The most important tool you need to practice good human resource management
When I started my consulting practice, I had no idea how many organizations operate without the most critical tool needed to practice good human resource management; poor, sloppy and often unused job description. Mistakenly considered unimportant by many and non-essential by some, a well-written job description is truly the cornerstone in building your HR and compensation infrastructure. Let’s take a few minutes to review why they are so important in human resource management and how they should be used every day in human resource departments.
one). It affects your ability to recruit quality candidates while minimizing discriminatory hiring complaints.
When you have a quality job description that truly reflects the job’s knowledge, skills, abilities, and minimum qualifications, you can develop job-related questions that help you and your managers effectively recruit for available jobs. . You’ll use the job description to develop job advertisements, postings, and interview questions to use when hiring. By using the job description as a recruiting tool, your managers will learn to ask objective job-related questions of applicants instead of subjective questions that are illegal or irrelevant (and can get your company in trouble!).
two). ADA and Workers’ Compensation Accommodation.
Because of the ADA, you must write job descriptions that clearly identify the essential job functions of each position at your company. As part of the mandatory interactive process for an employee to return to work while their disability and/or medical restrictions are accommodated, a well-written job description is a critical tool.
Having a well-written job description that identifies the required essential job function, physical requirements, and work environment is essential to participating in the interactive process as required by law.
3). Measurement of employee performance in its performance evaluation process.
Your managers will use the job description as an objective basis for measuring your employees’ performance over the past year and setting goals for the following year.
4). It answers the employee’s critical question, “How do I fit into the organization?”
This problem is HUGE!! How can an employee contribute to the goals and objectives of the organization if he does not understand her role in the company? They can not!
Writing a quality job description creates a bond between the employee and the company by identifying what is expected of them at their job. Establishing an organizational structure with well-written job descriptions creates an alignment within and between departments that is positively leveraged to contribute to your organization’s goals and objectives.
5). Management of employee performance problems.
Unfortunately, in every company there are a few bad apples. The job description again serves to outline performance expectations and sets the stage for discussions about performance improvement and possible disciplinary action.
6). Establish career paths for employee development.
One of the most frequently cited reasons for employees leaving to join another employer in exit interviews is that they didn’t believe there were promotion opportunities for them, ie “nowhere to go.” By creating job families and career ladders to formalize your organizational structure and internal promotion system, you will help retain staff and reduce turnover costs.
7). Setting market prices for their works.
With the big turnaround in the labor market during the recession, you’ll want to keep an eye on the market for the spike and return of inflation in late 2010. It’s essential to base your market pricing project on job content, not job content. in job titles. . You will need well-written job descriptions in order to produce solid market price results.
8). Evaluate FLSA employment status to correctly classify your jobs as exempt or non-exempt.
Now more than ever, because of all the wage and hour class action litigation for misclassified jobs, you need to know how your jobs should be classified. These class action lawsuits have cost many employers dearly and could have been avoided entirely if the companies had conducted their own internal FLSA audits.
Job descriptions certainly can’t be considered “sexy”, they are misunderstood, unused and/or neglected by many, but they remain the cornerstone of sound human resource management and compensation for all organizations. Isn’t it time you rewrite or update them in your company? With the big change in market payment practices that occurred during the recession, you’ll need to keep track of the market to pay your people correctly. Now it’s time to make sure you’re ready….
copyright 2009 Regan HR, Inc.