JOB DESCRIPTION
Job description is a
written record of the duties, responsibilities and requirements of a particular
job. It is concerned with the job itself and not with the work. It is a
statement describing the job in such terms as its title, location, duties,
working conditions and hazards. In other words, it tells us what is to be done
and how it is to be done and why. It is a standard of function, in that it
defines the appropriate and authorized contents of a job.
Job description helps
top executives, especially when they jointly discuss one another‘s
responsibilities. Overlapping or confusion can then be pointed out questions
can be raised about the major thrust of each position, and problems of
structure can be identified. A job description becomes a vehicle for organisational
change and improvement.
A job description
contains the following:
1. Job identification,
which includes the job title, alternative title, department, division, and
plant and code number of the job. The job title identifies and designates the job
properly. The department division, etc. indicate the name of the department
where it is situated-whether it is the maintenance department, mechanical shop
etc. The location gives the name of the place.
2. Job Summary serves
two important purposes. First it provides a short definition which is useful as
an additional identification information when a job title is not adequate.
Second, it serves as a summary to orient the reader toward an understanding ‗of
detailed information which follows. It gives the reader a ―quick capsule
explanation‖ of the content of a job usually in one or two sentences.
3. Job duties give us a
comprehensive listing or the duties together with some indication of the
frequency of occurrence or percentage of time devoted to each major duty. It is
regarded as the heart of a job.
4. Relation to other
jobs: This helps us to locate the job in the organisation by indicating the job
immediately below or above it in the job hierarchy. It also gives us an idea of
the vertical relationships of work flow and procedures.
5. Supervision: Under it is given the number
of persons to be supervised along with their job titles, and the extent of
supervision involved – general, intermediate or close supervision.
6. Working conditions usually give us
information about the environment in which a job holder must work. These
include cold, heat, dust, wetness, moisture, fumes, odour, oily conditions,
etc. obtaining inside the organisation. Information about jobs can be had from:
(I) Observation of employees while on work; (ii) Study of specially maintained
diaries; (iii) a review of Critical incidents; and, (IV) Discussions with
departmental heads and outside experts or consultants.
A job description
enables us to frame suitable questions to be asked during an interview. It is
particularly helpful when the application from is, used as a tool for
eliminating the unfit personnel.
A job description helps
us in:
(i)
Job grading and classification;
(ii)
Transfers and promotions;
(iii)
Adjustments of grievances;
(iv)
Defining and outlining promotional
steps;
(v)
Establishing a common understanding of a
job between employers and employees.
(vi)
Investigating accidents;
(vii)
Indicating faulty work procedures or
duplication of papers;
(viii)
Maintaining, operating and adjusting
machinery;
(ix)
Time and motion studies;
(x)
Defining the limits of authority;
(xi)
Indicating case of personal merit;
(xii)
Facilitating job placement;
(xiii)
Studies of health and fatigue;
(xiv)
Scientific guidance;
(xv)
Determining jobs suitable for
occupational therapy;
(xvi)
Providing hiring specifications;
(xvii)
Providing performance indicators.
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