“People know what they’re supposed to do.”
“We wrote them a while ago but haven’t updated them.”
“They’re saved somewhere.”
“No, the employee hasn’t seen it.”
These are all things I’ve heard from leaders when I ask about job descriptions. And I get it. When you’re running a business, updating a document probably isn’t at the top of your list. But if expectations only live in your head, there’s a good chance your employee has a different understanding of their role.
A job description doesn’t need to be five pages long and shoved in a file. It should help someone understand what they own, what’s expected of them, and how their role fits into the team.
Clear Roles Help Everyone
“Everyone pitches in here” is something I hear a lot from small business owners. And that’s great! You can have clear responsibilities and still help each other out.
The challenge comes when everyone thinks someone else is handling something. Or two people think they’re in charge of the same thing. Or an employee keeps taking on more work because they’re dependable, while their actual responsibilities become harder to keep up with.
Job descriptions help you work through those questions before they turn into frustration.
Look at How Your Team Fits Together
Job descriptions can also help you make sense of your organizational structure. Who reports to whom? Who makes decisions? Where do responsibilities overlap, and where are there gaps?
Looking at your roles together can help you see whether work is distributed reasonably and whether your team has the support it needs. Sometimes what looks like a performance issue is actually an unclear expectation or a responsibility that was never assigned.
This is especially helpful when your business grows or someone leaves. Before you automatically hire a replacement, take a look at the role. Do you still need the same position, or has the work changed?
Write It for the Job You Have Today
If your job descriptions haven’t been touched in five years, they may not reflect what anyone actually does anymore.
Start with the basics:
The purpose of the role.
The main responsibilities and priorities.
Who the person reports to and any supervisory responsibilities.
The skills and qualifications needed to do the work.
Relevant working conditions and physical requirements.
Ask the employee for input, too. “What are you doing regularly that isn’t reflected here?” can uncover work you didn’t realize had landed on their plate. Then review it together and agree on what belongs in the role.
Share It and Use It
Please don’t put all that effort into a job description and then save it somewhere the employee will never see it.
Review it during onboarding, revisit it during performance conversations, and update it when responsibilities change. An acknowledgment can document that you reviewed it together, but the conversation is what helps make expectations clear.
If you’re asking someone to take ownership of their job, make sure you’ve explained what they’re owning.
When was the last time you looked at your team’s job descriptions? If the answer is “I’m not sure where they are,” let’s chat!