Updating Position Descriptions: Recommended Practices

• Updates can be done at any time of year but usually are completed prior to or during the annual performance evaluation period, or prior to creating a posting.
• Updates for non-faculty positions should be completed online using Workday by initiating an Edit Position Restriction business process. Auditors rely on the online system for the most current position description (PD) for a non-faculty position in a Texas A&M department.
• The Edit Position Restrictions should always be initiated by the HR Contact/Liaison in your department to ensure proper routing in Workday. For an update not involving a title change, the reason that should be selected is "Update Position Restrictions".
• Departments should not submit an update in lieu of a reclassification.
• The HROE Classification and Compensation Office will review and approve updates as soon as possible, with the response time for approval varying from 1-5 business days depending on volume. The heaviest volume occurs during March to May due to the annual performance evaluation period, so response time may extend beyond 5 business days during those months.
• Pending updates must be approved by the HROE Classification and Compensation Office before posting a job, so it is recommended that departments submit updates and receive approval prior to submitting a posting.
• If the department has posted a job requisition and they find an update needs to be made to the duties, qualifications or other factors in the position description, the department needs to close the job requisition and submit an Edit Position Restrictions to make all necessary updates.
• The HROE Classification and Compensation Office recommends that departments submit PD updates early in the performance evaluation period, so that the most current PD will be included with the online evaluation. If an update is submitted after the performance evaluation has launched, the newly updated PD will not display on the online evaluation.

In Workday, titles are called "Job Profiles". Generic job descriptions are available for many job profiles in Workday. To find a generic job description in Workday, use the search box at the top of the Workday screen, type "Job:" and add any keywords to help identify the job profile for which you are searching, e.g. "Job: Program Coordinator I P9". Once you press "Enter", all job profiles that match your search criteria will become available, and you can click on each one to view the corresponding generic job description. The generic job descriptions will detail the job duties, requirements, exemption status, pay grade, and much more. The generic job descriptions will detail the job duties, requirements, exemption status, pay grade, and much more.

To edit a staff position description in Workday, the HR Liaison should work with the position's manager to complete the Workday Position Description Template. Completing every question on the template will provide the information necessary to complete the Edit Position Restrictions business process in Workday. This format is specifically designed to aid in reading and understanding the different parts of a Texas A&M position description and will ensure faster analysis by the Classification and Compensation office. The template is located on the HROE Classification and Compensation website under Job Changes or Resources.

Job Description Summary

The Job Description Summary field should be no longer than four sentences. It is intended to be a brief general summary of the position and should be consistent with and reflective of the more detailed duties sections, giving an overview of the level of skill required and scope of responsibility. Detailed duties or responsibilities should be included in the Job Duties section, not the Job Description Summary. Use the following format for the first sentence of the Job Description Summary: "The [position title] is responsible for…"

Qualifications

• Required qualifications are the minimum qualifications of education, experience, license/certification, and knowledge, skills and abilities for acceptable performance of the essential functions of the job upon hire.
• System Wide Pay Plan titles all have minimum required education and experience set which may be modified slightly to reflect specific types of education (such as a Bachelor of Science in Biology) and experience, so long as the level of education and quantity of experience remain consistent with those required by the pay plan and are related to the job performed.
• Required education and experience may not be modified for Career Ladder. The only exceptions would be for the IT Professional Career Ladder; for these positions, the only change allowed is to replace "relevant experience" with the specific experience required for the position.
• Qualifications should relate to the position, not the person.
• Preferred qualifications represent criteria most desired and serve as the secondary screening criteria for the hiring manager to use when evaluating applicants for a position. These qualifications are not required for performance of the essential functions.

Job Duties

• Job Duties should be present on both the "Hiring Restrictions" tab under Job Description and on the "Qualifications" tab under Responsibilities when processing an Edit Position Restrictions in Workday. The Position Restrictions will feed to any job postings or advertisements, but the material under the Qualifications tab can be picked up in reporting and will feed to performance evaluations.
• There is not a set requirement for the number of duties sections, but a general guideline is that most positions can be appropriately described in 3 to 10 sections of duties. Depending on the position and variety/nature of the duties being performed, it may be necessary to divide the duties into more than 10 sections. Any one duty can have several components to help identify the level and scope of the duty being performed, and therefore identifying the level of the position.
• Duties should be grouped into logical sections, with assigned percentages of time for each section of 5% to 50%. Typically, the minimum percentage of time allocated to any one section is 5%. The recommended maximum percentage is 50%, but for some positions HR may allow percentages as high as 75%. The total for all duties should total 100%.
• A "Duty Title" is required and is used to describe each section of duties. Examples of some commonly-used duty titles include: supervisory, customer service, program/project coordination, administrative support, business support, recruiting, scheduling, professional development, management and training, and other duties.
• Duties must be designated as essential or non-essential in the position description, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act as Amended (ADAAA). Essential duties are the core tasks that must be completed to get the job done. Non-essential duties are the occasional duties that are performed as needed. As a general guideline, total non-essential duties will rarely comprise more than 10% of the job. Factors to consider in determining if a function is essential include:
  • Whether the reason the position exists is to perform the function,
  • The number of other employees available to perform the function or among whom the performance of the function can be distributed, and
  • The degree of expertise or skill required to perform the function.
• The position description should include an accurate description of the job functions. The department should be specific on the job duties performed. The language used should be gender-neutral and departments should avoid patronizing or demeaning terms, and age-related terms. Departments should describe jobs as they exist now, not as they will exist sometime in the future. Departments also should describe what is done and not how it is done.
• Writing guidelines for describing duties:
  • Begin each statement with a present tense action verb. Examples of action verbs can be found here.
  • Use clear, concise language.
  • Use words that differentiate levels of the same job title series generally denoting experience, creativity, education or training.
  • Avoid using adjectives. Adjectives tend to give extra detail to nouns and may be unnecessary.
  • List specific essential functions.
• Include the level of independent judgment and work complexity involved in each duty/component, and supervisory responsibilities.
• Always include one job duty for "Other Duties: Performs other duties as assigned." This job duty should be no more than 5% of time and is non-essential. This duty includes all duties that pop up here and there, but are not a major function of the position.

• Appropriate Job Assignment, Orientation: A documented position description is necessary to properly title and establish a pay rate for the job. This is used to create new positions or reclassify existing positions.
• Recruiting, Interviewing, and Hiring: Documented duties are then used to create a posting and appropriate job-related interview questions, which can be used to evaluate applicants based on the stated requirements. Knowing the value of a position description will better prepare supervisors for onboarding new employees by helping them understand what qualities and qualifications are needed to be successful in the position.
• Establishing Performance Standards: A current position description is necessary to evaluate performance and set standards for future goals. Both the supervisor and employee must be on the same page when it comes to employee duties and expectations.
• Tracking Career Progress: Supervisors can use position descriptions to help move current employees through promotion and career advancements. Employees also need to be familiar with the components of their position description to make sure that it reflects the job duties they are currently performing.
• Legal Defense: In the event of a labor audit, a current position description that has been reviewed and acknowledged by both supervisor and employee will always act as the most legally defensible document at our disposal.