Why Results-Oriented Job Descriptons

A Results-Oriented Job Description makes sure that employees understand the big-picture—the important results that duties/tasks accomplish in the workplace. Here’s the way our job description explains a specific Waiter/Waitress responsibility with the focus on the result that needs to be accomplished by completing specified tasks:

PREPARES TABLES FOR DINING by

cleaning and covering tables; setting utensils, napkins, decorations, condiments, candles, and service plates.

We use a three-line structure. The result is the first line and is BOLDFACE CAPITALS in order to draw attention to its importance. The second line, “by” simply connects the result with how it is accomplished. The third line lists the duties/tasks that an employee performs in order to accomplish the result.

Simple, bold and powerful. Presto! A results-oriented workplace.

A traditional job description falls short by only listing duties:

• Cleans tables.
• Covers tables.
• Sets utensils, napkins, decorations, condiments, candles, and service plates.

With only the duties to follow, an employee may perfunctorily do all of the things listed in the job description, but miss something else unforeseen. Let’s say the utensils are damaged, or the napkins are torn, or the condiments or candles are nearly used up. Any of these would diminish the dining experience, but “hey,” an employee might say, “they were placed on the table.”