When preparing your business for succession, your staff is a key area to consider. Matters of employment agreements, leave entitlements, staff retention and staff development are discussed in other blogs. This blog focuses on the importance of position descriptions in your business.
A position description is a document that outlines the key responsibilities, requirements, and expectations for a particular job within your practice. It helps define the role, provides information for the hiring process, and clarifies expectations for the employee who will fill the position. Perhaps all this may seem trivial if you don’t have position descriptions, but all these small elements add up and impact the totality of your business and your succession journey.
Having detailed position descriptions in your practice provides several benefits, such as:
Clarity of roles and responsibilities: Detailed position descriptions help clearly define each employee's roles and responsibilities, which can prevent confusion and misunderstandings.
Improved communication: Having clear and specific position descriptions can also improve communication between employees and between employees and management.
Better performance evaluations: Detailed position descriptions can be used as a benchmark for evaluating employee performance, which can help to ensure that assessments are fair and objective.
More efficient recruitment: Detailed position descriptions can attract the right candidates for the right roles, which can help ensure that new hires are a good fit for the organisation.
Better compliance: Detailed position descriptions can also ensure that all employees know and understand the organisation's policies and procedures as part of their role.
Practice Succession: Position descriptions are also extremely valuable for your successor in understanding the roles and responsibilities of each employee in your business.
A detailed position description should include the following information: Job title, Key responsibilities in detail, including specific tasks and projects, Education and experience requirements, Skills and knowledge required, Reporting structure, Working conditions, Performance standards and goals, Compliance responsibilities, including any processes or procedures that the employee will be responsible for following. A position description template is provided for your reference below:
It can be beneficial for staff to assist in writing their position descriptions, including:
Staff buy-in: When staff are involved in the process of creating their position descriptions, they are more likely to understand and buy into the responsibilities and expectations of their role.
Clarity and accuracy: Staff members have a unique perspective on their roles and responsibilities, and their input can help ensure that position descriptions are clear and accurate.
Employee engagement: Inviting staff to create their position descriptions can increase employee engagement, as staff feel their opinions and contributions are valued.
Relevance: By involving staff in writing their position descriptions, you can ensure that they are relevant to the firm's current state.
It is highly recommended that all position descriptions are reviewed and updated by staff each year to ensure they remain current and relevant to the needs of your business.