Simply defined, a job description is a definition of the responsibilities, tasks, and requirements for a particular position. A job description can help you:

• Clarify expectations: use job descriptions in interviews, new employee orientations, job coaching, performance appraisals, corrective action discussions, etc. Don't assume that an employee knows your expectations – spell it out.
• Train employees: Use job descriptions to train employees in how to do their jobs – or to re-train them when corrective action is needed.
• Maintain accountability: Use job descriptions to help maintain accountability. If someone says "I was never trained in that," you can refer him/her back to the signed personnel file copy of the job description. In conjunction with a copy of training records, you remind the employee of their responsibilities.

It is recommended having a job description for each position in the company (for example, office manager, customer service representative, dispatcher, pest control technician, termite inspector, account representative, etc.). Each of these requires its own job description. Specifically, any job description includes the following elements.

• Summary: Brief position summary.
• Primary job responsibilities: Eight to 10 tasks that the employee would regularly perform.
• Minimum qualifications: A list of the degrees, certifications, licenses, etc. that a candidate must have to be hired for this job. List what is really required and a bona fide occupational requirement.
• Physical requirements: A list of physical requirements you have for the job, including lifting requirements, use of computer, ability to crawl in tight spaces, or drive a commercial vehicle. These criteria must be listed in the job description.

AFRICANIZED HONEYBEE CERTIFICATION RENEWAL

Attention: All PCOs Certified to Control Africanized Honeybees

The board of directors of the Pest Control Operators of California has approved a program for the renewal of the Africanized Honeybee Certification program/course.

Effective immediately all persons who have previously completed the AHB course must comply with the following conditions:

(1) All certified licensees must perform a check in with PCOC to update their status, i.e., employer, mailing address and license status with either or both the SPCB and DPR. This check-in process will be done through the PCOC website online and will begin May 1, 2010 and must be completed by June 30, 2011. Anyone who does not complete the check-in process will be dropped from the AHB database maintained by PCOC. Staff will have the flexibility to accommodate licensees who fail to check in during this time period because of extenuating circumstances such as active duty overseas or other similar situations.

(2) After the initial check in, certified licensees will be sent an email annually to the email address they have established in the system (the licensee will be able to go online at any time and update their profile and contact information, including their email address) reminding them to check in to confirm their contact information and status as an active (or inactive) certified licensee.

(3) Thereafter every six years certified licensees would be required to retake the full certification course.

(4) Thereafter every three years (in between the six-year renewal) every certified licensee will be required to take a one-hour online class on the PCOC website. The AHB subcommittee will create and post a one-hour class annually, which will be available to all AHB certified licensees to take each year. Some classes will focus on updates on a particular nuance of AHB management; other classes may focus on updates on the AHB movement, stinging incidents, new technologies and other timely issues.

(5) AHB licensees who last took the full AHB Certification course prior to 2009 will have to take the full AHB Certification class by the end of 2014. This allows a full four years to accommodate these licensees to get into the system of retaking the full AHB Certification course every six years.

(6) AHB certified licensees who last took the full AHB Certification course in 2009 or later will have to take the full AHB Certification class with six years of when they last completed the class.

• Lack of compliance with standards. Hopefully this is due to length of time since some have taken the course rather than a desire to purposefully violate the standards.
• Desire to maintain highest levels of integrity and professionalism within this industry/statutory certification.
• No system by which to maintain an up-to-date database of certified licensees. Counties, state agencies and the public have all complained that our database is all but useless because it contains licensees who are no longer in the industry, or who are certified, but longer desire to control honeybees.

All AHB licensees (PCOC members and all non-members) must contact PCOC staff for login and password information. The AHB licensee then must go to the PCOC website: http://www.pcoc.org/. Click on the Find/Hire a Pest Control Company button, then click on the add/update your listing line. Click on the update your listing box.

ALL AHB LICENSEES MUST UPDATE THEIR LISTING TO INCLUDE CURRENT EMPLOYER, ADDRESS AND CONTACT INFORMATION.

The update will be automatically forwarded to the PCOC staff.

It is the responsibility of the AHB licensee to complete the update before June 30, 2011 or you will be dropped from the AHB database.