Developing and maintaining proper job descriptions can present a lot more challenges than one might initially think. As they are used for multiple facets throughout a company from recruiting, performance analysis, and even compensation. This means there are a lot of potential risks that can potentially occur if they aren’t developed or maintained properly. For example, an outdated job description can be used by an employee that files a claim against the company as they may be able to say they are being asked to do more than what is in the job description or if they were fired for not doing something listed in the job description it could also make for a valid case. Having poorly developed or maintained job descriptions also just doesn’t allow the company to run as smoothly as proper ones, as it creates confusion, isn’t able to be used for workforce planning or performance reviews. (Job worth doing: Update job descriptions
Links to an external site.) It ends up making it unclear for current or potential employees exactly what is expected of them. Which can end up limiting their engagement and productivity when working, ultimately impacting the efficiency of the company. As well as limiting managers ability to find new talent and recognize top performers. In order to overcome some of these challenges associated with unclear job descriptions it is paramount to take the extra time to develop them the job descriptions and continually update them on a regular basis. Other than this just making sure someone in the HR department is well equipped to create the descriptions and then they work with high-level managers to update the listings when needed.
