Let’s hear it for job descriptions! OK, we agree, no one’s cheering about doing them, but we did explain in yesterday’s Advisor how important they are. Fortunately, there’s a handy program that makes quick work of job description tasks.
We’re talking about BLR’s unique Job Descriptions Encyclopedia. Around here, we call it the “JDE.” Here’s what it flags as common job description mistakes.
1. Writing a job description that describes the incumbent, not the job. It’s easy to think about the individual in the job, and write about how he or she has chosen to do the work. A good job description focuses purely on job expectations and outcomes, not how the job is handled by the person who happens to be in it.
2. Using vague wording. It is tempting to rocket through writing job descriptions by inserting vague language like “takes care of employment.” Does that mean routine recordkeeping, labor negotiations, or executive recruiting? Does that entail responsibility for employment or just participation in the process? Spell it out.
Prewritten job descriptions in BLR’s Job Descriptions Encyclopedia now come with pay grades already attached. Try the program at no cost. Click to learn more.
3. Glossing over essential vs. nonessential functions. With the advent of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it became “essential” to separate essential functions of a job from those less so. This allows persons with disabilities to still be hired if they can carry out those key tasks (sometimes with reasonable accommodation), even if they can’t do lesser tasks. Every job-description must make this separation to be ADA-compliant. If your job descriptions are fuzzy about essential functions, things won’t go your way in court.
4. Failing to update. Change happens. There aren’t many jobs that haven’t changed significantly in the past few years. If job descriptions haven’t kept up, confusion and legal challenges are headed your way.
5. Writing a job description after the fact. Courts pay little attention to job descriptions written after lawsuits are filed. That’s why the time to write them—or update them if needed—is now.
See why thousands have reserved a permanent place in their offices for BLR’s classic Job Descriptions Encyclopedia. Try it at no cost or risk. Click for info.
Of course, that takes time … not only to write the descriptions but also to get them reviewed inside your organization and possibly by outside counsel. Wouldn’t it be great if they were already written? Actually, they are. We have more than 500 of them, ready to go, covering every common position in any organization from receptionist right up to president.
They are waiting for you in the extremely popular BLR program called Job Descriptions Encyclopedia. We’re sure some out there would call it the answer to a HR manager’s prayer. First created in the 1980s, the JDE has been constantly refined and updated over time, with descriptions revised or added each time the law, technology, or the way we do business changes.
Revised for the ADA, Pay Grades Added
There was a major revision following the passage of the ADA. In fact, BLR editors took every one of those 500 descriptions apart and reassembled them to be ADA-compliant.
Another, more recent addition to the program was that of pay grades for each job, based on BLR’s extensive annual surveys of exempt and nonexempt compensation and on other data. According to our customers, this is an enormous time-saver, enabling them to make compensation decisions right along with those that define the position.
You can see a sample job description from the program by clicking here. (Yes, it is the one for HR manager. Pay grade: 38.)
Prewritten job descriptions in the Job Descriptions Encyclopedia now come with pay grades already attached. Try the program at no cost. Click to learn more.
The BLR Job Descriptions Encyclopedia also includes an extensive tutorial on setting up a complete job descriptions program, and how to communicate it and encourage participation from all parts of the organization. That includes top management, the employees themselves, and any union or other collective bargaining entity.
And, very important these days, the program also includes quarterly updates at no additional cost. When laws or emerging technology change jobs, we’ll send you new or revised descriptions that meet the latest legal and occupational standards every 90 days. The cost of the program itself is extremely reasonable, averaging less than 66 cents per job description … already written, legally reviewed, and ready to adapt or use as is.
You can evaluate BLR’s Job Descriptions Encyclopedia at no cost in your office for up to 30 days. Just click the link below, and we’ll be happy to set things up.
Download product sample
Download list of job descriptions included
Never Write a Job Description Again!
Let us do it for you with BLR’s famous Job Descriptions Encyclopedia. More than 500 properly formatted, legally compliant descriptions already composed, salary-graded, and ready to use for less than 66 cents each! Quarterly updates included as part of the program. Try it free for 30 days. Read more.