This article is intended for HR managers.
Job Position Explained Simply
- A specific position within a company, filled by one particular employee.
- Exact seat in the org chart
What a Job Position Means for Growing Companies
Position is a specific place within the organizational structure where a person, worker, or employee works. A job position clarifies the job role for a particular situation and a specific person. It defines their specific role within the organization and relationships with other employees, particularly their job duties, responsibilities, authorities, and placement within the company's structure. It defines the qualifications, meaning the requirements for what the person should know, be able to do, or what they should specifically be equipped with for their work. A job position is associated with a specific work location.
- A person in the organization starts in a specific job position, which is stated in their employment contract.
- A job position is therefore also an important concept in the employer-employee legal relationship.
How to Use Job Positions in Small, Mid-Size and Growing Businesses
In small companies and teams, formal organizational structure and job positions are often not heavily addressed. Job descriptions, responsibilities, and requirements are handled naturally and, if documented, are often tailored individually to specific people. As the team grows, more people start performing the same work, and thus the need arises to standardize job descriptions – to create templates. Likewise, this need emerges due to legislative compliance, as many positions require training, qualifications, or other forms of compliance. Therefore, the need to create job descriptions and their requirements also arises.
- Up to 5 people can be managed "personally" – through specific employees and names.
- Generally, as soon as a team grows beyond 5 people, more individuals start doing the same work.
- The need arises to use job positions as the basis for describing work and managing people.
Indicative Company Size Thresholds for Implementing Job Positions:
- 1–5people: Roles or job descriptions can be more "name-based"
- 6–15 people: Ideal time to introduce job positions with clear descriptions
- 16+ people: Without defined job positions, the risk of chaos, inefficiency, and confusion increases.
Reasons for Creating Job Positions
- Standardization of Work Performance: More people perform the same work, and it needs to be documented in one place. A position description allows for clear and understandable expectations across the company.
- Ensuring Legislative Compliance: Ensuring and monitoring required training and qualifications
- Ensuring Continuity: When responsibility is tied to a position, the company functions even with staff changes (e.g., illness, vacation, departure). When an employee leaves, it's clear what the successor needs to take over – because the position has its "content."
- Better Management of Company Growth: Positions are "building blocks" that enable capacity planning, recruitment, and delegation.
- Easier Recruitment and Onboarding: When job descriptions and requirements are clearly defined, it's clear who you're looking for and what they will do.
- Employee Development and Evaluation: Job positions allow for planning training and development according to the needs of the position, not the individual. They allow for performance evaluation against the job description, not against personal preferences.
What Details Keep About a Position and the Person?
Information about a job position comes from the job description and is linked to a specific person and managed within their employee records. This information combines details about the job role and the assigned employee. Activities during employee onboarding and development are tied to the job position. You manage job positions in your organization's settings. This simplifies complete employee onboarding, development, and offboarding.
- Job Title, which serves as a unique identifier (see how to name them effectively)
- Assigned Employee: The specific person assigned to this job position.
- Hire Date / Termination Date
- Actual Salary / Compensation
- Onboarding Activities: List of training and tasks for new hires.
- Issued Equipment: Company assets provided to the employee.
- Training & Certifications: Record of completed employee training.
- Performance Reviews / Goals: Individual performance goals and evaluations.
- Assigned Direct Manager: The employee's direct supervisor and reporting structure.
- Location / Work Arrangement: Where and how the employee performs their work.
How Aptien Helps With Jobs
- Open the Employee Records
- Select a personel file of specific person
- Go to the "Job Assignment" tab
Check out the guide on how to assign an employee to a job position