If you really require a job description to do your job, then I don’t want you working for my company. You see I expect you to know what your overall responsibilities are and I expect you to fulfill them. Yes we will provide orientation and training where required, but we don’t provide you with a strict “To Do” list that you must meticulously follow. We want you to do whatever is required to get the overall work done and that may vary; it may even entail cleaning up, heaven forbid, even though it’s not in your job description. Worse yet, it may even require you to make independent decisions that aren’t detailed in your job description.

We often hear managers talk about the necessity and importance of having clear up-dated job descriptions for all staff. I’ve made a habit of asking them if they have one themselves; the answer is usually no. I further ask them if they need one to understand what their responsibilities are. They start to look slightly uncomfortable and say no they don’t.

So why do all their staff require job descriptions? Are they less intelligent, less responsible, less able to think for themselves? Or do they need to have all of their actions and initiative controlled?

A job description has traditionally been expected to outline what the duties and responsibilities of a position are. All too often this has become a 2 to 3 page or even longer “To Do” list rather than a brief one-paragraph outline. We have seen 7 page descriptions in the public service. This type of task list only serves to limit the initiative and scope of all employees. It tends to lead to the “It’s not in my job description” mentality and it stands in the way of multi-skilling, cross-training, and teamwork.

In many unionized environments there is a requirement for detailed job descriptions. This is precisely because so many unions stand in the way of cross-training and