Three Reasons Why Your Employees Hate Their Job Descriptions
Let’s face it. These days, job descriptions are a lot like the stories your grandfather used to tell: Passed down from generation to generation with little tweaks here and there. But who knows if it’s really true or not? If this sounds familiar, the tips below will surely help your organization.
In order to have highly motivated employees who know what’s required of them, it requires an effective job description. What is an effective job description? A job description that accurately informs someone of the tasks and duties involved and attracts the right candidates with the appropriate skill set, background, and salary range needed to get the job done.
To make a job description effective, it must:
1) Accurately describe the position as it is today, not as it was three years ago when it was last updated. It is so easy for a manager to pull an outdated job description and pass it of as current, but who wins in this scenario? No one. The employee will feel like the expectations on paper do not match the expectations of the actual job and the manager has to spend time coaching the employee on how to do the job as he or she wants it to be done.
2) Provide specific information about how this position interacts with fellow staff members and customers of the organization. If we are asking job candidates to be specific in their resumes, why shouldn’t a job description be just as candid? Share tangible details about the position so there is a clear understanding of the expectations and responsibilities of the job For example: How many staff members does this position lead? Whom does this position report to? What role – if any – does this position have in the customer experience? These are all questions ajob description should answer.
3) Be credible – not crappy. This may sound strange but how many times has an employee been “sold” one job description only to find that the job is nothing like what the job description states. Convey information accurately and honestly so that the new hire or incumbent sticks around and feels competent and motivated to complete the tasks successfully.
