JOB DESCRIPTION AS A TOOL FOR EFFECTIVE HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Abstract

The job description is a fundamental instrument within the human resource management system, defining the content of the employee's work function, the principal rights and obligations of the employee, the requirements for occupying a particular position, and the criteria for evaluating job performance. In Bulgarian labour law, the job description occupies a distinctive place as a document associated with the individual employment relationship, notwithstanding the absence of an autonomous and comprehensive statutory definition of the term job description. This article examines the legal regulation of the job description in Bulgaria, its functions, advantages, and limitations, as well as its role in enhancing legal certainty and the effectiveness of employment relations.

The objective of this article is to analyse:

• the legal framework governing the job description in the Republic of Bulgaria;

• its principal functions and its role within employment relations;

• the benefits associated with its application; and

• the existing deficiencies and practical challenges related to its implementation.

The study demonstrates that the job description performs legal, organisational, and managerial functions simultaneously. It assists employers in organising the work process while enabling employees to understand the expectations associated with their position and the scope of their contractual duties. Alongside its recognised benefits, however, the analysis identifies several shortcomings, including insufficient specificity, a formalistic approach to its preparation, discrepancies between the documented duties and the work actually performed, and the omission of employees' rights from the content of the job description. These deficiencies may undermine the document's effectiveness as a mechanism for regulating employment relations and ensuring legal certainty for both parties.

The article concludes by proposing a de lege ferenda amendment to the existing legal framework that would provide a clear statutory regulation of the structure, mandatory elements, and substantive content of job descriptions for positions governed by employment relationships.