Answer to Question #210343 in Management for bav

Question

How would you ensure the latest versions of the position descriptions and person specifications are used for the process? 

Answer 1

Position descriptions are useful tools for managing employee performance and setting expectations. Employees can learn about their work responsibilities, what is expected of them, and the criteria by which they will be evaluated and rewarded by reading position descriptions. Position descriptions can also aid in the creation of recruitment materials, the development of orientation and training programs, and the maintenance of consistency and equity among positions. Each position in the department should have its own position description that specifies each work performed by that position.

As a manager, I'll take a few different techniques to assisting your employees with their job descriptions. I'll use one of the following strategies, depending on the department and management style: Talk to employees about their jobs and get their feedback to help you come up with a better way to explain the job, request that employees write their own position descriptions, based on the university job description—they'll add clarifying descriptions to the employment, classification, and compensation job description, and draft position descriptions for your employees' jobs, which you can then discuss with them to ensure they understand your expectations and standards for the position.

I'll look at suitable resources. Departmental consultants from central HR's Strategic Workforce Solutions may be able to offer you advice based on their experience in my field, and the most recent job recruiting papers may help you discover language to include in the job description. If I'm working on quality initiatives or process evaluations, I'll be able to apply what I've learned while examining the flow of work and how it interacts with other jobs.

It's more necessary to consider the position structurally than to describe the specific attributes of the person who currently holds it. Rather to merely listing activities and chores, I'll think in terms of outcomes, responsibilities, and accountabilities, and group roles into broad functions such as project management, customer contact, and supervisory responsibilities. Under each general function or ability, I'll provide activities or tasks.