Job Descriptions

Simple Rule: Base Every Action on the Job Description

Employment laws are numerous, and it’s a challenge for managers to learn them all. However, every employment action you take should be from your job descriptions. Stay compliant with your job descriptions for your hiring, firing, performance appraisals, raises, and promotions.

What Questions Are Legal to Ask in an Interview?

The good news is you do not have to be a lawyer to figure out what questions are illegal. If you wonder if it is illegal ... chances are it is. You will generally stay out of trouble if you just make sure that all your questions are job-related and consistent across the board.

There is a long list of areas in which it is illegal for you to ask questions. Here is a list of one to ensure you are asking legal questions - ask only job related questions. A structured interview, asking the same questions of each applicant can go along way as a part of your affirmative defense.

I'm sure someone will say there are exceptions called bona fide occupational qualifications (BFOQs). My advice is forget them unless you have a bona fide legal defense fund.

Additionally, Attorney Mindy Chapman’s blog, Case in Point, offers these tips for using your job descriptions:

•Never interview without the job description in front of you.
•Make your job description like a grocery list of specific skills you are looking for.

Make it detailed. Be sure to describe:
•Physical skills such as lifting, bending, and pulling
•Learned skills such as using specific software programs
•Behavioral skills such as time management skills
•Job duties such as hours, travel, shifts, and overtime

Job descriptions are a never-ending battle for every business owner. What’s the state of your job descriptions? Complete? Up to date? If not—or if you’ve never even written them—you’re not alone. Thousands of companies fall short in this area.
It’s easy to understand. Job descriptions are not simple to do—what with updating and management and legal review, especially given the Americans with Disabilities Act’s (ADA) requirement of a split-off of essential functions from other functions in the description.

If you need assistance in updating or creating job descriptions, please contact The Whitford Group at TheWhitfordGroup@aol.com.

From: Summarized from Today's HR Daily Advisor