The new financial year is only three months away. Now’s the time to get on the front foot with your company’s HR planning. This article is the second in a series where we give you a simple three-step plan to start the new financial year in great HR shape. You can read about Step 1: HR audit here. 

Your people are the heart and soul of your business. Taking the time to make sure that everyone is working well together, and that you have all your bases covered, is the best way to set everyone up for a win. 

Update job descriptions 

It’s easy to think of job descriptions as stagnant documents – once they’re done, that’s it, right? Unfortunately, that’s a really common misconception. Job descriptions must be regularly reviewed and updated to reflect the changing realities and needs of your business.  

Think about all the changes in the past year. How has COVID affected the way you do business, and what’s expected of each employee? It’s vital that job descriptions accurately reflect the current requirements of every position and that roles and responsibilities are aligned to business delivery. 

Job descriptions check list 

Do your job descriptions tick all these boxes?  

• Accurately reflect the current requirements of each role 
• Articulate the purpose, duties and responsibilities of that job 
• Identify all training, development, appraisal and performance areas 
• Are clear and logically structured 
• Align with your business goals and key performance indicators 

• Cover all the activities, duties and responsibilities the business needs right now 
  

Job expectations are important too 

Job descriptions lay out the specific responsibilities and requirements of a role. But that’s not the only way employees get information about what’s expected of them. There are many workplace factors that communicate expectations, both formally and informally, including:  

• Cultural norms, “how we do things around here” 
• Industry expectations 
• Company policies and procedures 
• Client, customer and supplier relationships 
• Business brand and reputation 

 Job expectations go beyond the specifics of an employee’s role and can include attitudes and behaviours such as:  

• Working with honesty and integrity 
• Maintaining good attendance 

• Offering help and support to work colleagues 
• Having a positive, growth mindset 
• Following set policies and procedures diligently 
• Working safely 
• Being self-motivated and reliable 
  
  

Key performance indicators – are you hitting the mark? 

The most important thing to consider when reviewing and updating job descriptions and job expectations is whether or not the formal and informal communications employees receive are in line with the specific, measurable and actionable performance measures of the business. There shouldn’t be a disconnect between the goals of the business and the documentation and culture of the organisation. When these things are aligned, everyone is set up to succeed, and when employees kick goals – so does the business. 

We can help 

Get in touch, and we can help you realign job descriptions and job expectations with the realities of where your business is today – and where it’s headed. We can help with strategy, planning, documentation and have the right conversations with your people. 

Let’s update your job descriptions and job expectations for a fresh start in the new financial year, Contact HR on Call today.