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Just How Important Are Job Descriptions?
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Just How Important Are Job Descriptions?
[/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”rgba(224,222,222,0)” top_margin=”20px” bottom_margin=”20px” border_size=”3″ icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” center_content=”no” last=”no” min_height=”” hover_type=”none” link=””][fusion_text]Have you ever made excuses like these for not having job descriptions? “I don’t have time to deal with those!” “I really don’t know where to start, let alone write the whole thing.” “We are a small company.” “Our employees know what to do.”
If you have . . . you are not alone!
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You might be surprised to know that job descriptions are one of the core documents of your organization. Often times, job descriptions are one of the first documents requested by a court when litigation comes calling. Here is why.
Job descriptions not only communicate what the job requirements are and the expectations, but they provide guidance and instruction to many HR practices in companies of all sizes. Some employment laws impact how job descriptions are written and how they are used.
Notice the areas of your company that are affected:
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HR Practices Affected:
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- Recruiting and Compensation – Current job descriptions and job postings help you find the most qualified candidates, and determine what you will pay them.
- Job Actions – When transferring, training, promoting, or terminating you want to be equitable and fair avoiding discrimination and retaliation. And again, candidate selection, based on abilities to perform the job with or without reasonable accommodation.
- Workforce Planning – Determining what job skills are needed to meet strategic goals and ensuring current job descriptions accurately reflect the jobs that are mission critical.
- Succession Planning – Assists in establishing what roles in the organization are most important to the life of the organization. They also define areas in other positions that can be refined to groom a high potential employee for succession to a critical role.
Employment Law Considerations:
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- Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) – Job descriptions are used to establish how employees will be compensated by controlling whether a job is classified as exempt or nonexempt by examining the job duties and salary requirements. (Be prepared for this law to undergo major changes in 2016!)
- Workers’ Compensation, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as amended – All of these laws rely on job descriptions to determine physical requirements for a job. Workers’ Comp and FMLA/Medical Leave use the physical requirements to conclude whether an employee is able to return to work at the same level of physical performance or if reasonable accommodations are necessary. The ADA relies on the job description to help determine what reasonable accommodations will allow an employee to perform the essential functions of the job, not just in a return to work, but in recruiting and job actions, as listed above.
As you can clearly see, job descriptions are worthy of your attention. So, if you find yourself making excuses, don’t postpone any longer! Meridian Business Services will be happy to discuss how we can help you write or update your job descriptions. Call us now!
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