The Importance of Job Descriptions
The master document that establishes the truth of the role.
Key Takeaways
To foster a culture of openness and collaboration, organizations should treat job descriptions as living documents that can be viewed by anyone and allowing anyone to propose changes.
As the employee continues to develop in the role, the job description should be reviewed and updated regularly.
A clear job description, will continue to drive the training, development, and manage performance expectations for the employee.
Job descriptions hold multiple purposes. It should be a master document that is the source of truth to the role. Here are some examples of the importance and how a job description can be used:
The recruitment team used the job description to create the job postings that advertise the open position identify candidates suitable for the role and guide the creation of interviewing questions.
Prospective employees use the job description to identify what their role entail and their standing or seniority in the business.
People in legal teams use the job description to create a legally binding contract.
Upon joining the firm, the employee uses their job description to understand the expectations the organization has of them.
The line manager will use the job description to set probation objectives for an employee.
As the employee continues to develop in the role, the job description should ideally be reviewed and updated regularly, it will continue to drive the training and development of the employee and manage performance expectations.
From a security perspective, job descriptions will contain three critical pieces of information:
The access the employee will need to perform their duties. This enables the designing of organization structures that supports segregation of duties job rotation and lease privilege.
The certification and clearances that the employee must hold. For example, under the British Financial Conduct authority's certification regime individuals able to cause significant harm to a financial services company or its customers must receive certification from the FCA.
The security responsibilities of that individual set both the expectations of the employee and allow for a structured audit of job descriptions to validate their responsibility doesn't slip through the net.
Job descriptions enable a structured way to design and organize the roles that allow it to function while changing and evolving with the organization.
To foster a culture of openness and collaboration, organizations should treat job descriptions as living documents and can be viewed by anyone allowing anyone to propose changes.