Do I need to have job descriptions?
As someone who worked in a large organisation for some time with, let’s face it, a lot of very out of date job descriptions. So am I an advocate? In short, yes I am.
They're perhaps the most basic but valuable tool for ensuring your people practices are appropriate across a range of HR topics.
Ask yourself:
How do you measure someone's performance if neither of you know what is expected of them?
How do you fairly place some roles at risk of redundancy and not others if the job specifications aren't laid out?
How does your employee know what they need to do to develop themselves to reach the next level, if you haven't written it down for them to assess themselves against?
Yes, there are other ways - competency models, appraisal forms, objectives, and arguably, custom and practice. But wouldn't life be easier if it was just written down and kept up to date? So do it now, and involve your employees. They're far more likely to be on board and engaged if you use this as an opportunity to discuss their contribution to the company.
If your job descriptions are gathering dust - or don't exist at all - that's exactly the kind of gap a Fractional HR Director can help you close, without the cost of a full-time hire. Get in touch and let's build a set that actually works for your business.