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One of the most difficult processes for human resources to administer today is maintaining up-to-date job descriptions. However, regardless of the difficulty, job descriptions are the foundation upon which base compensation, reward systems and legal issues are based.  This article will explore some of the inexpensive options available to human resources professionals to maintain comprehensive and up-to-date job descriptions as we prepare for August 23, 2004 and the new FLSA regulations.

To start, a brief review of job description basics (summarized from WorldatWork “Building Blocks of Compensation” series) will follow.

Elements of a Job Description

In reviewing and preparing your written job descriptions, you will want to combine a listing of the duties and responsibilities of the job in question along with a listing of it's requirements and conditions. This is because many job descriptions list only the duties, responsibilities, conditions, and put the requirements in a separate document called a “job specification.” Because the ADA consolidates these into one document called a “job description,” we suggest you follow a similar format.

General information on duties and responsibilities includes:

• nature of the work
• how the work is performed
• why it is performed
• equipment, material, or tool requirements
• supervision requirements
• the effects of unsatisfactory performance

Specific requirements and conditions, or other information include the following: (These factors constitute the essential functions.)

• general educational experience and skill requirements, such as the ability to make change
• specialized knowledge requirements with respect to particular systems, processes, equipment, materials, or products
• job-related behaviors, such as trustworthiness, sound judgment, discretion, cooperativeness, initiative, creativity, service orientation, etc
• area of accountability, such as supervision of others, responsibility for quality of service, safety, maintenance, and areas of management, such as cost reduction
• physical demands such as walking, stooping, lifting, handling boxes, talking, seeing, etc., including the amount of physical effort to perform each task, as well as the length of time during which the effort must be expended, both in duration and frequency
• working conditions, i.e., the general physical environment or surroundings under which the task must be performed, such as lighting, ventilation, isolation or cramped work space, temperature (if relevant), or dusty or other potential health conditions
• hazards associated with each task, including mental and physical qualifications required to perform the work safely, and occupational safety and health issues, including exposure to gasoline fumes, cleaning products, lifting requirements, and other similar hazards

Finally, in order to ensure maximum flexibility in job assignment and to protect yourself from any rigid interpretations or applications of your job descriptions by the EEOC or the courts, you should include a "disclaimer clause" in every job description.

This disclaimer should state that

• the list of job elements, responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, or conditions is not exhaustive, but is merely the most accurate list of the current job

• Management reserves the right to revise the job description or require that other tasks be performed when the circumstances of the job change (for example, emergencies, changes in personnel, workload, or technical development)

In its most basic form, job description automation can be, and often is, as simple as maintaining a database of MS-Word based job descriptions that can be reviewed and printed by the organization’s managers as needed.  Many organizations have moved to this level to alleviate the need for binders and files to store the description. (Helpful Hint:  If doing this, be sure to “write-protect” your MS-Word files so only HR can edit).

A second form of simplistic automation is to take advantage of the job descriptions used by the major consulting firms, such as Hay, Mercer, or Watson Wyatt in their on-line libraries of CD-based salary surveys.  Although, these are brief summaries, they are a good start for those who do not have job descriptions developed.

A third method is to purchase job description databases that allow edits to fit your specific organization’s needs.  There are a number of firms that provide this including Business and Legal Reports, HROnLine, and Watson Wyatt to name just a few.

The primary disadvantage of these methods is that they do not provide for neither the ability to analyze internal job relationships nor the ability to determine the FLSA status of the job in question.  A fourth method of automating job descriptions is one that allows for their development and storage electronically, while also allowing for further analysis of the job data.  One model of this option is a process developed by Astron Solutions that takes advantage of the power of Microsoft Access (note: organizations with internal Access experts should consider taking advantage of that skill in developing automated job descriptions).

This program builds upon the age-old process of collecting job description data via a PDQ, or position description questionnaire.  As in the past, the questionnaire should capture all the information outlined .  But similar to a formal content job evaluation process, each element in the questionnaire should be broken down into a number of levels to capture differences among the organization's jobs.  For example:

Teamwork and Collaboration

This section is intended to measure the level of teamwork and collaboration that is required in each job.  One box should be checked that most appropriately describes the level of team interaction exhibited in order to perform the responsibilities and duties of this particular job.

The answer to each element in the questionnaire, like the example above, can then be stored and analyzed by the Access system.   Ultimately the system can summarize results and produce organization and unit-specific job descriptions.  Once in a database, multiple levels of analysis can occur, including an indication of the position’s FLSA status.

Are your job descriptions automated?  Be sure to vote in this week's on-line poll!!