{"id":31,"date":"2011-03-16T15:52:22","date_gmt":"2011-03-16T19:52:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pinnacleeg.com\/iso\/job-descriptions-done-right\/"},"modified":"2015-04-08T16:41:35","modified_gmt":"2015-04-08T16:41:35","slug":"job-descriptions-done-right","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.pinnacleeg.com\/iso\/job-descriptions-done-right\/","title":{"rendered":"Job Descriptions Done Right"},"content":{"rendered":"

Job descriptions, or whatever you may call them, are frequently an afterthought for most organizations.\u00a0 They are often created on an as needed basis.\u00a0 Typically, job descriptions are developed to assist in recruiting<\/a> and employee reviews.\u00a0 I have even seen employees write their own job descriptions in an effort to clarify their role in the organization.\u00a0 In my consulting practice<\/a>, job descriptions are typically created or revised as part of a formal management system implementation <\/a>project (e.g.\u00a0 ISO 9001<\/a>, ISO 14001<\/a>, etc.).\u00a0 I consider this best practice.\u00a0 However, most of my clients are not sure where to start or are not completely comfortable with the job descriptions they already have.<\/p>\n

In the very least, job descriptions must include a general description of the job functions, reporting structure, and the minimum required education, training, experience, and skills.\u00a0 The term “minimum” is important here.\u00a0 There is nothing wrong with wishing for the perfect candidate, as long as you are pragmatic about the minimal qualifications needed for the position.\u00a0 Does your Executive Assistant really need a MBA to be effective?<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, job descriptions rarely clearly describe what your expectations for the employee are, how you intend to measure performance, and how job performance is linked to corporate goals and objectives.\u00a0 Ideally, the job description should also provide some context of the position and the interaction with other job functions.\u00a0 As with any document, it is nice if all this can be addressed on one page.<\/p>\n

When you begin thinking about a job description, start by asking the following questions:<\/p>\n

a)\u00a0What is the purpose of the job?\u00a0 Why does it exist?
\nb)\u00a0What are the required skills and competencies needed for the job?
\nc)\u00a0How will you evaluate\/gauge b)?
\nd)\u00a0What qualifications and\/or credentials are essential (education, training, experience)?
\ne)\u00a0What personal attributes are important for the job?
\nf)\u00a0What job functions are absolutely mandatory (primary)?
\ng)\u00a0What are the objectives and performance measures for f)?
\nh)\u00a0How does g) link to group and\/or organizational goals and objectives?
\ni)\u00a0What job functions are supplemental (secondary)?
\nj)\u00a0What are the relationships and interfaces with other functions?<\/p>\n

When you consider these questions, it becomes apparent that a job description goes beyond the listing of tasks and duties.\u00a0 It requires the formal rationalization of exactly why the job is needed, what is specifically expected of the employee, and against what criteria he or she will be periodically evaluated.\u00a0 This may seem onerous, but it is an investment in ensuring that an organization’s workforce is accurately aligned with expected outcomes.\u00a0 When done well, it can yield great dividends in employee productivity, empowerment, motivation, retention, and development.<\/p>\n

When creating key performance measures, it is important to make them practical and achievable.\u00a0 Including stretch goals is useful, but they must be purposeful, constructive, and motivational.\u00a0 If an employee cannot envision achieving a stretch goal, he or she may get demoralized and not even try.\u00a0 Also ensure that measures can be easily measurable by both the employee and the manager, using the same method.\u00a0 Finally, limit the number of key performance measures to a small but meaningful number (<5).<\/p>\n

Since no function is isolated within an organization, it is vital that employees understand their contribution to the achievement of the organization’s goals.\u00a0 Consequently, the link between an individual’s job and corporate objectives should be easily understandable.\u00a0 A simple reference to the relevant section of the strategic or business plan may be adequate (provided this document exists and is freely available).<\/p>\n

Finally, the job description should describe how the job works with other functions, including reporting lines, as well as what other tasks the employee might be expected to do such as \u201cacting\u201d positions, or environmental, health and safety responsibilities.<\/p>\n

Clear and concise job descriptions can help management in HR planning, staff recognition and incentive programs, and regular reviews.\u00a0 They can help supervisors and individuals to understand their roles and the organization\u2019s expectations; and they provide direction in identifying training needs.\u00a0 Well written job descriptions provide a solid foundation to the organizational structure.\u00a0 Just do not forget that they may need occasional refreshing to reflect changing business needs.<\/p>\n

Kirill Liberman, President<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Job descriptions, or whatever you may call them, are frequently an afterthought for most organizations.\u00a0 They are often created on an as needed basis.\u00a0 Typically, job descriptions are developed to assist in recruiting and employee reviews.\u00a0 I have even seen employees write their own job descriptions in an effort to clarify their role in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,122,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-as9100","category-continual-improvement","category-environmental-management-system","category-iso13485","category-iso14001","category-iso9001","category-lean-six-sigma","category-ohsas18001","category-pinnacle-enterprise-group","category-process-improvement","category-quality-management-system","category-tl9000","category-ts16949"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.pinnacleeg.com\/iso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.pinnacleeg.com\/iso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.pinnacleeg.com\/iso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pinnacleeg.com\/iso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pinnacleeg.com\/iso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.pinnacleeg.com\/iso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65,"href":"http:\/\/www.pinnacleeg.com\/iso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31\/revisions\/65"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.pinnacleeg.com\/iso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pinnacleeg.com\/iso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.pinnacleeg.com\/iso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}