U8D1-24 - Contrast equity theory with expectancy theory and apply these concepts to your own organization. See Details Below.

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HUMAN RESOURCES

M any years ago, I visited a manager who had just terminated an employee the day before for substandard performance. Because I knew the staffing requisition for a replacement would

be approved, I stopped in to talk with the manager to get the recruiting process started. In my traditional human resources (HR) style and as a starting point for our discus- sion, I asked if the job description for this role was current and accurate. I wanted to make sure I was going to start a search based on what he really needed rather than what he thought he needed, and I didn’t want to work with a docu- ment that was developed by a previous manager and no longer accurate. A job title alone was not sufficient for me to start the search.

A job title alone is not sufficient.

Without hesitation, the manager proceeded to blast me about how stupid job descriptions are and that he had no need for all this HR baloney. In fact, during his outburst, he made it clear he needed someone who could “do more of this . . . and less of that . . . ,” report on accurate data, man- age his or her staff with inspiration, teach everyone in the department a good work ethic, reward good performers, develop good goal plans, achieve results, and be nice to be around!

Although his comments were more specific to the job than what I’ve outlined here, I kept listening and started to write notes about the “specs” of what I thought would be a good job description—with some exceptions. I first took all his negative comments and converted them to positive statements. I changed his comment, “I can’t stand that the engineering work flow documents were sloppy, late, or never done!” to “Develop accurate and timely reports that document inter- and intra-department

processes.” Then I grouped all his rephrased statements into three categories labeled “What,” “How,” and “Mea- surable Results,” respectively. My intent was to capture what will someone in this job do, how will he or she do it, and how will the results be measured? I then showed him my summary and complimented him on how good a job description writer he was!

In this situation, the manager knew what he wanted someone to do and how he would recognize good perfor- mance if he saw it. The traditional process of developing a job description never got him to this point of common sense and simple language. His comments weren’t in order of What, How, and Measurable Results, but he covered all the bases. Within a short period of time, this particular manager became my strongest advocate of the value of an easy, simple, accurate job description. And he never required any training.

How can you fill a job opening if you don’t know what you want the person to do? A job title and one or two random job duties do not a job description make. More importantly, how can you find a good candidate if you have only a vague or general view of the responsibilities related to the job? This comment may seem obvious in theory, but it’s common practice in too many companies, especially small businesses in America!

The HR profession makes job descriptions unnecessarily boring, complex, and confusing. This is why management puts them in a “forget it” file. Job descriptions have too much traditional focus on education and work experience coupled with a complex description of duties, or they’re written with legal compliance in mind rather than the ef- fective use of the information applicants or incumbents need so they can do a good job.

What if a job description were the guidance document on how to get an excellent performance review? What

Job Descriptions Made Easy Larry Miller*

The act of writing a job description can be a daunting and difficult task for many managers. This article focuses on the key concepts of What, How, and Measureable Results as they relate to an employee’s job duties. When the an- swers to these three elements are articulated, they define the core responsibili- ties of any job that form the basis for an effective job description.

KEY WORDS: Job descriptions; job duties; performance management; management.

*Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Starkey Hearing Technolo- gies; e-mail: [email protected]. Copyright © 2014 by Greenbranch Publishing LLC.

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Miller | Job Descriptions 395

if a job description were written as if it contained all the answers to a test? Imagine the “test” as the employees’ performance review. They couldn’t help but get a good review if they were already doing everything they were sup- posed to do—and doing it well. Why would anyone hire an employee and keep the way in which that person’s perfor- mance, behavior, or activities will be measured undefined, poorly communicated, or vague? I believe all managers want their employees to do good work. Why not articulate the requirements in simple terms?

The best job description is one that’s simple.

What if the job description were a roadmap to good performance rather than a document on theoretical activi- ties? When managers have a position to fill, they need to be able to articulate what someone must do in that role. The best job description is one that’s so simple, managers can’t help but use it as a platform for performance dialogs, goal- setting discussions, and measuring results.

A general statement of activities and responsibilities is a good starting point in a job description. For example, the following is a sample statement of the position de- scription in a job description for someone filling the role of a receptionist.

Job Title: Receptionist

General Description: The person in this position is re- sponsible for answering a multiline switchboard and greeting the public in a professional manner as the face of the company.

Next comes the What, which could be described as: 1. Answer all incoming telephone calls. 2. Greet customers. 3. Coordinate visitor contact with company representa-

tives when they’re on site. 4. Keep notes and records of incoming calls and unsched-

uled visitors.

Now the How: 1. Answer all incoming telephone calls within three rings. 2. Answer all incoming telephone calls with a smile in

your voice. 3. Remember common customer voices and connect them

to their name and the company representative they most commonly contact.

4. Know each department’s job function in the company so as to direct a customer to the correct representative if the customer is unable to articulate his or her specific need.

In this example, I’ve written only those details in the How section that are related to the first point in the What section. In a real job description, every item listed in the

What section would have its own additional details in the How section. Many times, the How section includes addi- tional details for each element of the What so the employ- ees know the quality standard they have to achieve for each element of their job.

As another example, Greet customers may require the receptionist to ask them to sign in and have a seat, let them know how long they should expect to wait, or direct them to the nearest restroom. It may seem unnecessary to articulate this level of detail. But if this detail represents the quality of work an office manager, for example, would want from his or her receptionist, then don’t take it for granted that the receptionist will figure it out on his or her own. Write it in. Communicate it. What may seem to be an obvious and simple quality standard has a big impact on patients, customers, or clients when they’re not treated properly, or when they are treated consistently better than at your competitor’s office!

And finally, an example of Measurable Results for a receptionist would include: 1. Customer feedback; 2. Percentage of successful calls; 3. Percentage of missed calls; and 4. Manager/staff feedback.

Here’s another easy way to hit the same target of an easy job description based on What, How, and Measurable Results. Just answer these questions: 77 What is the overall purpose of this job? 77 What are the core responsibilities required for someone

to be successful in this job? — List as many specific activities that correspond to each core responsibility of the job, no matter how obvious or apparently insignificant they may seem.

77 How would you measure the success of someone in this job?

When writing a complete job description, be sure to add the minimum education, certification, experience, job knowledge, and skills and abilities that are unique or required for the job. It is also helpful to consider any supervisory, budgetary, and confidential information re- sponsibilities a job may require. Examples may include the designation of a required college degree; knowledge of the use of specific equipment, tools, or software; the require- ment to supervise a number of office staff or professionals in various disciplines; or the need to manage confidential payroll or protected health information.

When considering the years of experience that may be required in a job, make sure the number of years specified actually correlates to the experience you need. I’ve worked to fill positions that I presumed needed 10 years of experi- ence in a candidate only to find some candidates who had one year of experience 10 years in a row! It was as if they never developed a progressive understanding of added

396 Medical Practice Management | May/June 2014

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responsibility and independent decision-making, or were reliant on being told what to do all the time.

The same potential miscalculation can happen when evaluating the education requirements for a job. You may believe the job requires a college degree, but you may get the same expertise and quality of work from someone with 20 years of real experience and no degree. This scenario has become more common in the labor market over the last five years as older workers stay in the labor force lon- ger. They may not have the degree you feel is necessary for a job, but they have great practical experience and a very good work ethic.

What does “good” look like?

And now, here’s the simplest way to make job de- scriptions easy! Answer the following question: What does “good” look like? The majority of managers I work with can always identify good work when they see it. If you can imagine what good looks like, write it down. An

unsophisticated document that is clear and understood is always better than an elaborate, dull, never-to-be-used job analysis. Any clarification that helps recruiters find strong candidates, employees perform their jobs better, managers manage better, and businesses serve their customers better is the critical core of a good job description.

Award-winning job descriptions deserve more expertise and experience than the process I’ve outlined here. What, How, and Measurable Results can help you create a job description that makes sense. When completed, the job description can be used in the recruiting process and be- come the starting point for managing good performance. The more employees know about what is expected of them, the greater the chance they will achieve it. And the better managers can convey a clear, basic idea of what they want and need in their employees, the greater the chance that’s what they’ll get. Even if the objectives of a job are written down on scratch paper, What, How, and Measurable Results can do wonders to help you make drafting job de- scriptions easy! Y

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