Put the Function Back in your Functional Job Descriptions

Updating your functional job descriptions (FJDs) is about as popular as going to the dentist or filing your taxes, but all three are absolutely necessary. With the start of the New Year, make a resolution to review your FJDs and bring them up to date being sure to encompass product changes, equipment revisions and more. If you haven’t revised these important descriptions lately, your company may be open to risk from worker’s compensation claims and EEOC grievances. Outdated FJDs can also result in employees being physically mismatched for their new job requirements. In the long run., FJDs can you help you hire better and save you time and money.

Time Saver: Valid and updated FJDs allow you to quickly and efficiently match the right employee with the right job requirements. No more mismatches and missteps leading to employees being unable to perform the physical tasks of their job or causing injuries.

Money Saver: Invalid and outdated FJDs create a liability for HR, risk management and legal.

Injury Saver: FJDs serve as a crucial document for accurate treatment plans, assisting the outside clinicians looking to return your injured employees back to work safely.

Better Hires: An out‐of‐date FJD can lead to a new hire not being able to handle physical job requirements — leading to injuries, increased litigation risk and loss of productivity. 

With valid FJDs, the gap between employees' physical capacities and the physical demands of the job will be eliminated. Relevant descriptions can then become a vital component of your Post Offer Employment Testing (POET) Program. You’ll optimize your hiring outcomes, which leads to higher productivity and lower turnover. 

We have laid out five strong reasons to update your FJDs in our article, 5 Dangers of Outdated Functional Job Descriptions. Download it today.  If WorkWell can help, contact us today.