Job Analysis
A
job analysis is the process used to collect information about the duties,
responsibilities, necessary skills, outcomes, and work environment of a particular
job. You need as much data as possible to put together a job description, which
is the frequent outcome of the job analysis. Additional outcomes include recruiting
plans, position postings and
advertisements, and performance development planning
within your performance management system.
Job analysis is the formal process of identifying the
content of a job in terms activities involved and attributes needed to perform
the work and identifies major job requirements. Job analysis was conceptualized
by two of the founders of industrial/organizational
psychology, Frederick
Taylor and Lillian
Moller Gilbreth in the early 20th century. Job analyses provide
information to organizations which helps to determine which employees are best
fit for specific jobs. Through job analysis, the analyst needs to understand
what the important tasks of the job are, how they are carried out, and the
necessary human qualities needed to complete the job successfully.
The job analysis may
include these activities:
- reviewing
the job responsibilities of current employees,
- doing
Internet research and viewing sample job descriptions
online or offline highlighting similar jobs,
- analyzing
the work duties, tasks, and responsibilities that need to be accomplished
by the employee filling the position,
- researching
and sharing with other companies that have similar jobs, and
- articulation
of the most important outcomes or contributions needed from the position.
Job evaluation
A
job evaluation is a systematic
way of determining the value/worth of a job in relation to
other jobs in an organization. It tries to make a systematic comparison between
jobs to assess their relative worth for the purpose of establishing a rational
pay structure.
Job
evaluation is a method for comparing different jobs to provide a basis for a
grading and pay structure. Its aim is to evaluate the job, not the jobholder,
and to provide a relatively objective means of assessing the demands of a job.
It is an assessment of the
relative worth of various jobs on the basis of a
consistent set of job
and personal factors, such as qualifications and skills required.
The
objective of job
evaluation is to determine which jobs should get more pay than others.
Several methods such as job
ranking, job grading, and factor comparison are employed in job
evaluation. Research indicates,
however, that each method is nearly as accurate and reliable
as the other in ranking and pricing different jobs. Job evaluation forms the basis for wage and salary negotiations.
The job evaluation process
established the relative value of jobs throughout the university. There are two
steps involved in this process:
1.
Job Analysis and Job Description - Using a "job
profile," the content of each job is analyzed to identify key duties,
responsibilities, and qualification necessary to perform the job. Written job
descriptions are then prepared to contain this information.
2.
Job Evaluation - A computer
assisted job evaluation plan, measuring 17 dimensions of nonexempt work and 28
dimensions of exempt work, is used
to evaluate the relative worth of staff positions. This evaluation process
focuses on valuing the content of each position in terms of a series of well
defined compensable factors.
Job description
A job description is a list that a person might
use for general tasks, or functions, and responsibilities
of a position. It may often include to whom the position reports,
specifications such as the qualifications
or skills needed by the person in the job, or a salary range. Job descriptions are
usually narrative,[1] but some may
instead comprise a simple list of competencies; for instance, strategic
human resource planning methodologies may be used to develop a competency
architecture for an organization, from which job descriptions are
built as a shortlist of competencies.
Job descriptions are
written statements that describe the:
- duties,
- responsibilities,
- most
important contributions and outcomes needed from a position,
- required
qualifications of candidates, and
- reporting
relationship and coworkers of a particular job.
Job
descriptions are based on objective information obtained through job analysis, an
understanding of the competencies and skills required to accomplish needed
tasks, and the needs of the organization to produce work.
The
best job descriptions are living, breathing documents that are updated as
responsibilities change. They do not limit employees, but rather, cause them to
stretch their experience, grow their skills, and develop their ability to
contribute within their organization.