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Should our company use job descriptions? How long should they be, and what information should they contain? Do they really serve a useful purpose? Employers’ attorneys get those questions all the time, and the answer is always the same: Yes.
No HR document is more important than the job description. It’s the architectural blueprint of your company, showing what all parts of the organization do, how they interrelate, and who sees that the work gets done.
In order to prevail in wage/hour lawsuits, says consultant Jonna Contacos-Sawyer, employers must be able to effectively justify their compensation decisions.
While it is the HR department in most medium-sized and larger firms that performs the job analysis function and coordinates the writing of job descriptions, the entire process usually requires some input from other levels of the company hierarchy.
Job descriptions have traditionally suffered a poor reputation among managers and human resources professionals. In fact, job descriptions often end up being ignored – left at the bottom drawer of a file cabinet, neglected and rapidly becoming obsolete.
For an upcoming CED story on job descriptions, we’d like to hear your best practices and advice. Please send your best tips to jcarsen@employeradvice.com.
With today’s top job candidates besieged with offers, how you go about writing job descriptions may determine your chances of winning the talent you need.
Job descriptions aren’t just part of your internal recordkeeping—they’re an invaluable tool in your battle against lawsuits. But if they’re not up to snuff, they can be your very worst enemy. Unfortunately, too many employers don’t realize this until it’s too late.