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Employment Law Update: The Job Description Tune-Up: Why Year-End Is the Perfect Time to Get It Right

Date: December 11, 2025
If your job descriptions are collecting dust, they are not protecting your business—or your people. As roles evolve throughout the year, a quick annual tune-up can prevent headaches ranging from wage-and-hour exposure to ADA missteps. Year-end is a natural moment to align the description with what is happening in your business.

A focused, end-of-year review serves four important purposes:
 
  • Reflect actual duties: Ensure the description captures the duties actually being performed—not the role as it existed two reorganizations or even two years ago. Accurate descriptions are foundational for setting expectations, managing performance, and defending employment decisions. They also help avoid surprises during internal mobility or when teams restructure.
 
  • Reassess exemption classifications: Year-end is the right time to revisit exemption status. Changes in day-to-day duties can affect whether a position still qualifies as exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) or applicable state wage and hour laws. Titles and salary payment or levels do not carry the day if the underlying duties have shifted. A brief audit of core tasks can mitigate misclassification risk and the cascading consequences of unpaid overtime, penalties, unpaid benefits, and class exposure.
 
  • Revisit essential functions and physical requirements: Clearly and currently articulate the essential functions of the job and legitimate physical demands, scheduling needs, travel, and on-site presence. These important elements will inform the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and state disability law interactive processes. Well-crafted descriptions support consistent decision-making on reasonable accommodations, clarify what can and cannot be reassigned, and help managers stay aligned with legal obligations while maintaining operational integrity.
 
  • Incorporate updates into performance evaluations: Close the loop by integrating updated job descriptions into year-end reviews. Provide employees with an opportunity to review and acknowledge the revisions, ask questions, and confirm that the description matches the role they are actually performing. This step not only strengthens understanding and alignment, but it also creates a clean record for the coming year.

A modest investment now—validating duties, recalibrating classifications, and refining essential functions—can pay dividends in compliance, clarity, and culture. If you have questions about appropriate edits to the description or classification of employees, please contact your Whiteford labor and employment law attorney.
The information contained here is not intended to provide legal advice or opinion and should not be acted upon without consulting an attorney. Counsel should not be selected based on advertising materials, and we recommend that you conduct further investigation when seeking legal representation.