Job descriptions have been around for a long time and are being used in many processes, from hiring to organizational design. But the voices calling them obsolete are becoming louder. Their criticism is correct as long as they refer to badly managed and badly written job descriptions. But why compare with the worst case? Well-managed job descriptions, on the contrary, will support important issues such as employee experience and even productivity.
Everyone knows job descriptions, and you will probably have one, too. They are written statements of a particular job’s duties, responsibilities, reporting lines and required qualifications. When have you looked at your job description for the last time? Their usage has become increasingly under scrutiny.
Writing a good job description needs effort and expertise, and line managers are happy to put them at the bottom of their priority list. This is not surprising per se because in a fast-paced and changing environment, they become quickly outdated. Employees’ tasks change quicker than any manager finds time to update their job descriptions. Additionally, employees are being asked to innovate and do things in new ways. If you work “outside the box,” then the box becomes basically useless.
These are good reasons not to use bad job descriptions. But it does not invalidate using good job descriptions. In this series of three articles, we provide an overview of what you can get out of them, which items should be included, and how to write them. You will be rewarded with an easily accessible tool to improve the whole employee journey, make HR work more efficient, and even raise productivity throughout an entire organization.
Where do good job descriptions provide tangible benefits?
Recruiting
One function of job descriptions is summarizing the tasks and responsibilities of a position. Therefore, job descriptions are the perfect template for creating job ads (careful, those are still two different things). You will save time and be more precise. The reader of a job ad will get a realistic picture of the job and the expectations. This helps filter the candidates. The candidates hired know what they are signing up for and are more likely to stay within the role once they have started. A job description makes it quicker to write a job ad and helps to find better candidates.
Performance Management
Knowing what is expected in a position is helpful for new candidates and new candidates. It is also valuable for people who already hold a position. Well-written job descriptions help employees understand what is expected of them. Their managers will have it easier to formulate targets that match the employee’s reality and measure the success in reaching those targets. Both managers and employees know what they will discuss in performance reviews. It’s necessary to keep job descriptions up to date, but the benefits are clearly higher than the investment.
Learning & Development
Knowing what is expected in a job will enable employees to target their learning and development efforts better. This is as valid for becoming more successful in the current role as it is for making a career step. If job descriptions align with your company’s career paths, then employees receive transparency about the abilities they need to develop to qualify for a new role. That, in turn, also helps HR professionals to plan L&D activities throughout the organization.
Compensation
Job descriptions should also be used to determine an appropriate salary level for a position. After all, they include specific expectations, 
education, and experience requirements. Both sides are at the table when discussing remuneration. On top of it, it enables an organization to compare jobs internally and externally. A company can benchmark the different levels of compensation and adjust if necessary. Transparency and comparability in the compensation field and non-biased job descriptions are the bases for pay equity.
Future-Proof Your Organization
Having an overview of the (real) roles in your organization today and comparing them to your future needs, enables you to take the right steps early on to ensure future success. How many employees will you need in a specific job family to make your business strategy successful? Looking at your job architecture and job descriptions, you will be able to determine the exact number today and know when to start recruiting or upskilling existing staff.
Diversity & Inclusion
Job descriptions should also include physical characteristics necessary for a position or the work environment. And, simultaneously, which ones are not. Therefore, it allows organizations to determine if an employee can perform the physical functions of a job without discriminating against anyone. It will also be easier to verify if any accommodation can be made for those applying for a job or coming off medical leave. The increased transparency will help employees succeed in their roles and help organizations support their employees.
Any company can achieve these benefits with a tool that is most likely already existent in an organization. It is necessary to put effort into writing job descriptions which depict a realistic image and keep them up to date. But that is a minor investment compared to the outcome. It is also less time-consuming than expected once you know what you should write about in a job description. Next up in our series are the key elements of a job description.