The Importance of Job Profiling in a Post-COVID-19 South Africa

We all know that hiring the right candidate for the roles within an organisation is instrumental in the success of the company. When these roles, however, are vague, ill-defined, and unclear, team members may end up doing less (or far more) than what is expected of them. Positions that are defined well increase the productivity of employees and are better at engaging and retaining talent within the company. If you are struggling to set performance standards within your organisation or have difficulty making efficient decisions when it comes to hiring, promoting, and developing your staff, then job profiling may be beneficial to you.

What Does Job Profiling Entail?

Job profiling is broad, but at its core is a methodology that assesses, identifies, and defines the roles and role requirements within an organisation. It takes a closer look at each team member’s occupation and summarises the key outputs necessary for ideal work performance. It maps out what a role is, the responsibilities it entails, the competencies required for it, and the management’s expectations of the role.

Why Job Profiling Is Necessary

For some organisations, job profiling is not a concern at all. While company leaders may believe this gives team members a sense of freedom, it may have the opposite effect. An employee or prospective hire who does not have a title, designated role, or clear list of requirements is unlikely to provide the organisation with productive performance.

Clearly defined roles, on the other hand, leave no room for uncertainty, and team members can better focus on the duties within the scope of their contract. Job profiling emphasises the minimum requirements needed to achieve the best possible performance – which lets team members know precisely which standards they are measured against. It also defines roles of authority and prevents prioritising arbitrary tasks that do not contribute to profitability. Accurate job profiling is relevant to the recruitment and hiring process, day-to-day operations, performance management, development of team members, and career planning and promotion.

Organisations Must Adapt to a Post-pandemic Industry

The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant upheavals in countless industries across South Africa. For many, work responsibilities shifted due to the adaptations required by organisations. Some common changes during this period included:

• More people working remotely – which may have led to a blur between work hours and personal time.
• Remote work also meant that employees unfamiliar with operating within a mostly virtual climate had to upskill.
• Some employees were retrenched while remaining members of the company had to pick up the slack.
• In many cases, duties had to become portable, performed wherever the employees were able to get them done.
• To meet consumer demand, many companies expanded their goods and services, which changed the scope of team member roles.

The global pandemic redefined roles for countless organisations across the world, leading to stressful work environments and counterproductive expectations placed on employees. Job profiling is especially important for companies that have undergone major changes as a result of the impact COVID-19 has had.

Fortunately, we at Orgro can assist with on-target job profiling, evaluation, and grading. We utilise a standardised, systematic, and objective methodology to offer a tailored approach. To learn more about our services, get in touch with us here.