Do You Have a Defining Job Description or a Job Defying Description?

Who doesn’t love this time of year? The experience of coming out from winter hibernation tends to be very sensory stimulating. The trees have blossomed, the grass is green again, and the warm air smells sweet from flowers shedding petals after a night rain. One of the annual rites of spring is the opportunity to socialize in larger groups. From company outings or neighborhood block parties to youth athletic events or young professional happy hours, one of the cursory questions bandied about is inevitably, “so what do you do?”. Routinely the answer comes in the form of a job title, and if that fails to clarify, what follows is a regurgitated job description. Wouldn’t it be more useful if we could tell others what it is we do for a living by clearly and confidently informing them how we fit within the entire structure of our organizations? Is it our fault for not being able to articulate our job within the confines of small talk at a Memorial Day Barbeque? Perhaps this burden falls on those involved in writing and assessing job descriptions.

Job descriptions are the foundation on which the employee lifecycle is built. Job candidates seek out new opportunities using job descriptions, with their list of required competencies and minimum qualifications, as a compass to guide their job search. Recruiters use job descriptions as lures to attract big fish to join their organizations. A job description doesn’t end once the offer sheet has been signed; rather it grows along with the employee assigned to it. In theory, job descriptions should provide structure for current employees, setting clearly defined roles and helping to establish the parameters of the daily grind. But in a dynamic workplace, a standard job description can become outdated within a few weeks on the job. Yet in an environment increasingly defined by change, with human capital leaders becoming more adept at change management, job descriptions have become the last bastion of the traditional HR department. And while advances in technology have revolutionized many of the talent management processes over the past decade, job descriptions remain one of the last places to see innovation. Organizations need to embrace a new approach to job descriptions with the same zeal seen in strategic workforce planning and talent acquisition.

An appropriate measure would be to include elements of adaptability within the original job posting. Traditional job descriptions have limited value in the flexible workplace of today. If the 21st Century workplace is to be characterized by talent mobility and employee development, more companies should be proactive by setting the parameters of a job description to reflect the need for versatility, as well as to mention the opportunities for career development within the organization. An individual that knows where they fit within the organization as a whole will likely be more engaged, and easier to retain. A job description that reflects the long term goals of both the employee and the organization is born from the necessity and demands of the modern workplace environment. Tactical job descriptions aren’t going to be as useful when dealing with succession planning, or lateral deployment. In the upcoming webcast, Transforming Job Descriptions from Tactical to Strategic, Melissa Tessendorf, Head of Professional Services at Kenexa, will detail how to transform job descriptions from a tactical list of required skills and competencies, to a strategic tool used to strengthen employer branding, employee engagement and workforce planning. HCI members attending this webcast should come away viewing the creation of job descriptions as a more holistic human capital process essential to effective organizations. This sentiment will be echoed at the 2013 Global Talent Management Summit when HCI and research partner Lee Hecht Harrison present compelling new research on talent mobility.

The responsibility for the creation of job descriptions needs to be spread across all platforms of HR. This is not simply a strategy or acquisition question; rather it should be handled company-wide, and with a holistic approach. With so much advancement in other areas of talent management, why are companies setting themselves back by outsourcing the creation of job descriptions? A great place to dig deeper into these issues is through the Strategic HR Business Partners course currently offered by HCI. This course aims at sharpening the business acumen of HR professionals, allowing for greater transparency throughout the organization.

To find a great example of strategic job descriptions, look no further than last year’s HCI Human Capital Summit. Dr. Debra France, Enterprise Leadership Development at W.L. Gore, demonstrated that innovative corporate cultures begin with a new way of thinking about job descriptions. At Gore there is a long history of doing things differently, and part of that tradition is extremely malleable, and in some cases, employee-defined job descriptions. There is so much more to a job description than meets the eye. It could be viewed as a prism through which the core values of an organization can be seen both internally and externally. Job descriptions should be thought of as the starting point for employee development. The process is very similar to another warm-weather outdoor activity. A solid plan and daily maintenance are required in order to keep a lawn or garden looking great. It’s hard work when it’s been neglected, and it’s just as difficult to do it alone. Vision, collaboration and diligence make all the difference in the world. Once a foundation has been set and a routine established, the reward is always worthwhile. Through simple and repeatable steps the seeds of success are sown.