A Message Board, Guestbook, or Poll hosted for your website.
Discussion Board

Getting A Grip > Message Board > Job Descriptions
 

Thread Tools  | Search This Thread 
Reply
 
Author Comment
 
Kushla Haenen
    11/08/08 at 05:09 PM
Reply with quote#1

Get your staff to assess and re-organise their own job descriptions with some room for a "wish list".  It saves you time in initial assessment, and encourages buy-in from staff.
 
Have each staff member keep a list of the jobs they do in a day/week/month, including those odd one-off tasks that don't seem to fit with any one person.  Have them include a wishlist for things like: "I did this job today, but it made me uncomfortable - I wish I didn't have to," or "I did this, but it would have been faster and easier if I'd been able to do that at the same time".  Once you have their completed lists, you can see whether or not there are multiple staff members picking up pieces of the same job, and discuss with them where they feel they are performing tasks outside their job description, or not performing some tasks.  Their wishlist might include ideas that would make a task easier, completely outside of the job description.
 
It's easier to establish role boundaries with input from the people who do the job.  Staff might say, "I do that part of my job description - but it doesn't come naturally,  and I would feel safer if someone else did it," or, "I'd like to do more of..." or, "so-and-so often does that for me and enjoys it.  It could be moved to their task list."
 
Of course, there will be those jobs that absolutely no one wants to do, but there may be someone more willing or better suited to perform the tedious jobs. The wish list also allows for training considerations - if someone wants to try a job they don't yet have the skill set for, consider training them.  You'll have willing back-up when the regular person is off sick, and staff who feel they are nurtured in their roles.
Gabrielle Asher Barnett
    11/08/08 at 05:10 PM
Reply with quote#2

Ask these questions below to determine where the most enthusiasm lies;

Which areas of your role do you enjoy doing the most?  i.e. time flies (write them down).  Then, which areas of your role do you know you are currently very skilled in?  i.e. time flies (write them down).
Lastly, which areas do you see yourself expanding into if given the opportunity and the upskilling?  i.e. desire (write it/them down).
Daria Williamson
    28/08/08 at 11:53 AM
Reply with quote#3

I loved the job description article in the latest e-zine. It's an area that I'm becoming increasingly passionate about, as I'm working with a team of 20 Customer Service Reps, and amongst the team, there are a number of unique roles which are carried out by up to 6 people, for which we have some pretty archaic (and complex) job descriptions!
 
Through an assignment I completed for an HR paper last year, I discovered a great way of finding the "reality" of a job (as opposed to what the job description says). I now interview (or give a questionnaire if time doesn't permit interviews) to each person who does a unique role, and the team leader responsible for those people, asking them to define the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and their understanding of the types of knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics needed for a person to succeed in the role.
 
Comparing the answers we receive shows where people's perceptions of their role differ from each other's, or their team leader's. It not only helps us refine and improve our job descriptions, it also helps identify where we need to clarify and/or simplify our expectations, procedures or guidelines to make them more useful to the team, and helps us develop recruitment, selection and induction/training plans to ensure that we get the right people on board, then provide training and development to help them achieve their best. The short-term "pain" of devoting time to this process certainly helps us in the long-run, as anecdotal evidence shows that our team members are becoming more engaged in their work and professional development, and turn-over has reduced significantly.
Clare Nnorom
    02/10/08 at 12:50 PM
Reply with quote#4

Good day Robyn

I have just resumed in a new environment heading a marketing team.  Funnily enough some issues came between two staff on a particular job. The question was "Who's duty was it?"  My observation was that there was no defined job description and an agument ensued as to whose responsibilty it was.  The question is still hanging.

Your mail has given me enough reason to see that jobs are properly assigned to avoid mix-ups.  Right now I cannot answer your question - I have no ready answer.  I think organisations need to properly define jobs and assign properly to avoid mix-ups which sometimes lead to clashes in offices and work environments.  It makes things easier and engages people more.  Not only will the organisation gain, the staff also gains because it makes it a lot easier, and neater. It also saves time, giving room for high productivity.
Previous Thread | Next Thread
Reply

 
Bookmarks
 
Digg Diggdel.icio.us del.icio.usStumbleUpon StumbleUponGoogle Google