Introduction:[/b]
A job description is a list of the general tasks, or functions, responsibilities of a position, and salary range for the position, etc. Typically, it also includes designation, department, to whom the position reports, specifications such as the qualifications needed by the person in the job. It defines continuing work assignment and a scope of responsibility that are sufficiently different from those of the other jobs to warrant a specific title. A job description is usually developed by conducting a job analysis, which includes examining the tasks and sequences of tasks necessary to perform the job.
The Content of Job Description:
The job description normally contains the information on the following lines:
* Job title
* Organizational location of the job.
* Supervision given and received.
* Materials, tools, machinery and equipment worked with
* Designated of the immediate superiors and subordinates
* Salary levels: Pay, DA, other allowances, bonus, incentive wage, method of payment, hours of work, shift, break
* Complete list of duties performed separated according to daily, weekly, monthly and casual, estimates time to be spent on each duty.
* Definition of unusual terms
* Conditions of work: Location, time, speed of work, accuracy, health hazards, and accident hazards.
* Training and Development facilities
Principals of Job Description Writings:[/b][/b]
Ø Analysis NOT lists
Ø Jobs NOT people
Ø Facts NOT judgements
Ø The job as it is now
Findings:[/b][/b]
Writing job descriptions does not generally rank as one of the most exciting or enjoyable tasks. There are a number of compelling reasons why job descriptions, or role profiles, and person specifications are necessary. First, they are a vital aid to management. It is important to be clear about what is expected of an employee, not only to ensure that you recruit the right person, but also to enable you to judge performance and identify training and development needs. In the event of any dispute about job performance a clear job description will be valuable evidence.
Without an accurate job description, it is likely that jobs will not be evaluated and paid correctly.
They have their limitations of course. Different people do the same job in different ways. If written too rigidly some employees might refuse to carry out activities they see as outside the scope of the job. Jobs are often designed around individuals to take advantage of their particular skills.
Finally, the quality of a job description will vary according to the writing skills and perceptions of the writer. The best way of combating these problems is to ensure that job descriptions are written flexibly by focusing on job objectives, rather than on the actions required to meet those objectives, and to update them regularly.
Where individuals change the job content, the job description should be amended to include these changes if they are now a permanent feature of the job.