As a business owner, you want employees who clearly understand what is expected of them. Employees who have a clear understanding of what they need to do can quickly finds ways to get it done. You as the owner/manager must set clear standards by HOW you will measure their effectiveness. There can be no vagueness or ambiguity to their requirements. You need employees who are clear on what their role is from Day 1.
The problem is that your people do not have clarity around their job responsibilities. They may not even have an official title to their role, much less a set of expectations. They are confused by what you want because you do not even know what you want. And it is not just your people. Over half of U.S. employees do not know what is expected from them by their employer. With this lack of clarity comes lower productivity, low creativity, and high apathy. Your people are not being freed to do their jobs.
Lack of clarity is bringing chaos to your business. Every day is a crap shoot with your people. You have an “Emergency Task List” is divided between your people on a first-come, first-served basis. It may even seem like you’re living the same day over and over in your business. Very little is consistent from day to day and your company’s consistent turnover in employees reflects it. People only have so much patience with uncertainty. Even the most flexible among us likes some structure and clear expectations. You may have even struggled gaining momentum in your business due to the turnover you experience because of your lack of clear expectations for your employees.
What if your company was known for having a plan for your people? What if your people showed up each day knowing what success looks like in their role? What if you could stop reacting to the “Emergency Task List” every day? What would that do for you personally, and how would that affect the growth of your company?
Here are 3 reasons to have Job Descriptions:
1. Internal Clarity
Each employee will have a clear description of what area of the business they are responsible for. Your people will stop overlapping or dropping the ball between each other.
2. Recruiting
When you know what you want, you can quickly sort through people you are looking to bring on to your team. Your search for the right people will be simplified because you know the exact people you are looking for and roles you are looking to fill.
3. Coaching Opportunities
When you and your people know what you are measuring, both can get better. The measurements give specific areas to focus on, defining the next steps to improve.
Take 5 minutes for each employee and write down all their primary tasks. Then, prioritize them in order of importance. You could even break them down into daily, weekly, & monthly tasks. Meet with each employee for 30 minutes about what is expected of them. Be ready to hear “I had no idea I was supposed to be doing that!” You might never have told them what they need to be doing. After this meeting, their focus is going to narrow to those primary tasks. But this will not happen overnight. They are going to resist the change and may want to keep things as they were. These people need to either move on or be willing to change over time. You are only looking for people who want to get better. Invest in your people now. Your future self will thank you for all the time you saved.
