We live in an increasingly personalized society. We choose individualized playlists instead of radio stations. We self-select our news sources and our TV shows. Our cars have infinitely adjustable seats and telescopic steering. Everything is geared, just for us.
Why You Should Let Employees Personalize Their Job Descriptions
In most corporate structures, today, recruitment for a position generally means starting with a formal list of tasks—the standardized job description — and hiring someone who can make a convincing case that they would perform each one.
Narrow job descriptions are one of the main reasons why employee engagement is down. As time goes on, people get stuck in their pre-defined roles, and, if growth opportunities aren’t available, they disengage. Although concerned leaders try to address this problem in many ways — teamwork exercises, mentorship, perks, innovative office spaces, and incentive programs – their solutions miss a simple but pivotal point: Employees are engaged by engaging jobs.
In my experience leading and managing teams over two decades, I’ve found that job personalization – that is, fitting jobs to employees rather than fitting employees to jobs — is one of the best ways of maximizing engagement. It is best applied when there are clear inflection points: when career trajectories are stalled, during corporate restructuring, or in recruiting for open positions. It also works best with individuals who bring new and growth-minded perspectives.
The key is to see where someone’s skills (professional), passions (personal) and their value (as perceived by the organization) intersect.