Job Clarity

Job Design - Role Clarity

In a recent survey, 86% of employees stated that they did not have a clear understanding of the responsibilities and/or duties required of their role or the expectations of their manager in fulfilling these responsibilities.

With role clarity being a key driver to employee performance, it should not be surprising then that 64% of performance-related issues stem from the employees lack of understanding of the requirements of their role.

Effective job design & role clarity can improve performance at all levels within the organization. Consider the following:

• Does everyone on your team have an accurate written job description? Is it written in a manner in which they fully understand the requirements and performance expectations of their role?
• How often do your employees undergo written performance appraisals? Does everyone know and understand how their performance is being measured?
• Are employees matched with the appropriate role within the organization based on their skills, knowledge and talent?
• How well do employees understand how their performance of daily activities impacts the attainment of the strategic goals of the organization?

The above is from a consultancy that will help you with job clarity, It's pretty easy to plan and execute. First, what are the job duties of the employee and what's the best way to accomplish these goals. Job clarity is important up-front, when applying for the position and when you get the job. Pay close attention in your next interview for a programming position or air talent position to the general references to the position outline. Most of the time is spent on them telling you about the people and the product. One of the big problems with radio, is the assumption that's made; That we know the duties and what needs to be accomplished. Those are job duties, not skills and certainly clarity. Do you have the job functions outlined for every employee, or do you keep it a secret so you can add more to the list as employees leave and new ones are not hired? You would be surprised in radio, I have never had written job duties.

IMHO most employees want job clarity so they can tell you "it's not my job" which plain blows. Clarity from the top down is the most important message and doctrine we have in the workplace, regardless of the product or company. Wearing so many hats in this economy in radio, it's important to have the duties outlined and the clarity of how to accomplish the goals of the position within the framework of the radio station.