In my experience, the biggest challenge in designing job descriptions is keeping them adaptable. During the pandemic, needs within the organization I was working for changed frequently. Going forward, after the pandemic, companies understand the need for flexibility in all aspects of their operations. Job descriptions serve as a way for the organization to display that need and value to applicants as well as current employees. It also serves as a way to keep employees responsible if the distribution of job tasks needs to shift.

Frequently analyzing and updating job descriptions is a very important part of maintaining accurate job descriptions. This week’s reading, “Job Worth Doing: Update Job Descriptions ,” emphasized the need for job descriptions to be updated at least once a year, however, some jobs or organizations may need to more frequently. As the article discussed, job descriptions should be viewed as “living documents” that are subject to change if needed. This should also be communicated to applicants and new hires so they are aware that their responsibilities may shift as the organization evolves.

Additionally, it is also important to leave room for flexibility when crafting job descriptions. Management needs to find a balance in writing job descriptions that are neither too vague or too specific. If the job description is too vague, it will be unclear what employee’s responsibilities actually entail. If it’s too specific, it prevents the employee from completing other tasks since it could be considered outside of the scope of their job. The language that is used in the job description needs to be thought through well so that it is broad enough to capture predicted job needs.

References

Tyler, K. (2013). Job Worth Doing: Update Job Descriptions. SHRM. https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/Pages/0113-job-descriptions.aspx