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Employees: Why you must know your job descriptionLast updated
on: June 9, 2011 15:03 IST
Locked out of car, Indian Bank CMD slamsdoor on regional head.
The screaming headlinegot me startled for a moment. I was wondering
isthis for real? Is this happening in India?A flurry of angry mails
flooded my inbox. As Iread each message, it was clear, this time
theBoss had crossed all limits. The reality wasshocking, beyond
human logic and reason. Arethese the kind of corporate leaders we
look upto?Had this occurred in the west, the media wouldhave
splashed it all over and the CMD would berunning around apologising
and extending anolive branch to the affected employee.Such
behaviour on a sporadic basis has beenreported in the past, but the
gravity of thesituation is evident from the fact that theallegation
is 'behaviour unbecoming of a topmanagement cadre in the bank'. The
poormanager, without any inkling of what hit him
went ahead to apologise for not being able to fulfil his duties.
After 34 years of dedicated service behind him, this wasa bolt from
the blue. Ironically it was the same CMD who had consoled the
regional head on the loss of his wiferecently, extending all
support for the family in the time of need.Brillian S. K, is an
avid Public Speaker and an HR Professional with experience in
Education, IT & BFSIsectors. He can be reached on
[email protected] / http://in.linkedin.com/in/brillian
Employees: Why you must know your job descriptionLast updated
on: June 9, 2011 15:03 IST
Way back in 2006 when I was in London on anofficial visit, I had
to make copies of about 100employee files. Being new to the office
andneeding a helping hand, I sought the officeassistant's help.
Imagine my surprise when thelady shot back an automated reply 'I
need tocheck my job description, I am not sure if itmentions about
this activity'. This would not havebeen accepted in India, but this
was London andI did not have a choice... I had to manageeverything
from pulling out the documents fromstorage, wheeling them down to
the photocopier,binding and carrying it back to the office
withoutany support.I recollect how early in my career I was eager
tohelp and would chip in every time anyoneneeded help. I was trying
to be nice and helpfulalways. During one formal meeting my
bosscasually passed on a trivial task, 'just hand itover to him, he
will do it'. That day, I realised in
my eagerness to help, I had let people take me and my job for
granted.In front of about 50 employees I clarified, loud and clear
'just because I have been helping doesn't mean that it's myjob!'
This helped, though I regret losing my temper, the message was
clearly delivered and understood by therecipient. The above
instances give us a reason to have a formal job description. Be it
for hiring, be it for existingemployees, having a job description
helps in making people become accountable. Keeping it vague would
result inblame game and a worst case scenario, as seen in the
regional head's case.
Employees: Why you must know your job descriptionLast updated
on: June 9, 2011 15:03 IST
Page 1 of 2Employees: Why you must know your job description -
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Do you need a job description? The answer isYES! Job Description
(JD) clearly identifies andspells out the responsibilities of the
job. While theremay be some gray areas, or work that is not
clearlyknown before you start, but once you start doing
itregularly, ensure that your JD is updated.JDs must include
information about workingconditions, tools and equipments if used,
knowledge
and skills needed, and relationships with otherpositions. JDs
serve dual purpose:1. It helps employees in understanding what
theorganisation expects from them2. Provides the organisation a
clear cutunderstanding of what to expect from the employees
Employees: Why you must know your job descriptionLast updated
on: June 9, 2011 15:03 IST
If the regional head of Indian Bank had a jobdescription, he
would realise that it was not apart of his duty to escort the CMD
from theairport to the Bank. Nor was it mandatory forhim to provide
any alternate arrangement.While the definition of 'basic courtesy'
can beinterpreted by different people, differently, insimple terms
it means being polite to the otherperson. With simple reasoning, I
believe thatthe regional head did extend basic courtesy,the CMD
expected 'basic courtesy' which wasunreasonable, insane and
absurd.While this story got highlighted, there areinnumerable
stories that are untold. Thousandsof employees suffer silently, as
they choosenot speak. The question, therefore, my dear
friends is: When and where do you draw yourline?Though some
would disagree about the needfor a JD in the Indian scenario,
organisationsmust begin to be realistic and ensure thatevery
employee has a clear and written jobdescription. This would ensure
that such
instances that cause national shame and embarrassment for
Indians never see the light of day.
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