Need HR Process Improvement Ideas? How to Save Hours on Job Descriptions

Time means everything, especially in HR, where a majority of HR professionals are personally burned out. Implementing the right HR process improvement ideas can give you time back in your day and relieve burnout symptoms.

If it takes you a long time to create a job description, you’re not alone. HRSG’s State of Job Descriptions 2020 report revealed that most (65%) survey respondents took two hours or more to write a job description from scratch. Considering the number of positions that require a job description at your organization and increased recruitment efforts, there just aren’t enough hours in the day to complete the work HR professionals are responsible for when job descriptions take so long to write.

Almost all (95%) of global HR leaders and C-suite executives agree that HR is simply too much work. Finding ways to improve HR processes to save crucial resources (including time) is now a matter of urgency, not just efficiency.

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Why do job descriptions take so long to write?

Several factors affect how long it takes to write a job description, including:

• Your understanding of your organization’s job description process;
• The amount of training you’ve received on creating job descriptions; and
• The tools you have available to you to create job descriptions.

When it comes to saving time, organizations should prioritize improving HR processes, like job description creation. Our latest findings from the State of Competencies 2024 Report show that a majority (61.4%) of HR professionals develop competencies in-house. Building your own job descriptions—especially great job descriptions—can be a time-consuming process.

Below are some HR process improvement ideas to streamline job description development and address these factors.

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Job Description Process Improvement Ideas

Step 1: Review Your Current Process

You should review HR processes regularly (at least annually), even your job description process. A thorough review of these processes can help you find common obstacles, so you can work to alleviate them.

Not sure if you have an existing job description process?

Here is a good way to check. If you were to train an employee on how to write job descriptions, would you be able to refer them to a formalized document? Or would you have to refer them to an online article?

If your answer is the latter, then you don’t have a job description process.

The problem?

Not having a clear process leads to inconsistencies between your job descriptions. These issues are more apparent when job descriptions are written by different people or gathered from a variety of sources.

When reviewing your job description process, here are a few things to look out for:

• Unclear policies for storing or using job descriptions (current and new);
• Lack of consistent language;
• Spending an excessive amount of time on research;
• Unclear references for job description research;
• Lack of standardization;
• No formalized and documented process; and
• Out-of-date job descriptions.

Step 2: Get the Right Training

Not all organizations have specific training on how to create effective job descriptions. Most usually leave it to the HR professional or department manager, even though it may not be part of their own job description.

Without the right training, employees may rely on untrustworthy sources of information to get the job done. Research is time-consuming, and without reliable resources, it can often result in inconsistencies in job descriptions. Additionally, ad hoc and minimal job descriptions add little or no strategic value to the organization beyond hiring.

So, what can you do instead?

Create a solid training program for writing job descriptions. Ensure everyone involved with the process understands the organization’s standards for job descriptions and how to ensure they are compliant and consistent with each other. Adequate training saves time, streamlines processes, and improves standardization.

Step 3: Use Reliable Resources

Many professionals use online resources to find content for their job descriptions. But online information can vary drastically. The information you find may not align with your organization’s core competencies, either. Not to mention, vague job descriptions that don’t use competencies can’t help you measure employee performance or create development plans as effectively.

Ensure the resources you and others in the organization use to develop job descriptions are vetted by experts and align with your vision for success in each position. For example, Quinto’s library comes with more than 170 multi-level competencies curated by industrial and organizational psychologists. With Quinto, you also get more than 1,600 pre-made job description templates created by our experts that you can customize to your needs, saving you time and frustration.

You’ll also feel confident that your job descriptions are compliant and aligned to your organization’s goals.

Step 4: Streamline Collaboration

We’ve all been there. Sending shared or versioned documents back and forth to stakeholders until the document gets approved. Then, just as you’re about to submit the final job description, your inbox notifies you of additional feedback from someone outside of the project.

There must be another way.

Thankfully, there is. Our 2024 report shows almost half of respondents (45.6%) involve two to three people, 22.8% involve three to four people, and 19.3% involve five or more people in the creation of each competency profile. Competency profiles help improve job descriptions. Having multiple contributors requires significant collaboration, and the right job description software can streamline the process for you.

You can enable agile workflows all in one system with Quinto. Use collaborative tools like tracked changes, comments, and reactions to improve visibility and cohesively collect feedback. Involved stakeholders can also mark when they have approved each section of the job description, and you can track your revision progress within the platform. Version history on Quinto also enables you to document important changes for compliance purposes.

Just be sure that when you implement a new process, you communicate the change and new expectations effectively.

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The Way of the Future

Standard, flat word documents are the way of the past. HR professionals have too much on their plate to spend time on misguided research, tedious edits, and chasing feedback. Job description software like Quinto enables leaders to create more effective job descriptions, faster. Technology like AI and automation help Quinto users streamline their process, so they can work on more strategic initiatives. Job descriptions are the basis of any talent management process. Get it right and get it done quickly with Quinto.