A

"Absence or Absent (Unscheduled)"
From Susan M. Heathfield,

Definition:
The unscheduled time off from work that occurs when an employee is not present at work during a normally scheduled work period.

Absences are generally compensated when their frequency and rationale fall within the guidelines established in the organization's attendance policy. These compensated absences may depend upon certain required employee actions such as seeking permission for scheduled absences from work in advance, or calling in to report an unscheduled absence within organization timelines and expectations. Too many unscheduled absences can result in the termination of an employee’s employment. This is generally governed by the organization’s attendance policy.

"Absenteeism Policy"
From Susan M. Heathfield,

Definition:
A policy that provides guidance within an organization about how to manage the state of chronic absence from work. Absenteeism is usually addressed through progressively stricter disciplinary measures that can result in the termination of the individual's employment. This is generally governed by the organization’s attendance policy.

"Attendance"

Definition:The act or fact of attending (being present at) work. Also, is used to define the number of persons present at work.

Examples - Attendance: Rob had a wonderful work attendance record; he rarely missed a day. The attendance on first shift averaged only 75 percent on Mondays.

"Attendance Policy"

Definition: The guidelines and expectations for employee attendance at work as defined, written, disseminated, and implemented by an organization.

Also Known As: Attendance policy is sometimes used interchangeably with absenteeism policy. My view is that an attendance policy is much more narrowly defined and limited to attendance, as opposed to absenteeism policies which address absenteeism management issues and more.

Sample - Attendance Policy: No-Fault Point System: The goal of this attendance policy is to reward good attendance and eliminate people with poor attendance.

It uses a point system, and does not excuse or unexcuse absences.

Each absence = 1 point(no multi-day occurrences)
Each late in (tardy) or early out = 1/2 point
Each no-show for work = 2 points
Each return with no prior call = 1 point
Each absence-free quarter eliminates all points and rewards the employee with a day off with pay.
Each employee starts fresh, with no points, each year.
Disciplinary Action:

7 points = verbal warning
8 points = written warning
9 points = 3 day suspension
10 points = termination

C

"Counseling/Work Coaching"

Definition:
The first step in any effort to improve employee performance is counseling or coaching. (I primarily use the word "counseling" in this context, as the word "coaching," has become, in recent use, a much more specific type of counseling.) Counseling or work coaching is part of the day-to-day interaction between a supervisor and an individual who works in his or her work area, or a Human Resources professional and line organization staff members. Counseling often provides positive feedback about employee contributions. At the same time, regular counseling brings performance issues to an employee's attention when they are small, and assists the employee to correct them.

The goal of performance coaching is not to make the employee feel bad, or to show how much the HR professional or supervisor knows. The goal of counseling is to work with the employee to solve performance problems and improve the work of the employee, the team, and the department. There are six main steps in effective and supportive counseling or work coaching.

Show confidence in the employee's ability and willingness to solve the problem. Ask him or her for help in solving the problem.
Describe the performance problem. Focus on the problem or behavior that needs improvement, not the person. Ask for the employee's view of the situation.
Determine if issues exist that limit the employee's ability to perform the task or accomplish the objective. Four common barriers are time, training, tools, and temperment. Determine how to remove these barriers and add these actions to the overall plan.
Discuss potential solutions to the problem or improvement actions to take. Ask the employee for ideas on how to correct the problem, or prevent it from happening again. Offer your suggestions.
Agree on a written action plan that lists what the employee, the supervisor, and possibly, the HR professional, will do to correct the problem or improve the situation.
Set a date and time for follow-up. Determine if a critical feedback path is needed, so the supervisor knows how the employee is progressing on the plan. Offer positive encouragement and your confidence in the employee's competence to make the needed improvements.

D

"Discipline (Progressive Discipline)"
From Susan M. Heathfield,

Definition:
Progressive discipline is a process for dealing with job-related behavior that does not meet expected and communicated performance standards. The primary purpose for progressive discipline is to assist the employee to understand that a performance problem or opportunity for improvement exists.

The process features increasingly formal efforts to provide feedback to the employee so he or she can correct the problem. The goal of progressive discipline is to improve employee performance.

The process of progressive discipline is not intended as a punishment for an employee, but to assist the employee to overcome performance problems and satisfy job expectations. Progressive discipline is most successful when it assists an individual to become an effectively performing member of the organization.

Failing that, progressive discipline enables the organization to fairly, and with substantial documentation, terminate the employment of employees who are ineffective and unwilling to improve.

Typical steps in a progressive discipline system may include these.

Counsel the employee about performance and ascertain his or her understanding of requirements.

Ascertain whether there are any issues contributing to the poor performance, that are not immediately obvious to the supervisor. Solve these issues, if possible.

Verbally reprimand the employee for poor performance.

Provide a written verbal warning in the employee's file, in an effort to improve employee performance.

Provide an escalating number of days in which the employee is suspended from work. Start with one day and escalate to five.
End the employment of an individual who refuses to improve.

E

"Employee Involvement"
From Susan M. Heathfield,

Definition and Examples
Definition:
Employee involvement is creating an environment in which people have an impact on decisions and actions that affect their jobs.

Employee involvement is not the goal nor is it a tool, as practiced in many organizations. Rather, it is a management and leadership philosophy about how people are most enabled to contribute to continuous improvement and the ongoing success of their work organization.

My bias, from working with people for 40+ years, is to involve people as much as possible in all aspects of work decisions and planning. This involvement increases ownership and commitment, retains your best employees, and fosters an environment in which people choose to be motivated and contributing.

How to involve employees in decisionmaking and continuous improvement activities is the strategic aspect of involvement and can include such methods as suggestion systems, manufacturing cells, work teams, continuous improvement meetings, Kaizen (continuous improvement) events, corrective action processes, and periodic discussions with the supervisor.

Intrinsic to most employee involvement processes is training in team effectiveness, communication, and problem solving; the development of reward and recognition systems; and frequently, the sharing of gains made through employee involvement efforts.

Employee Involvement Model
For people and organizations who desire a model to apply, the best I have discovered was developed from work by Tannenbaum and Schmidt (1958) and Sadler (1970).

They provide a continuum for leadership and involvement that includes an increasing role for employees and a decreasing role for supervisors in the decision process. The continuum includes this progression.

Tell: the supervisor makes the decision and announces it to staff. The supervisor provides complete direction.

Sell: the supervisor makes the decision and then attempts to gain commitment from staff by "selling" the positive aspects of the decision.

Consult: the supervisor invites input into a decision while retaining authority to make the final decision herself.

Join: the supervisor invites employees to make the decision with the supervisor. The supervisor considers her voice equal in the decision process.
To round out the model, I add the following.

Delegate: the supervisor turns the decision over to another party.

"Employee Empowerment"
From Susan M. Heathfield,

Definition and Examples
Definition: Employee Empowerment
Empowerment is the process of enabling or authorizing an individual to think, behave, take action, and control work and decision making in autonomous ways. It is the state of feeling self-empowered to take control of one's own destiny.

When thinking about empowerment in human relations terms, try to avoid thinking of it as something that one individual does for another. This is one of the problems organizations have experienced with the concept of empowerment. People think that "someone," usually the manager, has to bestow empowerment on the people who report to him.

Consequently, the reporting staff members "wait" for the bestowing of empowerment, and the manager asks why people won't act in empowered ways. This led to a general unhappiness, mostly undeserved, with the concept of empowerment in many organizations.

Think of empowerment, instead, as the process of an individual enabling himself to take action and control work and decision making in autonomous ways.

Empowerment comes from the individual.

The organization has the responsibility to create a work environment which helps foster the ability and desire of employees to act in empowered ways. The work organization has the responsibility to remove barriers that limit the ability of staff to act in empowered ways.

Also Known As:
Employee involvement and participative management are often used to mean empowerment. They are not really interchangeable.

Examples
The manager of the Human Resources department added weeks to the process of hiring new employees by requiring his supposedly "empowered" staff members to obtain his signature on every document related to the hiring of a new employee.

John empowered himself to discuss the career objectives he wished to pursue with his supervisor. He told his supervisor, frankly, that if the opportunities were not available in his current company, he would move on to another company.

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F

"Feedback"

How To Provide Feedback That Has an Impact
From Susan M. Heathfield,

Make your feedback have the impact it deserves by the manner and approach you use to deliver feedback. Your feedback can make a difference to people if you can avoid a defensive response.
Difficulty: Hard
Time Required: Depends on the situation.
Here's How:
Effective feedback is specific, not general. (Say, "The report you turned in yesterday was well-written, understandable, and made your points about the budget very effectively." Don't say, "good report.")
Effective feedback always focuses on a specific behavior, not on a person or their intentions. (When you held competing conversations during the meeting, when Mary had the floor, you distracted the people in attendance.)
The best feedback is sincerely and honestly provided to help. Trust me, people will know if they are receiving it for any other reason.
Successful feedback describes actions or behavior that the individual can do something about.

Whenever possible, feedback that is requested is more powerful. Ask permission to provide feedback. Say, "I'd like to give you some feedback about the presentation, is that okay with you?"
Effective feedback involves the sharing of information and observations. It does not include advice unless you have permission or advice was requested.
Effective feedback is well timed. Whether the feedback is positive or constructive provide the information as closely tied to the event as possible.
Effective feedback involves what or how something was done, not why. Asking why is asking people about their motivation and that provokes defensiveness.
Check to make sure the other person understood what you communicated by using a feedback loop, such as asking a question or observing changed behavior.
Effective feedback is as consistent as possible. If the actions are great today, they're great tomorrow. If the policy violation merits discipline, it should always merit discipline.
Tips:
Feedback is communication to a person or a team of people regarding the effect their behavior is having on another person, the organization, the customer, or the team.
Positive feedback involves telling someone about good performance. Make this feedback timely, specific, and frequent.
Constructive feedback alerts an individual to an area in which his performance could improve. Constructive feedback is not criticism; it is descriptive and should always be directed to the action, not the person.
The main purpose of constructive feedback is to help people understand where they stand in relation to expected and/or productive job behavior.
Recognition for effective performance is a powerful motivator. Most people want to obtain more recognition, so recognition fosters more of the appreciated actions.

How To Receive Feedback With Grace and Dignity
From Susan M. Heathfield,
Your Guide to Human Resources.
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Interested in hearing about how others view your work? Make it easy for them to tell you. If they think you'll appreciatively consider their feedback, you'll get lots more. And, that is good, really.
Difficulty: Hard
Time Required: Depends on the situation.
Here's How:
Try to control your defensiveness. Fear of hurting you or having to deal with defensive or justifying behavior make people hesitant to give feedback to another person.
Listen to understand. Practice all the skills of an effective listener including using body language and facial expressions that encourage the other person to talk.
Try to suspend judgment. After all, in learning the views of the feedback provider, you learn about yourself and how your actions are interpreted in the world.
Summarize and reflect what you hear. Your feedback provider will appreciate that you are really hearing what they are saying. You are ascertaining that you 'are' really hearing.

Ask questions to clarify. Focus on questions to make sure you understand the feedback.
Ask for examples and stories that illustrate the feedback, so you know you share meaning with the person providing feedback.
Just because a person gives you feedback, doesn't mean their feedback is right. They see your actions but interpret them through their own perceptual screen and life experiences.
Be approachable. People avoid giving feedback to grumpies. Your openness to feedback is obvious through your body language, facial expressions, and welcoming manner.
Check with others to determine the reliability of the feedback. If only one person believes it about you, it may be just him or her, not you.
Remember, only you have the right and the ability to decide what to do with the feedback.
Tips:
Try to show your appreciation to the person providing the feedback. They'll feel encouraged and believe it or not, you do want to encourage feedback.
Even your manager or supervisor finds providing feedback scary. They never know how the person receiving feedback is going to react.
If you find yourself becoming defensive or hostile, practice stress management techniques such as taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.
Focusing on understanding the feedback by questioning and restating usually defuses any feelings you have of hostility or anger.
If you really disagree, are angry or upset, and want to dissuade the other person of their opinion, wait until your emotions are under control to reopen the discussion.

G

"Garnishment"

A garnishment is a means of collecting a monetary judgment against a defendant by ordering a third party (the garnishee) to pay money, otherwise owed to the defendant, directly to the plaintiff.

Wage garnishment, the most common type of garnishment, is the process of deducting money from an employee's monetary compensation (including salary) as a result of a court order. Such payments are limited by federal law in the United States to 25 percent of the disposable income that the employee earns. Garnishments can be taken for any type of debt but common examples of debt that result in garnishments include:

child support
taxes
Unpaid Court Fines
any other type of money judgment

Garnishments are taken as part of the payroll process. When processing payroll, sometimes there is not enough money in the employee's net pay to satisfy all of the garnishments. In such a case, the correct order to take a garnishment must be satisfied. For example, in a case with federal tax, local tax, and credit card garnishments, the first garnishment taken would be the federal tax garnishments, then the local tax garnishments, and finally, and garnishments for the credit card.

The other type of garnishment, also known as attachment, requires the garnishee to deliver all the defendant's money and/or property in the hands of the garnishee at the time of service of process to the court, to be paid over to the plaintiff. Since this type of garnishment is not continuing in nature, but is not subject to the type of restrictions that apply to wage garnishment, it is most often used against banks, or other persons or companies that incur liquidated obligations in the regular course of business.

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H

"Human Resources"

Q. What is the definition of Human Resources?
From Susan M. Heathfield,

A. The number one glossary suggestion and question that people request is: “What is the definition of human resources?” William R. Tracey, in The Human Resources Glossary defines Human Resources as: “The people that staff and operate an organization … as contrasted with the financial and material resources of an organization. The organizational function that deals with the people ...” Long a term used sarcastically by individuals in the line organization, because it relegates humans to the same category as financial and material resources, human resources will be replaced by more customer-friendly terms in the future.

Job Descriptions: Human Resources, Training, and Labor Relations Managers and Specialists

Nature of the Work*

Attracting the most qualified employees and matching them to the jobs for which they are best suited is important for the success of any organization. However, many enterprises are too large to permit close contact between top management and employees. Human resources, training, and labor relations managers and specialists provide this link. In the past, these workers have been associated with performing the administrative function of an organization, such as handling employee benefits questions or recruiting, interviewing, and hiring new personnel in accordance with policies and requirements that have been established in conjunction with top management. Today's human resources workers juggle these tasks and, increasingly, consult top executives regarding strategic planning. They have moved from behind-the-scenes staff work to leading the company in suggesting and changing policies. Senior management is recognizing the importance of the human resources department to their bottom line.

In an effort to improve morale and productivity and limit job turnover, they also help their firms effectively use employee skills, provide training opportunities to enhance those skills, and boost employee satisfaction with their jobs and working conditions. Although some jobs in the human resources field require only limited contact with people outside the office, dealing with people is an essential part of the job.

In a small organization, a human resources generalist may handle all aspects of human resources work, requiring a broad range of knowledge. The responsibilities of human resources generalists can vary widely, depending on their employer's needs. In a large corporation, the top human resources executive usually develops and coordinates personnel programs and policies. (Executives are included in the Handbook statement on top executives.) These policies are usually implemented by a director or manager of human resources and, in some cases, a director of industrial relations.

The director of human resources may oversee several departments, each headed by an experienced manager, who most likely specializes in one personnel activity such as employment, compensation, benefits, training and development, or employee relations.

Employment and placement managers oversee the hiring and separation of employees and supervise various workers, including equal employment opportunity specialists and recruitment specialists. Employment, recruitment, and placement specialists recruit and place workers.

Recruiters maintain contacts within the community and may travel extensively, often to college campuses, to search for promising job applicants. Recruiters screen, interview, and sometimes test applicants. They also may check references and extend job offers. These workers must be thoroughly familiar with the organization and its personnel policies to discuss wages, working conditions, and promotional opportunities with prospective employees. They also must keep informed about equal employment opportunity (EEO) and affirmative action guidelines and laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act.

EEO officers, representatives, or affirmative action coordinators handle this area in large organizations. They investigate and resolve EEO grievances, examine corporate practices for possible violations, and compile and submit EEO statistical reports.

Employer relations representatives, who usually work in government agencies, maintain working relationships with local employers and promote the use of public employment programs and services. Similarly, employment interviewers-whose many job titles include personnel consultants, personnel development specialists, and human resources coordinators-help match employers with qualified job seekers.

Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists conduct programs for employers and may specialize in specific areas such as position classifications or pensions. Job analysts, sometimes called position classifiers, collect and examine detailed information about job duties to prepare job descriptions. These descriptions explain the duties, training, and skills each job requires. Whenever a large organization introduces a new job or reviews existing jobs, it calls upon the expert knowledge of the job analyst.

Occupational analysts conduct research, usually in large firms. They are concerned with occupational classification systems and study the effects of industry and occupational trends upon worker relationships. They may serve as technical liaison between the firm and industry, government, and labor unions.

Establishing and maintaining a firm's pay system is the principal job of the compensation manager. Assisted by staff specialists, compensation managers devise ways to ensure fair and equitable pay rates. They may conduct surveys to see how their rates compare with others and to see that the firm's pay scale complies with changing laws and regulations. In addition, compensation managers often oversee their firm's performance evaluation system, and they may design reward systems such as pay-for-performance plans.

Employee benefits managers and specialists handle the company's employee benefits program, notably its health insurance and pension plans. Expertise in designing and administering benefits programs continues to gain importance as employer-provided benefits account for a growing proportion of overall compensation costs, and as benefit plans increase in number and complexity. For example, pension benefits might include savings and thrift, profit sharing, and stock ownership plans; health benefits may include long-term catastrophic illness insurance and dental insurance. Familiarity with health benefits is a top priority, as more firms struggle to cope with the rising cost of health care for employees and retirees. In addition to health insurance and pension coverage, some firms offer employees life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance, disability insurance, and relatively new benefits designed to meet the needs of a changing work force, such as parental leave, child and elder care, long-term nursing home care insurance, employee assistance and wellness programs, and flexible benefits plans. Benefits managers must keep abreast of changing Federal and State regulations and legislation that may affect employee benefits.

Employee assistance plan managers, also called employee welfare managers, are responsible for a wide array of programs covering occupational safety and health standards and practices; health promotion and physical fitness, medical examinations, and minor health treatment, such as first aid; plant security; publications; food service and recreation activities; car pooling and transportation programs, such as transit subsidies; employee suggestion systems; childcare and elder care; and counseling services. Child care and elder care are increasingly important due to growth in the number of dual-income households and the elderly population. Counseling may help employees deal with emotional disorders, alcoholism, or marital, family, consumer, legal, and financial problems. Some employers offer career counseling as well. In large firms, certain programs, such as security and safety, may be in separate departments headed by other managers.

Training and development managers and specialists conduct and supervise training and development programs for employees. Increasingly, management recognizes that training offers a way of developing skills, enhancing productivity and quality of work, and building loyalty to the firm. Training is widely accepted as a method of improving employee morale, but this is only one of the reasons for its growing importance. Other factors include the complexity of the work environment, the rapid pace of organizational and technological change, and the growing number of jobs in fields that constantly generate new knowledge. In addition, advances in learning theory have provided insights into how adults learn, and how training can be organized most effectively for them.

Training specialists plan, organize, and direct a wide range of training activities. Trainers conduct orientation sessions and arrange on-the-job training for new employees. They help rank-and-file workers maintain and improve their job skills, and possibly prepare for jobs requiring greater skill. They help supervisors improve their interpersonal skills in order to deal effectively with employees. They may set up individualized training plans to strengthen an employee's existing skills or teach new ones. Training specialists in some companies set up leadership or executive development programs among employees in lower level positions. These programs are designed to develop potential and current executives to replace those retiring. Trainers also lead programs to assist employees with transitions due to mergers and acquisitions, as well as technological changes. In government-supported training programs, training specialists function as case managers. They first assess the training needs of clients, then guide them through the most appropriate training method. After training, clients either may be referred to employer relations representatives or receive job placement assistance.

Planning and program development is an important part of the training specialist's job. In order to identify and assess training needs within the firm, trainers may confer with managers and supervisors or conduct surveys. They also periodically evaluate training effectiveness.

Depending on the size, goals, and nature of the organization, trainers may differ considerably in their responsibilities and in the methods they use. Training methods include on-the-job training; schools in which shop conditions are duplicated for trainees prior to putting them on the shop floor; apprenticeship training; classroom training; and electronic learning, which may involve interactive Internet-based training, multimedia programs, distance learning, satellite training, videos and other computer-aided instructional technologies, simulators, conferences, and workshops.

The director of industrial relations forms labor policy, oversees industrial labor relations, negotiates collective bargaining agreements, and coordinates grievance procedures to handle complaints resulting from disputes with unionized employees. The director of industrial relations also advises and collaborates with the director of human resources, other managers, and members of their staff, because all aspects of personnel policy-such as wages, benefits, pensions, and work practices-may be involved in drawing up a new or revised contract.

Labor relations managers and their staffs implement industrial labor relations programs. When a collective bargaining agreement is up for negotiation, labor relations specialists prepare information for management to use during negotiation, which requires familiarity with economic and wage data as well as extensive knowledge of labor law and collective bargaining trends. The labor relations staff interprets and administers the contract with respect to grievances, wages and salaries, employee welfare, health care, pensions, union and management practices, and other contractual stipulations. As union membership is continuing to decline in most industries, industrial relations personnel are working more with employees who are not members of a labor union.

Dispute resolution-attaining tacit or contractual agreements-has become increasingly important as parties to a dispute attempt to avoid costly litigation, strikes, or other disruptions. Dispute resolution also has become more complex, involving employees, management, unions, other firms, and government agencies. Specialists involved in dispute resolution must be highly knowledgeable and experienced, and often report to the director of industrial relations. Conciliators, or mediators, advise and counsel labor and management to prevent and, when necessary, resolve disputes over labor agreements or other labor relation's issues. Arbitrators, sometimes called umpires or referees, decide disputes that bind both labor and management to specific terms and conditions of labor contracts. Labor relations specialists who work for unions perform many of the same functions on behalf of the union and its members.

Other emerging specialists include international human resources managers, who handle human resources issues related to a company's foreign operations, and human resources information system specialists, who develop and apply computer programs to process personnel information, match job seekers with job openings, and handle other personnel matters.

*Information is reprinted from the Occupational Outlook Handbook with thanks.

Working Conditions*

Personnel work usually takes place in clean, pleasant, and comfortable office settings. Arbitrators and mediators may work out of their homes. Many human resources, training, and labor relations managers and specialists work a standard 35- to 40-hour week. However, longer hours might be necessary for some workers-for example, labor relations managers and specialists, arbitrators, and mediators-when contract agreements are being prepared and negotiated.

Although most human resources, training, and labor relations managers and specialists work in the office, some travel extensively. For example, recruiters regularly attend professional meetings and visit college campuses to interview prospective employees; arbitrators and mediators often must travel to the site chosen for negotiations.

*Information is reprinted from the Occupational Outlook Handbook with thanks.

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J

"Job Descriptions":

Why Effective Job Descriptions Make Good Business Sense

Part 1: Five Tips About Job Descriptions
By Susan M. Heathfield

Effectively developed, job descriptions are communication tools that are significant in your organization's success. Poorly written job descriptions, on the other hand, add to workplace confusion, hurt communication, and make people feel as if they don't know what is expected from them.


Job descriptions are written statements that describe the duties, responsibilities, required qualifications, and reporting relationships of a particular job. Job descriptions are based on objective information obtained through job analysis, an understanding of the competencies and skills required to accomplish needed tasks, and the needs of the organization to produce work. Job descriptions clearly identify and spell out the responsibilities of a specific job. Job descriptions also include information about working conditions, tools, equipment used, knowledge and skills needed, and relationships with other positions.

Still uncertain about the value of job descriptions? Consider these tips about employee job descriptions.


Job descriptions provide an opportunity to clearly communicate your company direction and where the employee fits inside of the big picture.

Whether you're a small business or a large, multi-site organization, well-written job descriptions will help you align employee direction. Alignment of the people you employ with your goals, vision, and mission spells success for your organization. As a leader, you assure the interfunctioning of all the different positions and roles needed to get the job done for the customer.


Job descriptions set clear expectations for what you expect from people.

According to Ferdinand Fournies in Why Don't Employees Do What They're Supposed to Do and What To Do About It," (see sidebar) this is the first place to look if people aren't doing what you want them to do. He says you need to make certain that they clearly understand your expectations. This understanding starts with the job description.


Job descriptions help you cover all your legal bases.

As an example, for compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), you'll want to make certain the description of the physical requirements of the job is accurate.


Whether you're recruiting new employees or posting jobs for internal applicants, job descriptions tell the candidate exactly what you want in your selected person.

Clear job descriptions can help you select your preferred candidates and address the issues and questions of those people who were not selected.


Well-written job descriptions help organization employees, who must work with the person hired, understand the boundaries of the person's responsibilities.

People who have been involved in the hiring process are more likely to support the success of the new employee or promoted co-worker. Developing job descriptions is an easy way to involve people in your organization's success.


Part 2: Five Warnings About Job Descriptions
By Susan M. Heathfield

That said, for an effective organization in this decade, job descriptions can slow you down. They can strangle your success and put people back into the organizational chart boxes you've been asking them to break out of for years.

The goal? Job descriptions that provide the positive impact discussed in the first part of this article, without these potential negatives. You can create the balance that allows job descriptions to inform, communicate, and align performance without damaging your speed, flexibility, and forward motion.

As you develop job descriptions, recognize that they are one component in an effective performance management system. Consider these warnings about employee job descriptions.


Job descriptions become dated as soon as you write them in a fast-paced, changing, customer-driven work environment.

You must supplement job descriptions with regularly negotiated goals and developmental opportunities, at a minimum, quarterly, preferably monthly. This requires the employee to meet with the boss or the team to establish the next set of specific, measurable objectives. This meeting must also be realistic. If the employee receives new goals and is still responsible for every task listed on the original job descriptions, this is unfair. Especially, if the goals and job accomplishments are tied to salary or bonus, you must take a look at where the employee is investing his time. If the job descriptions provide a wrong picture, change the job descriptions.


Make certain job descriptions have enough flexibility so individuals can "work outside of the box."

And, no, I don't mean to equate "other duties as assigned by the manager," with creative thinking. Job descriptions must be flexible so that employees are comfortable cross-training, helping another team member accomplish a task, and confident they can make appropriate decisions to serve their customers. You want people who are comfortable taking reasonable chances and stretching their limits. You don't want to encourage people to think, "That's not my job."


Poorly-written job descriptions can serve as evidence of wrong-doing or wrong-telling in a wrongful termination lawsuit.

According to Dr. John Sullivan, a nationally-known HR expert, there are many reasons to stop doing job descriptions. These include the fact that most are vague, unmeasurable, untimely, and unused.


For effectiveness, you must regularly look at and use job descriptions as part of your day-to-day work.

In addition to the updating of regular goals and objectives suggested above, job descriptions are an integral part of the performance management and evaluation system. They are used to determine salary increases and bonus eligibility. They are a job reference for determining how an employee spends her time at work. They provide a measurable focus for energy and attention. If not, I agree with Dr. Sullivan. Eliminate job descriptions.


Job descriptions that sit unused in a drawer, or worst, filed in the HR office, are a waste of time; they must be integral in your hiring process.

Take the actions discussed in the first part of this article, and make job descriptions an integral part of your hiring and selection process. Use job descriptions to obtain employee ownership and support for the position and to trace the parameters of the skills and abilities you seek for the position. In hiring, well-written job descriptions can help you make good hiring decisions. And hiring the right team, or "getting the right people on the bus," (see sidebar: Good to Great) is critical for your future success.

Copyright 2002 by Susan M. Heathfield

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