficial since the employee can provide valuable insights into the day-to-day realities of their job and ensure descriptions are accurate. Using a consistent format for all job descriptions, ensuring job descriptions align with the overall objectives and values of the organization, and in addition to technical skills, describing the soft skills and competencies required for the job, such as teamwork, communication, and problem-solving abilities will all help create strong and clear job descriptions.
Overcoming the challenges associated with job descriptions requires a proactive and ongoing effort by the organization but organizations can create and maintain more accurate, useful, and relevent job descriptions that will benefit both employees and the organization as a whole.
