Question: We have learned some of the positive and negative elements of job descriptions and its purposes. Job descriptions are a necessary tool for all employees so they can understand their roles and responsibilities. HR and department managers are responsible for developing job descriptions for new and existing employees, which require specific information. We have learned that some of the negative elements of job descriptions usually revolve around unclear expectations as well as the inability for some employees to interpret the roles and responsibilities correctly, which leads to confusion and other issues. The key factors to developing effective job descriptions is to first have a clear and defined knowledge of each job position and to know exactly what the job requires. This means that the HR professional and manager must define each responsibility and requirement for every position within an organization. This information must be translated into a clearly define job description for the employee. Other important factors include having time lines for employees so they know exactly what needs to be accomplished and in what type of time frame that it is required. Another is to include training, which goes hand-in-hand with each job description because every company is different even though many job position titles can be the same.

What are some other important elements to remember in developing an effective job description that has not already been mentioned? Why?