A workday begins each morning at 8 A. M. in the tax assessor’s office. The staff is composed of the director, two secretaries, two computer- typists, and three file clerks. Until last year, the office operated smoothly, with even workloads and well- defined responsibilities.
Over the last year or so, the director has noticed more and more disagreements among the computer- typists and file clerks. When they approached the director to discuss their disagreements, it was determined that problems had arisen from misunderstandings concerning responsibility for particular duties. A strong undercurrent of discontent developed because the computer- typists feel the file clerks have too much free time to spend running personal errands and socializing. On the other hand, the secretaries and computer- typists frequently have to work overtime doing work they believe could easily be picked up by the file clerks. The file clerks claim they should not have to take on any additional duties because their paychecks would not reflect the extra responsibilities. Each person in the office has a general job description that was written several years ago. However, the nature of most positions has changed considerably since then because of the implementation of the computer system. No attempt has been made to put these changes in writing. The director formerly held staff meetings to discuss problems that arose within the office; however, no meetings have been held in several months.
Question
1. What actions would you recommend to the director?
2. Why do you think job descriptions are not updated in many organizations?