Job description in the public sector

A job description documents the tasks and duties of employees in detail. Especially in the public sector (TVöD), the job description is common. A job description is used to document what activities employees are obliged to perform. Therefore, it also plays a role in the collective bargaining classification.

Job description TVöD

All activities are listed in a job description and usually provided with a percentage of time. It describes all the tasks to be performed at a workplace and the delegated powers of the employees. This should be presented in such a concrete way that the work processes can be easily derived from the description. In the public sector, the job description is used for appropriate classification according to TVöD. The salary is determined with the help of the salary groups. The description should therefore be prepared with the necessary attention.

In the private sector, the term "job description" is more commonly used, but the two terms are not entirely synonymous with each other. For example, a job description in business is only used to document the job holder.

Is a job description mandatory?

Whether in the public sector or the private sector, employers are not legally obliged to create a job description or include it in the employment contract. However, there must be a characterization of the site. Often, the contract only mentions the function and title of a position and roughly outlines the associated tasks and responsibilities for the employees. In the event of a dispute, employees must then deduce in other ways what obligations they have in the first place. Especially in the public sector, correct and up-to-date job descriptions are recommended, as they prevent incorrect collective bargaining classifications.

Tip: If you decide to use a job description, you should include all the important information, but it should not be too extensive. Ideally, it should not be an integral part of the employment contract so that it can be revised or changed more easily and the employer remains more flexible.

How important is a job description?

A job description should not be dispensed with entirely, because it offers certain advantages. For example, it is helpful for personnel planning and the preparation of certificates. In personnel planning, it can be used as a management and organizational tool, which means that requirements for the job holder can be documented. Or it simply serves as a source of information for both sides.

Ideally, the job description also forms the basis for the requirements profile to be derived from it. However, it should always be drawn up independently of the (current or future) job holder and should be formulated in a legally sound and non-discriminatory manner.

What needs to be in a job description?

In addition to the list of activities, the job description often also describes the organizational classification of the workplace, i.e. the assignment to the office, subject area and department. In addition, the required expertise and characteristics are usually described.

Areas of activity that belong to a job are constantly changing. For example, changes from practice can be noted on a separate form in order to incorporate them into the job description. However, short-term substitution activities are not included in the assessment. Replacement activities should only be part of the job description if they are assigned to the employee on a permanent basis, e.g. by being included in the business distribution plan. Only then do these activities also play a role in the collective bargaining classification.

In addition, the laws, regulations and administrative provisions to be observed and applied are listed, as well as decision-making and ordering powers and, if applicable, subordinate relationships.

Creating a job description: How to do it

At the beginning, you should discuss the range of tasks and the job to be performed as well as the available competencies and powers in a workplace interview with the employee covered by the collective bargaining agreement.

The supervisor can be involved in this interview. At the request of the employees, a person of trust (e.g. representatives of the staff or works council) can also participate.

Guiding questions in the preparation of the job description can be:

• What is the objective of the position (focus areas and tasks)?
• What is the need, what competencies are necessary?
• What is the contribution to the whole (overall context and accountability)?

Revise the job description on a fixed basis. The order of the activities in it must always be determined by the number of hours: work focuses with a high percentage are listed at the top.

Sample: Job Description Public Service

Since there is no legal obligation to create job descriptions, there are no binding standards as to what such a description should look like. The following is a sample job description in the public sector:

>> Job description for employees within the meaning of §38 para. 5 sentence 1 TVöD