Writing a Job Description

A job description is one of the nine things an employment agreement MUST have. 

Every job needs a job description. In New Zealand, by law, the employment agreement of any employee must include “a description of the work to be performed”. That’s any employee, whether they’re full-time, part-time, fixed-term, or casual.

It is one of the nine things an employment agreement MUST have under the Employment Relations Act (2000). (Find out more about the requirements for an employment agreement at employment.govt.nz.)

Because of this legal obligation, the job description forms part of the contractual relationship between an employer and an employee, and no changes can be made to the description without consultation or the alterations being recorded in writing (you will need to have a clause in their employment agreement that allows you to make such changes).

The guide covers:

• Keeping job descriptions simple
• Excluding KPIs
• Lowering the legal risk

For the Australian version of this guide, click here.