Best/Next Practices in Job Description Design & Management presented by Don Berman

1. Best/Next Practices in Job Description Design & Management presented by Don Berman

2. Why Managing Job DescriptionsA Critical Issue for Strategic HR/Compensation • Identify and retain top performers • Identify and manage bottom performers • Benchmark/Evaluate jobs to compensate employees fairly • Motivate employees with engaging Career Paths • Protect your company from regulatory sanction FLSA, ADA, Equal Pay Evaluate employee productivity & performance • Protect your future with • effective succession plans Develop an equitable salary structure • Identify Employee Training Gaps Recruit the right people A clear understanding of the Job is Requiredto:

3. In most organizations, total human capital costs, average nearly 70% of operating expenses. Yet in a 2018 Conduent survey NOT one company surveyed was completely satisfied with their job description and only 28% said they were some-what satisfied. ROI of Knowing Your Jobs https://zdoc.site/managing-an-organizations-largest-cost-the-saba-software.html Other Outdated Duplication Inconsistent Format Inconsistent w/ actual duties of job Somewhat Satisfied w/ JDs http://www.hrtms.com/blog/survey-says

4. Job data is a foundational element Job information is the cornerstone of what we do: Human Resources Talent Management Compensation Where do we keep this critical dataset? THE JOB DESCRIPTION ROI of Knowing Your Jobs JOB DATA JOB DATA

5. JDXpert Customers

6. Now With More Options! MID-SIZED ORGANIZATIONS ENTERPRISE SMALL BUSINESS Designed for small businesses or those in need of a simple job description builder. Quick, simple and easy! Perfect for mid-sized organizations or those in need of an ample job description management tool but without all the advanced features of JDXpert. Can be upgraded to JDXpert as needs change. Perfect for large organization or those belonging to a highly-regulated industry like healthcare, energy, government, or life-sciences. Highly configurable and feature-rich.

7. Based on what our clients are doing Components they are using What they are using them for Samples/Guidelines Screenshots/document snippets for context About This Presentation

8. Agenda Next Practices Online Collaboration Content Dynamic Content Integration Coherence – Consistency across JD Library Job Descriptions and Job Posting FLSA Determination Analyzing Job Descriptions Similar JDs/Consolidation Historical Job Descriptions Best Practices General Guidelines Legal Consideration Job Description Elements– What/How/Why Collaboration

9. BEST PRACTICESGeneral Guidelines

10. General Guidelines - Job It’s about the Job • Everything in your JD must be about the Job • Resist using JD to describe an individual or personality traits • Upbeat personality • Excellent customer services skills

11. General Guidelines – Job (cont.) For ADA include only relevant necessary requirements • If the item is not absolutely necessary to do the job • Leave it out • Include it as a Non-Essential function Future of the Job • Look forward to the what may be needed down the road

12. General Guidelines - Language Clear • Avoid flowery overwritten and vague verbiage: • “…responsible for communicating any internal issues of importance to any of the constituencies involved in the company’s day-to-day happenstances, in formats including, but not limited to daily updates, weekly publications, annual reports.” • Vague, Confusing, Does not describe what the person will actually do • “Handles internal communications regarding company decisions and accomplishments on an as needed basis” • Try to avoid using adverbs or adjectives that are subject to interpretation such as "frequently”, "some”, "occasional”.

13. General Guidelines – Language (cont.) Reasonable/Truthful • Avoid Hyperbole “On call 24/7” • Don’t Glamorize the JD • Use language that points to desired results • That indicates how success can be measured • Without exaggeration uses powerful/influential language • “Build and measurably grow sales to a sustainable client base through the use of direct marketing.”

14. BEST PRACTICESLegal Considerations

15. Legal Considerations Don’tdiscriminate by: Age “…Youthful energy…” Race/Religion “Must be able to work on Yom Kippur” Marital Status “Travel Requires unmarried…” Gender Specific “Previous experience as a waitress”

16. Legal Considerations (cont.) Don’t undermine at will employment “This is a permanent Position” Don’t Mention unless Temp “…prides itself on employee retention” Omit. Implies ongoing employment Don’t make promises you can’t keep “…performance will be rewarded” “…will lead to training opportunities” “…supervises a staff of trained professionals”

17. Legal Considerations (cont.) Don’t violate Applicants Privacy “…Ability to function without sleep…” “…single able spend full energy on the job” “…must have “blue state” mentality” “…candidate must not have other work commitments”

18. Legal Considerations (cont.) Don’t create FLSA Classification Problems “…Supervise 2 employees/can hire and fire” “…Will supervise department” “Eligible for overtime pay” Omit “This is an exempt position” Don’t use these terms or “…Salaried position” Discuss this topic Classify your Jobs of course – But don’t let language in your JD undermine it.

19. Legal ConsiderationsCompliance Protect against FLSA wage and hour lawsuit In an article, Beware 'Misclassification Creep' in Employee Exemption, Littler Mendelson shareholder and co-chair of the firm’s wage-and-hour practice group, Lee Schreter states, “It’s easy enough for companies to ask their employees to sign off on their job descriptions during their periodic performance reviews, so there is both mutual understanding and, for the employer, well-documented proof that the employee knows where they stand. That kind of evidence, I believe even the courts will be hard-pressed to dismiss.”

20. Legal ConsiderationsCompliance Other Compliance Concerns Disability Discrimination Suits Joint Commission Visits Bio Tech (CFR Part 11) Pay Equity

21. BEST PRACTICESJob Description Elements–What/How/Why

22. Job Attributes Job Indicative Information Organization Information Description/Summary Essential Functions Qualifications Physical Demands/Working Conditions Competencies Scope Job Description Elements

23. Job Attributes Indicative Information Typical Elements Job Code Job Title FLSA Classification Grade Date Created/Revised Reviewed by

24. Job Attributes Organizational Information Business Unit/Region/Division, etc. Reports To Locations Departments

25. Descriptions/Summary Overview of Job, used as a synopsis, for market pricing and recruiting. Used as a hook to draw in the reader. • Sample Guidelines • Short statement that states why the job exists • Short statement that describes the role and how it supports the company’s key objectives using specific measures of success • Elevator Pitch for the job

26. Descriptions/Summary Often helpful to write Essential Functions first and use the first 3-4 concerns for Description/Summary Potential Issues Blank Page Syndrome War and Peace Syndrome Remedies Feedback/Revision Process Next Practice • Text Limits (75-120 words) • Spell Check • Leverage Content

27. Essential Functions AKA Duties, Responsibilities, Accountabilities… Used for: • Performance appraisal • ADA – Can an employee with a disability perform these functions; if not, what accommodation can be made? • Job Duties Test for FLSA • Recruiting/posting

28. Essential Functions Sample Guidelines What they do, not how they do it.  If it’s less than 5-10%, should not include unless it is a highly critical function Statements that describe the main areas in which the role holder must produce results in order to achieve the purpose of the role. They start with a verb and describe the end results rather than duties or activities or broad, vague statements. These responsibilities should be limited to the six or seven most important ones and put in descending order of importance. Begin each task statement with an action word (verb), which describes a specific kind of behavior. Then describe what, how and why each task is performed.

29. What Makes Functions Essential? Ask the following questions: If the function is removed, would that fundamentally change the job? Does the position exist to primarily perform the function? How much time is spent performing the function? What are the consequences of not requiring the position to perform the function? Are there a limited number of other employees available to perform the function? Is the function highly specialized and the person in the position is hired for that expertise?  Those functions that do not meet any of the above considerations are considered non-essential.

30. Essential Functions Information captured Description of Essential Function Also • Percent of Time • Exempt/Non-Exempt

31. Essential Functions Other options for Essential Functions Additional Responsibilities • Used to generalize JDs • Used to define responsibilities that may not be used for all employees in a job Entity Specific Functions Required Responsibilities • Typical Statements • Performs other Duties as assigned • Conforms to Corporate Policies and Procedures • For All Jobs - Mission/Vision

32. Qualifications Used for recruiting, career pathing and compliance Sample Guidelines: “We educate our managers that they need to determine the minimum and preferred education/certification, skills, and experience required for the job so that HR can legally defend why an applicant is or is not hired. ”

33. Qualifications Most Common Information captured • Education • Experience • Skills • Licenses/Certifications

34. Physical Demands/Working Conditions Used for ADA situations to determine if an employee is capable of performing in the job Provides the physical details for Essential Functions Used to determine what accommodations can be made Most Common Information captured • Physical Demand/Working Condition Description • Frequency • Weight (for weight related items)

35. Physical Demands/Working Conditions Process for determining physical demands/working conditions items Industry specific • Corporate/Healthcare/Manufacturing Often culled from disability claims over time Reviewed periodically to evolve over time with changes in job equipment, responsibilities and ADA Often start with standard lists

36. Scope 80% of Clients use Scope in some form Generally, help gauge impact of the job on an organization Also used for more specific purposes • Simplistic Leveling guide • Grading • Aid in FLSA determination

37. Scope (cont.) Some examples of Scope are: • Freedom to Act • Problem Complexity • Impact • Supervision Exercised/Received • Financial Responsibility • Budget Responsibility

38. BEST PRACTICESCollaboration

39. Collaboration Collaboration is the key to effective job descriptions because the knowledge needed is embedded in multiple Stakeholders. Hiring Manager(s) HR Business Partner Compensation Final Approval

40. NEXT PRACTICESOnline Collaboration

41. Online Collaboration Stakeholders collaborate online Track-changes paradigm Automatic Reminders Tracking Compliance

42. Ad Hoc – Collaboration On The Fly Collaboration must be flexible, allowing stakeholders to reach out to other contributors on the fly: • Upper-level Managers • Department/Entity/Location Leaders • Legal Counsel • Other SME’s Ad hoc Reviews provide simplicity/flexibility

43. NEXT PRACTICESContent

44. Content – Just In Time Sources of Content • Stakeholders/SMEs • Client Job Descriptions • HRTMS Content Library • Salary Surveys • Client libraries/data from other systems • Web Job Postings

45. Content – Just In Time Content Applied to: • Summary • Essential Function • Competencies • Skills • Qualifications

46. Content - Search Search Content Organize Content by Job Family/Sub-Family Flatten content – so all content is searched Specify the source

47. Content – Promoting Consistency Standard Statements Reusing/Refining Existing Content

48. NEXT PRACTICESDynamic Content

49. Dynamic Content/Parent/Child Inherit Data from Parent Job Descriptions or Designated Content Changes to Parent/Content Cascade to children

50. Dynamic Content/Parent/Child Used for: • Generic Jobs • Nurses, Accountants, etc. • Job Class/Career Architecture/Level Guides • Job Family/Function/Level • Exempt/Non-Exempt, EEO, Arbitrary Classification Anywhere you want standard content to cascade to a group of jobs