HR in a rush to develop job descriptions (employee, jobs, companies)

[Perryview22]

Workplace Riddle:

All of a sudden, people in an office were asked to sign job descriptions. One person in a workgroup was presented with the paperwork containing the title [Title1] and job description with a requirement that it be signed before leaving before that day . Another person in the same workgroup, performing the same function with some unique properties arrives at work the following morning to find the paperwork [Title2] sitting on her desk, with no particular timeframe for signing it. Another person reporting to the same boss but performing a unique role doesn't have the paperwork yet [Title3].

The first person finds that form asks the manager to write down the job titles of the 2nd and 3rd person reporting to the same boss. Yet, the following morning, the 2nd employee finds that the job title of her role is a combo of the other two people, including the one who has a unique role not perform by the other two and this combo job description is not what the manager recorded on the first employee's "rush" paperwork.

The night before, when the employee asked about the other two job titles, the employee is told that those titles are "just the titles that those people were given and not about the person performing it, per se, but the position itself, yet the dual (combo) job title for the 2nd person seems to "aspirational" and very much about the person - not an "is what it is" title that simply reflects the role as it currently is as the first person was told.


What's going on here?

Any HR pros out there who can answer this one - with honesty.

[vaughanwilliams]

Sounds like layoffs coming. I'm betting no one in Human Resources had to do this.

[Racelady88]

Sounds to me like the company is creating/updating a policy manual. It is not uncommon to ask people to sign off on knowing their job description.

[Hemlock140]

Many companies, like ours, periodically review job descriptions and titles. We have the employee do it, then the immediate supervisor makes changes/corrections and it goes on to HR. They will review and compare to similar jobs at other companies in the same field and make adjustments to the salary range as needed to remain competitive. The salary can go up or down. In this economy I'd expect this to be a cost-savings measure. Perhaps these positions are being filled for less money elsewhere now, and they are planning layoffs to be followed by new hires at lower salaries.