The Importance of Job Descriptions

What is a job description?

A job description is a written statement that includes the job title, FLSA status, purpose of the job, specific responsibilities of the job, reporting structure, experience and skills required, specific strengths and/or characteristics that are needed to perform the job, and any physical requirements of the position.  By detailing the essential functions that each employee is responsible for completing, job descriptions help to define roles and relationships among employees and departments within a company, clarifying who is responsible for what.  This helps eliminate wasted time that can occur if employees don't understand what their role is.  And new hires can transition more smoothly into the company if they understand their designated role.

Besides the legal issues, there are a number of  other reasons why job descriptions are important to both employees and employers.

Planning

The process of writing a job description helps you mentally process and document exactly what you need and want out of your current employees as well as future employees and how and where they will fit into your team, company and strategic plans.  With a complete job description, you'll know exactly what you want at the outset of the recruiting process, rather than discovering it through trial and error while interviewing candidates.

Recruiting and Hiring

Job descriptions help to provide accurate information to include in job postings and advertisements, and spell out the requirements necessary to achieve a good match between the candidate's qualifications and the demands of the job.  Without a clear, accurate job description, you may attract candidates that are clearly not qualified for the position, but are responding to anything and everything they see listed as available because the job title sounds like something they can do.  For example, if you advertise for a "Trainer" without any specifics as to what kind of Trainer you need, you may get resumes from animal trainers or fitness trainers and you'll have to filter through all of that to find candidates who have the qualifications you're seeking.  Anyone who is interviewing and hiring needs a job description for the position in hand in order to effectively screen and select prospective candidates.  If interviewing isn't one of your strengths, a job description functions as a foundation for developing interview questions and you can use the job description to explain the position to candidates.

And prospective employees need to know what they job requirements are so they know if they're qualified and if they're interested in applying.  A job description outlines the expectations and requirements of the position so that you can attract the candidates who not only CAN do the job, but WANT to do the job. 

Compensation

When determining the compensation for a position, jobs must be categorized and evaluated in order to make comparisons and to determine a fair market value for a position, and a job description services as  a reference guide for this purpose.  This helps you to make sound financial decisions and ensure that your current employees are compensated at the market rate, and that you're hiring new employees at a fair rate.  Not knowing where your pay rates are compared to the market can mean you are overpaying your employees, or you're at risk of losing key employees because you're paying below market.

Performance Management

Job descriptions discourage employees from refusing to do something because "it's not my job."  Additionally, they can be used as a basis for employee reviews, salary increases, setting goals and development plans.  Job descriptions ensure that your employees know what is expected of them, so they can meet and hopefully exceed your expectations.  If you don't tell them what is expected, how are they supposed to know?  Job descriptions can be used to establish the difference between bad, good and outstanding performance, so you can appropriately recognize your star performers and address poor performance.  And when you come across employees who are not meeting the standards of the job, you have an effective tool in place to document what is not getting done and to provide support for any disciplinary action or termination decisions that you make.  This documentation is essential in the event an employee files a discrimination lawsuit against the company.

Career Planning

Job descriptions can help to determine upward mobility within a company by creating a hierarchy of positions.  Employees need to know they have a future at the company and that the future is interesting and attainable.  Accurate job descriptions for all positions in the company provide information such as what positions are available or may become available, what each job entails, and what qualifications are needed, so employees can work on getting any skills, knowledge or abilities that they're lacking.  For managers, knowing what the job requirements are for each position can help them work with each employee to develop their skills and grow in their careers.

Employee Relations

Job descriptions clarify roles and responsibilities so that everyone on a team, in a department or division, and throughout the company is very clear about what is required of them and how their roles work together.   

Whether you're hiring someone new, evaluating a current employee, or determining compensation, a job description provides consistency and clarity for everyone involved.  Taking the time to write accurate job descriptions now will save you time, money and energy in the future.  And once written, keep them updated.  Review your job descriptions during your performance review process to ensure they accurately reflect each employee's current job responsibilities.

Need help writing job descriptions for your company?  Contact Instant HR Solutions today.