Is your work like spilled milk? Here are 4 ways to clean up the mess.

By Bonnie Low-Kramen | July 2020

“I need help” is the cry we hear from executive leaders and busy professionals—the need for agile and resourceful assistants is greater today than ever before. Mr. Wonderful from the TV show Shark Tank stated, “if there was one profession I could go into right now, it would be the role of an assistant.” The opportunity is real, the need for assistants who have the ultimate people and technical skills is real, and yet there is a problem.

Too many of the hiring executives/ leaders know they need help, but they are not clear about the help they need, nor are they able to clarify expectations. And so, jobs get offered and accepted with a written job description or one that is hopelessly vague. The joke among assistants is the final bullet point that reads – “Other duties as assigned.”

The relationship between two people requires detailed, 2-way communication and a clear job description. This relationship can sour too soon when neither understands what the job is and what it is not.

“Spilled milk on a table” is how my former employer Olympia Dukakis would describe a situation out of control and all over the place. To take on a job without a written job description is kind of like that, isn’t it? It is a problem called “scope creep” and I teach BTUA students to avoid this at every turn.

Plus, 2020 is an unprecedented time for the workplace and the world. If ever there was an urgent need for updated and clarified job descriptions, it is right NOW. With so many staff working from home in “emergency mode”, how could there not be miscommunications and glitches?

Here are four reasons why you want to make sure you and your employer gain clarity about roles, responsibilities, and expectations now, even if you have been working together for a long time. It is a very different time now, so it’s especially important to revisit these ideas. Welcome to the new normal.

1. They clarify expectations immediately
How can you expect someone to do their job if you do not explain their responsibilities properly? Providing assistants with solid job descriptions ensures they understand exactly what will be expected of them if they accept the position. The clarity in a job description gets everyone on the same page as you and in alignment with the leader’s and the company’s goals.

2. They enhance communication
Well-written and detailed job descriptions fully communicate the core requirements of the position to applicants. It should include a job summary and all the requirements that need to be satisfied. such as relevant qualifications and experience. This will avoid any mistaken interpretations being made on what a job role entails.

3. They provide structure & a reference point
Good job descriptions establish structure and discipline within the core relationship. To do this avoids the dreaded statement, “I never said that.”

4. They protect you legally.
Job descriptions are an imperative source of legal defense. As an employee, they will legally protect you regarding claims or other similar internal disputes. This is because the best job descriptions officially record all the necessary details relating to that job, from work hours and payment, to overtime and leave. This should leave very little open to question.

The bottom line is that if you believe an offer could be the job of your dreams, but there is no written job description, here’s my advice. Write your own job description based on what you heard in the interview. And then send it to the employer and anyone involved in the hiring process for buy-in before you accept the job. Always, always, get it in writing and you won’t have to clean up the spilled milk.

Be the Ultimate Assistant On Demand Training led by expert instructors Bonnie Low-Kramen & Vickie Sokol Evans, MCT provides you with Skills and Tools needed to excel at the highest levels. Please visit: Learn.Bonnielowkramen.com 

I am Bonnie Low-Kramen, TEDx speaker, author of “Be the Ultimate Assistant” and trainer of Executive Assistants all over the world. In May, 2019, I was featured in a Forbes online cover story. As part of the research for my second book about the workplace to be published in 2022, I have had over 1,000 conversations with assistants, leaders, HR professionals, recruiters, and business school professors. I have worked in 14 countries and 38 states and would love to work with you towards building your ultimate workplace. Click here to set up a time to speak with me about your training needs which can be delivered virtually or in person.