Job Responsibilities Worksheet (JRW) Application
Table of Contents
Overview ...................................................................................................................................................... 2
Instructions for Employees ............................................................................................................. 11
Instructions for Supervisors ........................................................................................................ 16

Compensation and Classification
July 20181

Overview:
The purpose of the Job Responsibilities Worksheet (JRW) is to document the current
responsibilities of a position. It focuses on a specific position, provides details regarding theprimary job duties and required competencies, and outlines the job scope and reporting
structure.
The information provided in the JRW correlates to a staff job profile and level, therefore, it isimportant that the JRW accurately represents the way the position is currently functioning.
The JRW also plays a key role in setting goals and expectations, as well as evaluating
performance.

Getting Started:
The employee and supervisor must discuss the position to ensure mutual understanding. The
employee typically works with their supervisor to create their JRW. For newly createdpositions, the supervisor will complete the JRW to provide to their employee upon hire.
All sections of the JRW must be completed. Incomplete or missing information may lead to aninaccurate reflection of the nature of the position; and in the case of a job review request, may
delay the process.
There are six main sections of the JRW, which are outlined below.
Position Summary:
In 2-4 sentences, provide a high level overview of the primary purpose of the position. Keepin mind you’ll be able to elaborate in more detail about the duties, scope, responsibilities laterin the JRW.
Examples of well-written position summaries:•“The purpose of this position is to serve as an admission counselor for Penn StateWorld Campus. This includes interacting with prospective students via email, phone,webinars, and face-to-face, planning and coordinating recruitment events andcommunication campaigns, and coordinating the World Campus Alumni Ambassador
Program.”•“This position is responsible for the leadership, strategic direction, project
management, and operations for the recently established Online Professional

Compensation and Classification
July 20182

Education unit within Penn State Outreach and Online Education (Outreach). In
addition to these strategic and operational roles, a significant portion of this resourcemust be devoted to developing and fostering high level relationships with University
leaders within Outreach, the administration, and Colleges, including: Deans, Assoc.
Deans, department heads, and faculty in order to understand potential opportunities
within academic units and connect them to the most appropriate resource to help themaddress their needs.”
Primary Duties:
List between three (3) and ten (10) primary duties of this position and estimate the percentageof time spent on each duty over a given period of time. When indicating the percentage oftime spent on each duty, consider what is performed over a given period of time. Describe theposition as it is being performed today and not as it might be in the future or as you think itshould be (except in cases where a JRW is being completed for a vacant or new position).
Order the duties based on percentage of time, from most to least. The percentages must total
100%. Each duty should not be smaller than 5% or greater than 50%. The chart below
provides assistance in determining percentage of time.

Strive to be accurate and concise in your answers. Be specific to the work being performed ona day-to-day basis. Use words which convey a good understanding of the work being
performed rather than vague generalities.
Compensation and Classification
July 20183

Examples of well-written primary duties:•“Assist faculty with routine requests such as scheduling conference rooms formeetings, prepare seminar announcement, and copy, assemble packets and folders ofinformation.” (35%)•“Provide leadership in decision making, resolving problems, developing procedures,
initiating new programs and engaging faculty, students and staff to meet the goals of
the unit. Participate in strategic planning for future faculty led programming which isthe fastest area of growth in the Education Abroad unit.” (20%)

Position Scope:
Briefly describe the extent or range of operation for the position. Provide examples of the sizeand degree of activity over which this position has control or has impact, such as size ofbudgets, level of fiscal responsibility (management vs. proxy), number of students, number offaculty supported, and extent of impact (if it is department-wide, college-wide, and/orUniversity-wide).
Examples of well-written position scopes:•“This position supports two tenured faculty, three fixed-term faculty, 22 part-timefaculty, 86 residential undergraduate majors, 527 online undergraduate students, 32
residential graduate students, and 2000+ alumni.”•“This position provides direct support and advocacy related to job and internshipdevelopment for Career Services in the western region, which includes the following
six campuses: Beaver, DuBois, Fayette, Greater Allegheny, New Kensington, andShenango. The Career Services Specialist (Regional Job and Internship Developer)
works directly with six Career Coordinators in the region.”

Competencies Required:
Competencies are the identified set of knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors needed toperform a job successfully and that they can be measured and/or observed.
The five key competencies are:
Effective Knowledge - the sum total of education, training, skill and experience required toperform the job to the normally expected standard. This encompasses the depth, scope,integration, and application of skills within and outside the body of knowledge or specialty
applicable to an individual job category.

Compensation and Classification
July 20184

Accountability and Self-Management - the degree to which a position requires self-direction
and the degree of personal accountability required for the work accomplished. It involves
responsibility for oversight and providing reports of actions, causes, and results.
Teamwork and Leadership - the degree to which a position must function in a group and thedegree of leadership exercised.
Communication - the nature and scope of the communication activity required by a position
on a regular basis.
Innovation and Problem Solving - the type of problem resolution, quality improvement
activity and/or process and procedure development undertaken in the position.
At each level of a position, all five of these competencies are used, just in different ways.
Examples of competencies for management and non-management at various levels can befound on the pages to follow.

Compensation and Classification
July 20185

Compensation and Classification
July 20186

Compensation and Classification
July 20187

By understanding what competencies are and how they fit into your position, you’ll be better
equipped to complete your JRW. For additional information on how competencies translate ineach level, review the in-depth Competency matrices found under the Additional Resources
section below.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
Select yes or no based on if this position has supervisory/management responsibilities forothers. If this position has direct reports, indicate the number of full time staff employees
reporting to this position along with the specific employees that the position
supervises/manages. Direct reports are those employees for whom you have directsupervisory responsibility and report to you on a regular basis.
If you select yes, you’ll also select from one of the four options that best describes theposition’s supervisory and "direction of work" responsibilities:•Responsibilities limited to leading and directing the work of wage payroll, student,and/or temporary employees, or volunteers.

•Minimal or no supervisory responsibilities. As a technical/functional expert, may
serve as a lead over other employees. Responsibilities may include training, directing
or assigning work, providing input for evaluation of performance, assisting in thehiring of employees, etc.

•Supervisory responsibilities within a department or functional area. Responsibilities
include coordinating, directing and assigning work and may also include participation
in interviewing and selecting staff, evaluating employee performance including
making recommendations regarding pay, performance, and disciplinary action.

•

Full management position responsible for managing people within a department, unit,and/or subdivision. Responsibilities include workforce planning, authority forhiring/firing, interviewing, selecting, and training staff, making decisions regarding
pay, performance and disciplinary action, etc. (These positions are assigned to aManager profile).

Unit Peers:
Peers can be defined many different ways:•

Most often, peers are performing similar work as you within your work unit. For
example, you are an Administrative Support Assistant 3 working within a department
with other Administrative Support Assistant 3s.

Compensation and Classification
July 20188•

Peers can also be those who perform similar work as you but in other areas of theUniversity. For example, you are the only IT Manager at your campus but there are IT
Managers at the other campuses. These could be considered peers.

•A peer may have a similar reporting structure as you but be in a different title. One
example may be that you report to a manager within your college who oversees
multiple areas. Your peers may be the other direct reports of this manager eventhough your titles are different and are responsible for different things. For example aNetwork Systems Specialist may list a peer who is a System Administrator who bothreport to the same manager. Another example may be that you report to a seniorleader within your college and are responsible for Facilities. Your peers may be theother direct reports of the senior leader even though your titles are all different and areresponsible for different things (Marketing, HR, Finance, etc.).

•It would not be totally uncommon if a work unit peer be classified one level higher orlower than you. Peers do not have to be the exact same level.

•In some instances, you may not have any peers to list. You may be in a very
specialized field or you might not be aware that someone in a completely different
college/unit/campus does something similar to your job.

Compensation and Classification
July 20189

Best Practices:Things to keep in mind when completing your JRW:
Do...
•••••••••

Use this guide as well as other resources for idea generation when writing your JRW
Use a factual and impersonal style when writing your JRW
Write clear, concise, and complete sentences
Begin each task with a present tense action verb
Focus on key/critical responsibilities critical to the position
Base the content on the responsibilities and duties of the position
Use explanatory phrases telling why, how, where, or how often to add meaning andclarity
Incorporate relevant information such as level of independent judgment, physical andmental effort, contacts, work complexity, equipment, and supervisory responsibilities.
Generally include 4-6 responsibilities

Do not...
••
••••
•

Cut and paste information from this guide, job profiles, matrices or any other reference
tools
Use narrative or first person form when writing your JRW
Use unnecessary words that add fluff to the duty
Base the content on what the person doing the job can or can’t do
Write the JRW based on the desired classification outcome
Write the JRW as a procedure manual on how to do the job
Include minor or occasional tasks

Additional Resources (Links):•Action Words•

Competencies Overview

Compensation and Classification
July 201810Instructions for Employees:
You will begin each performance management cycle by meeting with your supervisor toreview your job responsibilities and expectations (using the Job Responsibilities Worksheet asa guide). You will also discuss goals for the upcoming performance management cycle. Onceyou’ve met with your supervisor, you will use the JRW Application online tool to document
your job responsibilities.
This guide will help you navigate within the JRW Application online tool, step-by-step.
Logging into the JRW Application online tool:
1. Launch a web browser and navigate to worklion.psu.edu.
2. You will be prompted to log into WebAccess. After logging in, you will be brought to theWorkLion homepage. The JRW Application online tool can be accessed using the HR Tools
drop down menu and selecting “Job Responsibilities Worksheet (JRW).”
3. Once in the application, your work area, titled My Work Area, is located in the gray box on
the left side of your screen.
IMPORTANT: The JRW Application online tool works best in the latest desktop, tablet, andmobile browsers, specifically Chrome, Safari and Firefox.
If you experience any difficulties with the JRW process or online tool, please contact pleasecontact your HR Consultant or compensation@psu.edu.

Compensation and Classification
July 2018

11

The Job Responsibilities Worksheet (JRW)
1. Begin by clicking on the “Job Responsibilities Worksheet (JRW)” link under My WorkArea in the menu on the left.

2. Next, you will see the screen below that displays your Name, Supervisory Organization,
Job Code, Title, and Email. To start your JRW, you will click on the blue box labeled“Create JRW.”

Compensation and Classification
July 201812

3. You will notice that the JRW status is currently Incomplete. If your JRW was already enteredinto the system and completed during the past review cycle, all components of your JRW will
be filled out and ready for editing.
To view your JRW in its entirety, click on the green “Show Summary” button. If you need tomake a change after reviewing with your supervisor, click on the component’s green button
in order to make the change. Remember to click on the “Save” button before returning to theJRW dashboard to submit for approval.

Compensation and Classification
July 201813Completing Your JRW
If a JRW does not exist for your position, you will need to complete one. If you are in the firstyear of your position, a JRW should be provided to you from your supervisor.
1. Begin by clicking on any of the blue buttons labeled “Not Started” under the section titles:
Position Summary, Primary Duties, Position Scope, Competencies Required, Supervisory
Responsibilities, and Unit Peers.

2. Read the instructions found in each section then click inside the text area that you would
like to edit and begin typing.

Compensation and Classification
July 201814

3. When satisfied with each entry, click the “Save - Back to JRW” button at the bottomof each section. If you have not completed the entire section, the button of thesection you have started will turn yellow and be labeled as Incomplete. Once you’ve
completed the section, the button will turn green and be labeled as Complete.
IMPORTANT: Never use the back button within your browser. To return to theJRW dashboard always use the “Save - Back to JRW” button.

Submitting Your JRW for ApprovalYour JRW will be ready to submit for approval once all the sections are green and labeledas Complete. Submit your JRW by clicking on the “Submit JRW For Approval” button;
you may enter a note to your supervisor in the box provided to accompany your request
for approval.

Once your JRW has been submitted for approval, its status will change to PendingApproval. In this status, you will not be able to make edits to your JRW because it isawaiting your supervisor’s approval.
Once your JRW is approved, the status will change to Complete and will be locked. If you
need to make changes to your JRW once it is complete, ask your supervisor to re-open it.

Compensation and Classification
July 201815

Instructions for Supervisors:
As a supervisor, you are responsible for supporting your employee’s performance which
includes reviewing and approving the Job Responsibilities Worksheet (JRW). To begin,
you will sign into the JRW Application online tool by navigating to the WorkLion portaland locating the HR Tools dropdown menu near the top of the page. Click on “Job
Responsibilities Worksheet (JRW)” link to access the site. Once accessed, you will bebrought to your home page. Here you will find your own JRW information (if you are afull-time staff employee); you will also find each of your employee’s information byclicking the “View Team” link.

The Team Table is used to display your direct reports in an organized fashion. Hereyou can monitor your employee’s progress throughout the JRW process. This tabledisplays their role as a Supervisor (if applicable), Employee Name, Title, and JRW Status.

Compensation and Classification
July 201816

Reviewing and Approving a JRW
As a supervisor you may go into the various sections of the JRW and provide suggestions foran employee. Note, however, that only an employee can make edits to the JRW.
1. Begin by clicking on the “View Team” link from the menu on the left side of yourhome screen. This will bring up a list of your direct reports (as seen above).
2. From there, select the JRW that you would like to review listed next to the employee’s
name. If there is an available JRW to be reviewed, the JRW Status will display Pending
Approval. Click this button to review the submitted JRW.

3. After clicking the “Pending Approval” button, you will be taken to a screen that willdisplay the completed sections of your employee’s JRW. To view the JRW in its entirety,
click on the green “Show Summary” button.

Compensation and Classification
July 201817

4. Clicking the green “Complete” button under any of the sections will allow you to review
the contents of that section. Here you are able to enter any suggested text or edits to eachsection. If you enter any comments into the text field in these areas, be sure to click “ Save –Back to JRW.”IMPORTANT: If you place any comments into the suggested text or edits box, you will
not be able to approve the JRW. Your employee will need to make a change and resubmit.

5. When you have fully reviewed the JRW, click the bubble next to either Approved (if allfields are complete and correct) or Not Approved (if you have provided your employeewith suggested edits for any of the JRW components) then, click “Submit.” The system
will notify your employee of your response.

6. Note, if approved, the employee’s JRW status will turn to Complete in the View Team menu.

Compensation and Classification
July 201818

Opening a JRW for Your Employee to Modify
1. Click on “View Team” on the left side of your screen.

2. Find the name of the employee that you would like to re-open the JRW for and click
the green “Completed” button under JRW Status.

Compensation and Classification
July 201819

3. After clicking the green “Completed” button, scroll down on the page and locate thesection titled Open JRW for editing? Click the bubble to the left of the yellow box
labeled “Open JRW”, then click “Submit.” This will notify the employee that their JRW
is open for editing. Remind your employee to re-submit their JRW for approval.

4. After reopening the JRW, you will receive the message below indicating that the JRW
status has been updated from Complete to Incomplete.

Compensation and Classification
July 201820