Good Example Of Personnel And Organization Policy Essay

A job description is the formal account of an employee’s responsibilities that he/she is expected to perform at the workplace (Brown University). It also serves as a standard against which the performance of an employee is measured over time. At the time of appraisals, the supervisor or line manager keeps into consideration the job description of the worker and then measures whether he/she has been performing up to the standard or not. The rewards are based on the evaluation of the performance appraisal compared to the job description. It is important to realize and understand the value of a job description at the time of recruiting employees. The job description acts as a sieve to filter out those employee’s best suited for the job. Consequently, it is essential for a job description to be designed carefully otherwise the company may be faced with a person-job misfit. The entire recruitment process is a time-consuming and costly process; thus if it goes wrong the company at a whole suffers. Another important point to take into consideration is that the recruitment officer must also be able to understand the job description, because interview questions would be based on the skills required by that particular job. The job description may also act as a guide towards the interviewing sequence, as the interviewer would then know the critical skills required by the relevant person.
When a job advertisement is placed on a public forum, it contains not only the job description, but the job specification as well. The job specification outlines the qualifications and personal attributes required by an individual to fill the job vacancy. On the other hand, the job description deals solely with those elements of the job which are to be fulfilled. Many duties and responsibilities are not specified in the job description; rather they are learned as part of the culture once an individual starts work. It is the responsibility of the hiring manager to make it clear to the worker that he may have to perform other tasks as well and must not complain about these not being part of the job description. Ajilon professional staffing company posted a job advertisement for a Human Resource Benefit Manager required in Illinois (Monster.com). The advertisement stated the role of the person who would be hired for this vacancy. The individual is expected to plan the day-to-day operations of the group benefits and other forms of perquisites offered to employees. The job advertisement clearly states those areas of perquisites that would have to be handled by the Human Resource Benefit Manager. Even though, the post itself is self-explanatory about the job requirements of the worker it is still necessary to clarify the exact role of the individual.
The job posted by the staffing company has not specified the company for which the vacancy has been announced, but it has clearly stated the requirements of the job. However, many people are interested in the package offered and may want greater details. Thus, if the advertisement gave greater details about what perquisites or bonuses await the selected individual, then the company may be able to attract a greater pool of talent. Since, the HR benefits manager is expected to design attractive packages for other employees; therefore, he/she may be required to have a deep understanding and knowledge of the prevailing market trends or the packages offered by competing firms. If a company is unable to match the salary package with that of its competitors, they may be unable to retain essential talent. The HR benefits manager would also be required to handle enrollments. This indicates that the company does not have any other person who would be responsible for familiarizing new recruits with the workplace environment during the initial days. Moreover, this goes on for suggesting that the individual who is hired for this position may have to devise programs to help the new inductees get familiar with the workplace.
As an HR specialist, one must have a strong command over his/her soft skills. This would include good written and verbal communication. An individual who possesses a good set of soft skills may be seen as a preferred candidate for this vacancy. Since, the benefits manager would be dealing directly with employees pay packages he/she must be able to justify the package offered to a specific level. The board would be approving the pay packages; thus, the benefits manager should be able to convince the board effectively for a specific pay package. Moreover, he should also be able to answer any queries asked by the board or other people in the hierarchy. If the individual is unable to communicate effectively he/she may not be able to work efficiently in their arena.
The job description and job specification provide a very clear picture of the kind of employee the company is seeking. The company may be able to attract the right pool of talent since they have specified people with the exact qualifications and experience which they require. However, the part that is related to the job itself may seem vague in a sense as they have only talked majorly about the benefits package. Having said that, the company may be able to judge or assess applicants during the assessment stage or interview stage. If the company wants to explain any other information, they may do so during an interview. However, an effective job advertisement would clearly state this in the advertisement itself rather than leaving it vague for the interview stage. If the job description is adequate, the company is able to attract the right kind of people and further short-list the applicants once the interviews and assessments take place. Smart companies place job advertisements in a way that they do not attract people who are not suitable for the job because that leads to a waste of time for both the company and the applicants themselves.
The job description plays a vital role in personnel management and helps organizations to formulate policies. Without an adequate job description, organizations would be in a mess, and they would not be able to function smoothly. People need a sense of direction and focus. Job description help give focus towards the kind of people the company wants to hire, and ensures no positions are left vacant, or the wrong people are not hired. Moreover, a job description serves as a mere guideline, and the company must not fixate itself to it. It should be an ongoing process because with the pace at which competition is increasing so does the nature of the job.

References

Brown.edu,. (2015). Job Descriptions | Human Resources. Retrieved 18 February 2015, from http://www.brown.edu/about/administration/human-resources/employee-resources/employment-information/job-descriptions
Deerfield, I., & Staffing, A. (2015). Human Resources Benefits Manager Job in Deerfield 60015, Illinois US. Jobview.monster.com. Retrieved 18 February 2015, from http://jobview.monster.com/Human-Resources-Benefits-Manager-Job-Deerfield-IL-US-145869751.aspx?mescoid=1100027001001