Positional Contracts
Although the terms positional contract and job description share many similarities, they do in fact serve different purposes. The position contract concept came from the book the Emyth by Michael Geiber and is intended to help each person in the organisation understand how their work affects the company as a whole and how they contribute to reaching the overarching company goals. The positional contract refers to what the employee needs to perform the role, while the job description describes the duties and responsibilities associated with that specific role.
A positional contract sets out what each team member’s job entails and what they are responsible and accountable for. A positional contract allows each team member to understand how their role relates to your company’s vision and so enables you to communicate your expectations to each team member in clear, unambiguous terms.
Executing without drama
When each positional contract includes key performance indicators (KPIs) for the role, it can also be used as a basis for performance management. Having positional contracts will save you the agony of sorting out involved and emotionally charged disputes that can arise because of misunderstandings about what your team members should and shouldn’t be doing.
What should you include in a positional contract?
- A high-level summary of key duties.
- Identification of the values to be demonstrated by staff.
- A detailed list of responsibilities and associated KPIs.
- A description of the experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, traits and qualifications required.
- A list of any special working conditions or requirements (e.g. ability to work on site, ability to lift a certain weight).
Ongoing training
You’ll also be able to use the positional contract to determine areas of training and development when expectations and KPIs are not being met.
If you’re not sure where to start, or how to fully implement positional contracts in your business, get in touch for expert advice and guidance: Click Here.
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