Although no specific law requires you to create job descriptions or dictates what they should contain, creating and maintaining a job description for every job in your organization is a best practice. Effective job descriptions provide your executives, supervisors and employees with a clear understanding of how each job fits into your organization’s structure and contributes to the organization achieving its mission. Job descriptions also provide clear recruiting guidelines and performance expectations, which may help you defend against claims of discrimination in the hiring and promotion process.

Job descriptions should set forth job duties and expectations by:

Clarifying the job’s role and the expectations for the person performing the job.
Taking the uncertainty out of differentiating between the expectations and requirements of various jobs.
Minimizing employee discontent associated with salary differences between jobs.
Guiding initial training and helping management and employees agree on the expected outcomes of that training.
Supporting the performance evaluation process.
Supporting the employee’s proper classification as exempt or nonexempt.
Guiding the interactive process and reasonable accommodations for disabled employees under the ADA and FEHA.

Employers may refer to a job description during an applicant's interview, which helps provide the recruiter and candidate with a clear understanding of the job, and allows a candidate to determine if the job is right for them and where personal deficiencies may limit their employability — potentially saving the organization valuable time, resources and exposure to litigation.

Job descriptions also form the basis for job evaluations. Where performance fails to meet expectations, the job description provides direction for further training. Where widespread performance deficiencies are observed, job descriptions provide a focus for identifying organizational weaknesses. Job descriptions also help when determining compensation systems and levels. They’re the starting point for analyzing each job’s functions and determining the job’s relative value within the organization and the job market.

Well-written job descriptions provide an organization with solid legal backing about any decisions made about jobs and people, including compensation systems, exempt/nonexempt classification and salary levels. They can be used as supporting documentation for disciplinary decisions based on failure to meet job expectations and can guide decisions when dealing with reorganizations or reductions in force.

Use the following explanations of a job description’s components to write effective job descriptions for your organization.

Why You Need a Job Description

Job Description