Have you ever been in a situation where you realize that you didn’t hire the right person for the job? I know, I have.
Most people assume job descriptions are written primarily for employees. However, the importance of job descriptions for employers cannot be underrated.
For employers, writing and maintaining job descriptions must be an ongoing task. In the same way, companies must re-evaluate budgets, workflows, and processes, they should also re-assess job descriptions, at least every two years, to ensure those position requirements are up to date and consistent with current industry trends. It’s important to regularly review and update job descriptions on a recurring basis. Especially after the Pandemic and the change that everyone and every workplace had to endure, it is a must.
Here are Four key reasons companies should start a good practice of writing and maintaining up-to-date and relevant job descriptions:
- Matching the right person to the right role
If you want to increase your success rate when hiring, you need to get the skills, requirements and certifications agreed upon for a role before you start recruiting. Also, you need to make sure the job description is the basis for the job posting.
- Support greater employee accountability
Particularly when it comes time for a performance review or evaluation, a well-written job description can help employers maintain accountability to a position’s needs and demands from employees. If a job description is vague or open to interpretation, it will be more difficult for an employer to address a lack of performance or areas of improvement.
- Creating the right hierarchy for promotion and growth
Pay inequity, when unjustified, can create a lot of problems within a department and is something you want to avoid as much as possible. When you start the hiring process for a new role, especially a hot role, you should also revisit the job descriptions and compensation structures within your organization. Take the time to update them to reflect current skills and requirements at least yearly.
- Mitigate risk and limit liability
Though there’s no law requiring job descriptions, they can serve as helpful legal documentation if an employee files a lawsuit against a company. In fact, job descriptions have been used successfully by employers against employees. For this reason alone, there’s an excellent case for employers to create and maintain the most accurate and updated job descriptions possible.
In the End, Communication between hiring managers, HR, and other stakeholders in the hiring process is key to making sure job descriptions are accurate and that you get pay right. Without a tool that simplifies the creation, sharing, review and approval of job descriptions, you run the risk of descriptions that don’t accurately represent the roles. And that’s how you end up with employees in the wrong role. This is why, if your department can’t or don’t know how to do it, you should hire professionals to help you do so.
Remember, Job description is as unique and as specific as fingerprints.
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