Position Descriptions and Performance Standards
Chapter 5
Helpful—and Required
The standards of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) include specific guidelines for creating and applying job (position) descriptions.
ADA
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 also focuses on the legal importance of job descriptions.
A Job Description —
— actually defines requirements for a particular job as it was done in the past at a particular point in time.; since it is always at risk of growing outdated, it must be updated regularly.
Positions are Classed as —
Salaried, or exempt
Hourly, or nonexempt
—- with exempt and nonexempt referring to requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
Exempt means —
Exempt from the overtime provisions of the FLSA – overtime need not be paid to exempt employees.
Nonexempt means —
Workers in nonexempt positions—generally “hourly” workers—must be paid 1-1/2 times their “regular” rate for hours in excess of 40 per week.
Summary Statement
Leads off a job description. Also referred to as a position summary, umbrella statement, position purpose or goal, etc., it condenses the responsibilities of the position into a concise statement.
Required Competencies
Competencies or qualifications describe the requirements of the job, usually expressed in terms of education, experiences, licensure, etc.
Reporting Relationships
This section of the job description identifies, by position title, an incumbent’s immediate superior and others to whom he or she may be directly accountable
Job Description Must Also Show:
Authority of position
Degree of independence
Responsibilities and duties
Special demands
Working conditions
Reasonable Accommodations
The ADA requires that “reasonable accommodations” be provided for physically or mentally challenged employees.
Uses of Job Descriptions
The most common uses of job descriptions are:
interviewing prospective employees
training and orienting employees, and
applications related to performance evaluation
Other Uses Include:
Preparing employment advertising
Evaluating jobs (for pay grade, etc.)
Conducting counseling
Evaluating compliance with requirements
Providing a record of job content
Providing information pertinent to a job for legal purposes
Performance Standards
inform employees how well they must do their work and often how much they must do
simplify performance evaluations, especially if a pay-for-performance strategy is in place
Without Performance Standards —
— employee evaluations are highly subjective, heavy on opinion and personality assessments, and are thus difficult if not impossible to defend
Levels of Performance
A few organizations use only two levels of performance:
“meets standard” and
“fails to meet standard.”
Levels of Performance
Significantly more organizations use three levels:
(1) does not meet expectations (fails),
(2) meets expectations (passes), and
(3) exceeds expectations (excels).
Compliance Standards
Relating to what someone does or does not do, no gradations and no middle ground, these can be two-level standards as simple as Pass/Fail or Yes/No.
An Appropriate Standard
describes a level below which performance is not acceptable
provides a challenge but is attainable by most incumbents
is results-based and quantifiable whenever possible
is specific, objective, and measurable.
An Appropriate Standard (more)
deals with performance the employee can control.
excludes imprecise words unless these words are accompanied by descriptors
limits the use of absolute terms such as always or never
is understood and agreed to by both employee and supervisor
An Appropriate Standard (more)
does not discriminate against any member of a group protected by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
directly or indirectly benefits customers.
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