Two words: Job descriptions. That’s right. After a year of remote work, changed schedules, changed duties even–this is a good time to find out what everyone is actually doing and to make sure it is what your business needs and expects. You might be surprised to find many positions have deviated substantially from the current (possibly old) job descriptions. All that unprecedented stuff adds up.
No job descriptions, no worries? Not so fast. Here are three ways job descriptions help your business:
- Hiring: Accurate job descriptions are the best way to match candidates with positions. Full stop.
- Performance management: Updating your job descriptions with input from current employees is a best practice. Given the pandemic, this is a crucial time to do that. It eliminates confusion about expectations and duties, which in turn makes any deficiencies in job performance easier and clearer to document. (And you know we love good documentation.)
- Safeguard: Address not only duties and expectations but essential functions of the job–physical, mental, environmental. Should you need a medical certification for an employee, the job description is the best tool to determine essential functions. Oftentimes we are told what the job requires in these situations but the job description does not match up. This can be easily avoided.
We love helping clients with job descriptions! We make it easy and have fixed fee solutions.
Telework Accommodation? You do not have to automatically continue remote work that was allowed as part of your pandemic response as a reasonable accommodation under the ADA. The EEOC recently stated this in their guidance. As part of your re-opening, do not forget the interactive process. Also, if you have a job description that reflects a need to be present at work, you do not have to continue the remote work relationship necessarily.
Stay safe: Remember to continue to follow the state and federal guidelines and your COVID-19 safety plan and protocols. We are still in it, unfortunately.
We can help: Job descriptions, safety plans, accommodation issues–you name it. If it happens at the workplace, we are ready.