Why and How to Write Job Descriptions National Association of Veterans Research and Education Founda - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 / 30
About This Presentation
Title:

Why and How to Write Job Descriptions National Association of Veterans Research and Education Founda

Description:

Use titles which describe the nature and level of work performed ... Association of Nonprofit Organizations, Dictionary of Occupational Titles) ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

Number of Views:73
Avg rating:3.0/5.0
Slides: 31
Provided by: cli292
Category:

less

Transcript and Presenter's Notes

Title: Why and How to Write Job Descriptions National Association of Veterans Research and Education Founda


1
Why and How to Write Job DescriptionsNational
Association of Veterans Research and Education
Foundations
  • Linda C. Goldberg, SPHR, CCP
  • Lumenos, Inc.
  • April 11, 2005

2
Topics
  • Use of Job Descriptions
  • Terminology
  • Job Description Basic Components
  • Collecting Job Information
  • Job Description Guidelines
  • Compliance Considerations
  • Wrap Up

3
Introductions
  • Who are you?
  • Where do you work?
  • What is the mission of your organization?
  • What do you want to learn today?
  • Is there a job description for your position?

4
Job Description Prevalence
  • Most (97) organizations have some job
    descriptions
  • Many (33) organizations job descriptions are
    out of date
  • Job evaluation typically (60) done in reaction
    to line manager requests
  • Proactive job evaluation rarely done (18)
  • Job value based on combination of internal value
    (job evaluation) and external value (market
    pricing)
  • Source WorldatWork, Survey of Compensation
    Policies and Practices, March 2003

5
Human Resources Infrastructure Job Descriptions
Establishing Career Paths/ Succession Planning
6
Managing the Four Quadrants
- Performance
Values -
7
Select Wisely
  • Fit to organizational values
  • Fit to (current) job descriptions
  • Fit to job specifications skills, knowledge,
    abilities
  • Fit to required competencies (e.g., Integrity,
    Customer Focus, etc.)
  • Fit to organizational culture
  • Proven record of performance

8
Terminology
  • Job collection of tasks, duties and
    responsibilities assigned to one or more
    individuals with same nature of work, performed
    at the same level
  • Job Design task determination
  • Job Worth Hierarchy (Structure) perceived value
    of one job relative to others in the organization
    ? how you value each job in the organization

9
Terminology
  • Job Analysis formal study of the duties and
    responsibilities that comprise job content
  • Job Documentation written information about job
    content based on Job Analysis results
  • Job Evaluation formal process used to create a
    job worth hierarchy ? valuing each job in the
    organization

10
Terminology
Job
High
Job Worth Hierarchy or Structure
Duties Duties Duties
Job
Design
Job
Low
Job Analysis Design
Job Documentation
Job Evaluation
11
Collecting Job Information
  • Secondary Sources published materials
  • Organization charts for reporting relationships
  • Policies and Procedures Manuals for work
    processes, training and knowledge requirements,
    tasks
  • Association materials for standard job
    descriptions
  • Existing job documentation for background
    information

12
Secondary Source Research Associate
  • NPC Designs, conducts and analyzes research
    projects pertaining to development of antibiotic
    susceptibility testing protocols and peptide mass
    fingerprinting using
  • SHRM Serves as a research associate for
    applied biological research for ongoing
    analytical studies and performs basic statistical
    analysis of scientific findings. In concert with
    principal scientists and peers, participates in
    the development of protocols for biological
    research studies and evaluates alternate
    methodologies to be used, and conducts/analyzes
    research studies.

13
Primary Sources
  • Primary Sources from direct data collection
  • Direct Observation
  • Individual Interviews employees, supervisors
  • Open-ended
  • Highly structured
  • Questionnaires
  • Group Interviews
  • Technical Consultation

14
Job Evaluation Questionnaire
  • General Information
  • General Summary of the primary purpose of the job
     
  • Principal Duties and Responsibilities
  • Contacts within organization, external
  • Efficiency and Quality precursor tasks, process
    improvement opportunities, unnecessary tasks,
    missing tasks

15
Job Evaluation Questionnaire (cont.)
  • Decision-Making - formal guidelines, technical
    manuals, regulations, etc., used, decisions
    deferred to supervision
  • Complexity need for independent judgment,
    self-motivation, creativity, policies and
    procedures to complete the task
  • Job Specifications - minimum education,
    experience, skills, abilities and competencies
    required to perform the job effectively
  • Supervisor review/sign-off

16
Job Description
  • Summary of the most important features of a job
  • Includes
  • General nature of the work performed
  • Level of the work performed
  • Employee characteristics for competent performance

17
Components of a Job Description
  • Job title
  • Exemption status
  • Reporting relationships
  • Summary
  • Duties responsibilities
  • Job Specifications
  • Competencies
  • Working Conditions
  • Disclaimer Statement
  • Dates and approvals (supervisor and HR)

18
Job Description Guidelines Titles
  • Use titles which describe the nature and level of
    work performed
  • Use titles which are acceptable and politically
    correct
  • Avoid title inflation
  • Avoid potentially discriminating titles (those
    that imply sex or age)
  • Consider internal and external status issues
  • Consider Human Resource Information System
    limitations
  • Use published resources (e.g., Maryland
    Association of Nonprofit Organizations,
    Dictionary of Occupational Titles)

19
Questionable Job Titles
  • Title
  • Traffic Director
  • Environmental Specialist
  • Reproduction Specialist
  • Information Destruction Specialist
  • Does this mean
  • Municipal Hgwy Engr?
  • Hazardous Waste Site Workers?
  • IVF Technician?
  • Audit Firm Assistant (a la Arthur Anderson)?

20
Questionable Job Titles
  • Title
  • Traffic Director
  • Environmental Specialist
  • Reproduction Specialist
  • Information Destruction Specialist
  • Actual Translation
  • Highway Flagger
  • Housekeeper
  • Copy Room Attendant
  • Shredder

21
General Guidelines in Drafting Job Descriptions
Exemption Status
  • From Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
  • Nonexempt employees in these positions must be
    paid overtime at a rate of 1 ½ times their
    regular rate of pay for all hours worked in
    excess of 40 hours in a work week
  • Exempt exempt from overtime pay requirements
  • Regulations changed 8/23/04
  • lt 455/week ? Nonexempt
  • gt 100,000/year ? Exempt
  • Middle ? determined by tests

22
General Guidelines in Drafting Job Descriptions
Duties Responsibilities
  • Include only current duties responsibilities
    that account for 5 or more of the work
  • Present in logical order
  • Write in standard format use present tense,
    action verbs
  • Use telegraphic sentence style - avoid
    unnecessary words
  • Implied subject/verb/object/explanatory phrase
  • Sample The social worker counsels clients on
    the various services provided by the entire state
    system.
  • Identify essential functions of the job
  • Focus on the job itself NOT any specific
    individual who might fill the job

23
General Guidelines Action Verbs
  • Administers
  • Builds
  • Classifies
  • Designs
  • Edits
  • Forecasts
  • Guides
  • Hires
  • Instructs
  • Justifies
  • Keeps
  • Leads
  • Manages
  • Notifies
  • Organizes
  • Performs
  • Quantifies
  • Recommends
  • Serves
  • Tests
  • Updates
  • Verifies
  • Writes

24
General Guidelines in Drafting Job Descriptions
Level Cutters
  • Information that differentiates one level of the
    position from another
  • Sample level cutters
  • Education/Training Contacts with Others
  • Work Experience Supervisory Responsibility
  • Technical Proficiency Working Conditions
  • Computer Skills Complexity
  • Mental Effort Independent Judgment
  • Direction Received

25
General Guidelines in Drafting Job Descriptions
Job Specifications
  • Description of worker characteristics required to
    competently perform a job
  • Must be Bona Fide Occupational Qualifications (as
    opposed to those that are artificially inflated
    or discriminatory)
  • Knowledge acquired mental information necessary
    to do the job
  • Skills acquired manual measurable behaviors
  • Abilities natural talents or acquired dexterity

26
General Guidelines in Drafting Job Descriptions
Competencies
  • Cluster of related knowledge, skills, abilities
    and other personal characteristics working
    together to produce outstanding performance in a
    given area of responsibility
  • Examples
  • Interpersonal savvy
  • Concern for others
  • Decision quality
  • Judgment
  • SHRM White Paper, November 2003 Generic
    Competencies Definition and Application, Karen
    E. Tabet.

27
Compliance Considerations
  • Focus on Essential Job Functions those
    fundamental job-related duties that are necessary
    to the position
  • Focus on job-related qualifications
  • Use gender neutral language
  • Use BFOQs with caution Gender, religion or
    national origin are rarely a Bona Fide
    Occupational Qualification ? reasonably necessary
    to carry out a particular job function in the
    normal operations of the firm

28
Job Analysis and Documentation
Job
High
Job Worth Hierarchy or Structure
Duties Duties Duties
Job
Design
Job
Low
Job Analysis Design
Job Documentation
Job Evaluation
29
Human Resources Infrastructure Job Descriptions
Establishing Career Paths/ Succession Planning
30
Wrap Up
  • Review learning points
  • Resources
  • www.shrm.org
  • www.dol.gov Fair Pay Overtime Rules
  • www.chra.com
  • www.worldatwork.org
  • Questions?
Write a Comment
User Comments (0)
About PowerShow.com