During the course of your career with a company, you will find that your job and responsibilities change over time. But can your employer change your job description without first consulting you?

What should your job description cover?

A brief job description should be given to you as part of your written statement of employment terms within two months of starting your role. However, your employer is not legally required to give you a more detailed one. As of 6th April 2020 your employer is required to provide you with certain mandatory information no later than your first day of employment.

If you have been given a job description, it can quickly become out of date because jobs and how we do them change all the time. As an employee, it’s implied that you should reasonably adapt to changes at work, including minor changes to your role and how you perform it. Your employer is entitled to change your job description to reflect that.

If your job description is vague or generic

When you started your job, you may have been given a very brief or generic job description that did not fully set out what you do. This can cause confusion and make it unclear what is expected of you. If your employer changes your job description to more accurately reflect what you actually do, they are entitled to do that.

If you need help and advice about your job description and employment contracts, our our legal advice service experts are on hand to help.