Clear, Concise and ADA Compliant
Organizations large and small have recognized the advantage of maintaining current written job descriptions for all job positions.
WHAT IS A JOB DESCRIPTION?
The essential areas of a job description should include: Essential Duties and Responsibilities, Qualification Requirements (Education & Experience, Language Skills, Mathematical Skills, Reasoning Ability, and other skills), Physical Demands, and the Work Environment.
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USES FOR A JOB DESCRIPTION: Current job descriptions are useful in many areas of your business activities. By having all of the information in one place, one document can assist in the following areas: |
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Recruiting: The job duties and responsibilities outlined on the Job Description can serve as basis for writing targeted job advertisements, and announcements to ensure the best qualified candidates apply. |
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Hiring the Right Employee: Interviewers who review the Job Description before talking to applicants will be able to ask job-related questions and obtain more useful information from applicants. In addition, prospective employees can see in “black-and-white” what is expected of him/her and decide if there is a match between the job and the individual’s qualifications. |
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Clarifying Responsibilities: Job Descriptions help employees develop a sense of how their job fits in the company as a whole. The Job Description should provide a clear picture of the scope of responsibilities of the position, and reduce the amount of time required by management to clarify what is expected. |
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Performance Appraisal Tool: Communicating to employees what is expected in advance of evaluating how well they performed the job is key. A Job Description can be a primary tool in seeing that the employee understands what is expected. Yearly or introductory period performance appraisals are a perfect time to (1) review the employee’s Job Description to make sure that he/she is performing according to expectations, and to (2) discuss any changes in job responsibilities that have occurred and update the Job Description. |
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Complying with ADA Requirements: Although a written Job Description is not required by the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), it can be extremely helpful should a claim under the ADA be filled. A properly written Job Description can be pertinent evidence. |
HOW DO I DEVELOP JOB DESCRIPTIONS?
Now that you know what valuable tools Job Descriptions can be, here are some ideas of how to develop current job descriptions:
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When identifying essential functions of the position, focus on the purpose of the function, not the manner in which the function has been performed in the past. |
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Involve employees in the process of developing their job description. |
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If you need some help, TPO has developed a cost-effective program to assist employers in developing current, state-of-the-art, and ADA compliant Job Descriptions. As always, we are just a phone call away! |
Up-to-date job descriptions are necessary to:
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Clarify responsibilities. |
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Help employees understand how their job fits into the company as a whole. |
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Provide information about the knowledge, training, education, skills, and characteristics needed for each job. |
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Identify the essential functions of the job for ADA purposes. |
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Assist management with accessing and defining the company’s structure. |
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Provide a basis for hiring, performance evaluations, and compensation. |
Comprehensive job descriptions generally include:
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