As a business owner of manager, you may think you have a million more important things to do than write a position description for every role in your company. Particularly in small business, where there is a need for flexibility within the scope and responsibility and daily duties of each individual, to meet the fluctuating needs and demands of a fluid business structure, these ‘structured’ documents can often seem limiting and unnecessary.
However, accurate and detailed Position Descriptions can be one of the most important documents to have in your business, and here is why:
- They improve efficiency — Position descriptions allow you to structure the business according to what needs doing and how it should be done, in the most efficient and effective way. Without clear Position Descriptions, which are prepared prior to hiring and reviewed regularly, many businesses find themselves working around the people they have, and what they can or are willing to do, not what the business needs.
- They create structure — as we all know, where there are no rules, people instinctively will make up their own. Position descriptions which are clear, appropriately detailed and cover the nature, scope and duties of the role, as well as the expectations around behaviour and performance standards, create a working ‘rule book’ for your employees.
- They provide clarity — for you as a business owner or manager, having position descriptions for each role allows you to understand where any gaps lie in your business, and also where you may be needing to allocate skills, experience and expertise as you grow.
- They provide a guideline for both staff and managers when it comes to performance expectations and managing poor performance. By having clear definitions within a position description around the expectations of what roles are to be performed, and how this is to be done, you have a tool to use against which to measure performance and manage appropriately.
- They create certainty for the employee, so that they feel confident and comfortable with what they are required to do, and how this is to be done. Many employees thrive off this sort of reassurance around the employers expectations of them, so having these in place is a simple way to provide that structure and certainty for your staff.
- They provide the basis for a successful recruitment campaign. By having an up to date and accurate position description in place prior to commencing the recruitment campaign, you are much much more likely to appoint appropriate candidates, because you have clarity around what you need in the role, and what skills, experience and expertise are required to fulfil these requirements.
- They provide the framework for your regular and structured performance review process. The position description is the key tool through which you can easily assess your employees performance, and implement appropriate career development pathways, and training and development opportunities based on this.
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