Writing a Position Description

1. Writing a Position Description

2. What is a Position Description? • Position Descriptions outline: • Major functions and duties • Responsibilities • Knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) • Effort • Working conditions Who Does What Work Where How Why When/How Often

3. Why Position Descriptions? • Position descriptions can be used to: • Assign work and document work assignments. • Help clarify and align with the organization’s mission & values. • Establish performance requirements. • Determine classification and benchmark to the external job market. • Recruit for vacancies. • Explore reasonable accommodations. • Counsel employees on career opportunities and vocational interests. • Train employees. • Comply with legal requirements related to equal opportunity, equal pay, overtime eligibility, etc. • Make decisions on job restructuring. • Suggest ways to enrich the work experience. • Support and inform succession planning efforts.

4. When Do I Write or Review Position Descriptions? • A Supervisor or Unit HR professional or an Employee writes, reviews, and/or revises a Position Description when: • Changing/Adjusting job duties and/or responsibilities. • Requiring additional and/or new qualifications. • Creating a new position. • During an established annual review process (Performance Evaluations/Merit Cycle). • Recruiting for a replacement in an established position. • During re-design/re-organization efforts. • Identifying revisions based on Exploring reasonable accommodations. • Development of other HR-related programs such as: • Work Planning • Performance Management • Work Re-Design • Succession Planning

5. Ask Yourself: In the past, have you started with: what you want to pay? what salary grade you want? which FLSA status you need (exempt/non-exempt) a desire to give someone a raise? FOCUS ON THE WORK, NOT THE PERSON

6. UM Position Description Form CHECK ONE– Existing Position, New Position/Job Code Change, or Job Code Change for Employee PART ONE– Employee (Incumbent) Information PART TWO– Department and Immediate Supervisor Information PART THREE– Proposed New Classification Information PART FOUR– Supervision Responsibilities

7. UM Position Description Form (con’t) PART FIVE– Other Employees in Benchmark (Like) Positions PART SIX– Duties, Percentage (%) of Time (Effort), & Essential Functions (for ADA Compliance) PART SEVEN– Position Qualifications (Department Specific)

8. UM Position Description Form (con’t) • PART EIGHT– Additional Comments • Accountabilities • Relationships • Working Conditions • PART NINE • Funding Plan • Business Case Employee and Supervisory Signatures = Agreement

9. Exercise – Why Position Descriptions? • In summary, position descriptions document: • Work design in alignment with business of the organization • Information used for recruitment job postings, interview questions, reference checks, etc. • Work outcomes, performance, competencies, etc. • Information to measure performance - work plan, evaluation, etc. • Articulate differences between levels within a classification series.

10. Position Descriptions and the ADA Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), job functions are categorized as either essential or marginal. A job function may be considered essential if: • The position exists primarily to perform that function • The function is highly specialized • There are a limited number of employees among whom the job function can be distributed A job function may be considered marginal if: • The function(s) can be eliminated or assigned to another employee

11. Position Descriptions and the ADA (con’t) According to the ADA, use these items to determine whether a function is essential: (To be captured on page two, part six of the position description form) • Written job descriptions prepared before advertising or • interviewing • The amount of time an employee must spend • performing the function • The consequences of not requiring the function be • performed • The terms of a collective bargaining agreement • The work experience of incumbents and/or past • incumbents in the job, or in similar jobs • The nature of the operation and organizational structure • ADA Coordinator: 734-763-0235

12. Position Descriptions and the ADA (con’t)

13. Tips for Writing Position Descriptions • 5 – 7 major sets of duties • % effort > 10 or < 50, as a guideline • Transactional ….. Larger “chunks” (%s) • Complex ….. Smaller “chunks” (%s) • More important, higher level listed first • Update often

14. Tips for Writing Position Descriptions When writing duties, structure sentences in the format of verb/ object / explanatory phrase. • Collects(action verb) • key job information(object) • from various sources, e.g., work interviews and direct observation(explanatory), • Analyzes(action verb) • the data(object) • to identify job content and critical evaluation issues(explanatory), • Prepares or revises(action verbs) • position descriptions(object).

15. Tips for Writing Position Descriptions CAUTION When writing a position description, beware of the “inflationary effect” that can occur when describing the extent of responsibilities or scope inherent in a task.

16. Tips for Writing Position Descriptions No need to re-create the wheel! Referring to “good examples” can ease the time-consuming task of writing position descriptions. Sample materials used in position descriptions are readily available online at Occupational Information Networkhttp://online.onetcenter.org ORBureau of Labor Statistics http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm Beware One temptation is to rely solely on these samples which can result in a position description not accurately describing the work. Be sure to involve both the employee and supervisor in the development process.

17. Achievement Action Verbs The terms reflect typical achievement activities whose definitions can be found on the Note Page form of this slide. Activate Check Decide Delete Determine Encourage Enforce  Execute Expedite Further Implement Initiate Maintain Motivate Organize Prevent Return Stop

18. Activity Action Verbs The terms reflect typical activity actions whose definitions can be found on the Note Page form of this slide. Accept Accumulate Acquire Allocate Buy Collect Compile Deliver Distribute Exchange Forward Furnish Gather Get Give Issue Keep Obtain Pick-up Procure Provide Purchase Receive Render Secure Solve Submit Supply Take Transfer Withdraw

19. Administrative Action Verbs The terms reflect typical administrative activities whose definitions can be found on the Note Page form of this slide.

20. Assistance Action Verbs The terms reflect typical assistance activities whose definitions can be found on the Note Page form of this slide. Advise Aid Conduct Cooperate Counsel Explain Guide Instruct Participate Protect Serve Show

21. Communication Action Verbs Inform Inquire Interview Mail Negotiate Notify Pull Recall Recruit Report Request Sell Send Solicit The terms reflect typical communication activities whose definitions can be found on the Note Page form of this slide.

22. Control Action Verbs The terms reflect typical control activities whose definitions can be found on the Note Page form of this slide. Allocate Assign Audit Commit Conserve Edit Ensure Evaluate Guarantee Regulate Restrict Verify

23. Creativity Action Verbs The terms reflect typical creative activities whose definitions can be found on the Note Page form of this slide. Create Design Devise Develop Estimate Forecast Formulate Install Originate Project Schedule

24. Evaluative Action Verbs The terms reflect typical evaluation activities whose definitions can be found on the Note Page form of this slide. Appraise Analyze Ascertain Check Compare Consider Criticize Evaluate Examine Identify Inspect Interpret Investigate Measure Rate Research  Resolve Study Summarize Survey Test Weigh

25. Online Resources Web Walk Through… http://online.onetcenter.org http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm

26. For more information, please contact your unit’s HR professional. • Other available resources include UHR’s… • Employment Process Coordinators • Staff HR Services Representatives • Compensation & Classification • Call (76)3-2387