Job Analysis and Design

Job Analysis

Job Analysis is referred to the process of collecting and analysing jobs to define the job responsibilities, requirements and the conditions under which the job is to be performed.

The purpose and objectives of job analysis can be categorised into the following segments

• Recruitment and Selection: Job analysis is very important to include job duties in advertisements for vacant positions, to decide the level of salary for the positions, to determine minimum education and/or experience requirements, to determine interview questions and selection tests / written or oral tests, to prepare appraisal forms for applicants, and to arrange for orientation materials for new hires.
• Job Evaluation: Job analysis helps in assessing the value of jobs within an organisation and establishing just compensation levels.
• Job Design: Job analysis is significant in reducing manpower costs, streamlining work processes, enhancing productivity and manpower employment, improving job satisfaction of the employees and providing them greater scheduling flexibility, simplifying activity complexities, and identifying what tasks to be performed, how, where and who to perform them.
• Compensation and Benefits: Job analysis can be used in determining compensation and benefits of the employees by considering their level of skills, compensation job factors, responsibilities, level of education and the work environment.
• Performance Appraisal: Job analysis is also very critical in performance appraisals to identify or develop objectives, performance standards, evaluation criteria, length of probationary periods and tasks to be performed.
• Training and Development: Job analysis is also needed in assessing training requirements of the manpower, including training content, assessment tests, equipment required and methods of training, such as computer-based, classroom, video, etc.
• Compliance with Labour Law: Job analysis identifies the requirements to be fulfilled in compliance with labour laws.
• Productivity: Last but not the least, job analysis also enhances productivity. Time and motion studies or micro-motion analysis can be used during job analysis in order to decide on the time and motion for a particular job position. Job analysis also helps in identifying performance criteria for improved performance among workers.

Job Analysis Approaches – There are three fundamental approaches to job analysis

Job-oriented Approach – The job-oriented approach mainly focuses on the job outcomes and factors facilitating these outcomes. This approach essentially forms the reasons for the existence of a particular job. For instance, the activities a receptionist is expected to execute and how they could contribute to the organisation’s objectives are the discussants in this approach.

Employee-oriented Approach – This approach focuses on the behavioural patterns of the employees in performing their respective jobs. For instance, the behaviours of the receptionist can lead to the desired outcomes of the position. The receptionist is required to be methodical in taking appointments, important calls and making reservations, in addition to be presentable and courteous to the clients and guests.

Trait-oriented Approach – The trait-oriented approach focuses on the traits required to accomplish job activities. For instance, the reception required to be pleasant and courteous can be linked with the personality trait of service orientation. However, this approach seeks more complex procedures since a single trait may contribute to job performance in over one activity.

Steps in Job Analysis

Job Analysis involves eight critical steps for its effective implementation in the HR departments.

Step 1: Assimilate information

The first step requires the HR manager to obtain the description of the official as well as existing positions. Examine the organisation charts closely and decide on the employee having recently filled the position to be interviewed, especially in cases when the position requirements have not changed and the employee has efficiently performed the job responsibilities and met expectations.

Step 2: Seek Assistance

The second step is to discuss the key duties of the job position with a Subject Matter Expert (SME) who holds an insight into such positions that had performed successfully in the past and consult with an HR professional with expertise on personnel management, classification standards, qualifications standards guidebook and assessment statements.

Step 3: Identify important job responsibilities

Identify the key responsibilities of the job position and record them, of which focus on three to five most critical ones that constitute 25% of the employee’s time. Also focus on the duties having direct influence on organisation’s mission objectives, to ensure that the job analysis is focused on the most important job responsibilities.

Step 4: Identify the KSAs required and Proficiencies

Document the knowledge, skills, ability and competency required to perform each important job activity with success. KSAs and proficiencies should not be rigorous in order to eliminate existing employees performing similar job function. They should be differentiated from each other to do justice to filling the position. ‘Knowledge’ refers to detailed information held by an individual that may be directly related to the job performance, including facts, system, theories, ideas, procedures, concepts, events and cases emanating from formal education, personal experience or training. ‘Skill’ refers to the demonstrated and recognizable proficiencies or competencies to perform a job function conveniently.

This may involve using machinery, tools or automated systems, equipment, and showcases measurable performance. ‘Ability’ refers to holding the competence (not to be confused with potential) to perform a behaviour resulting into a perceived product. Ability is a broader and abstract concept than knowledge or skills. ‘Proficiency’ refers to the measurable pattern of behaviours among employees, a key to effective job performance. These can be both theoretical or practical understanding of subject matter and learned or natural capacities to job performance, such as oral communication, customer service, leadership and flexibility.

Step 5: Identify selective placement factors

After determining the responsibilities and the key KSAs and proficiencies, next step should be to identify any additional placement factors, a candidate should pass before being placed onto the new position. These responsibilities are called Selective Placement Factors (SPFs). While using these factors as parameters, make sure they are included into the minimum qualification requirements of a particular job position. Those who do not meet the SPFs are rated as “not qualified”. An SPF is not a KSA that can be acquired or learned on the job. You may like to identify what is important for selectees to possess before they join organisation and what can be learned on the job via specific training or new-hire orientation. These placement factors are not used by organisations in cases of lower-grade job positions as such positions do not require specialised knowledge to perform the tasks allocated.

Step 6: Certify KSAs and competencies in assessment methodologies

Make sure that each of the KSAs and competencies can be measured through information given on the applicant’s resume, and is certified by assessment methods such as questionnaires, interviews, reference checks, etc. Find out if all KSAs and competencies can be rated through a written record of the applicant on the specified criteria.

Step 7: Define the rating criteria of KSAs and competencies

The next step is to define the rating criteria to measure KSAs and competencies of an applicant in order of importance, from ‘Most Important’ to ‘Least Important’ with a 1, 2 and 3 rating scale. During the procedure, you need to take into account factors such as the level of difficulty, performance frequency, level of complexity and the consequences of the candidate performing KSAs and competencies inadequately. The rating scale is very imperative for the development of the crediting plan and rating categories.

Step 8: Create a linkage of job functions with specific KSAs and/or competencies

The last but not the least step takes you through creating a list of key activities and associating them against each KSA and competency identified to perform a particular job. For instance, the KSA or competency can be written communication in order to perform job activities involving preparing presentations, authoring website content, authoring standard operating procedures (SOPs) and designing marketing materials.

Once you are through with completing the above 8 steps, you have completed job analysis successfully. Make sure you sign the results of job analysis with the date and provide it to HR professional, while keeping a copy for records purposes.

Job Design

Job Design specifies the job content, the tools and equipment required to perform the job, and the job’s relation to other jobs. A clever job design helps in achieving the strategic business objectives of an organization by organizing work structure such that the management needs for efficiency are integrated with the employee needs for satisfaction.

Job designs can be prepared with the following methods

• Job Specialization: It makes use of standardized work procedures and allows employees to perform redundant, yet specifically defined tasks.
• Job Enlargement: This refers to adding to the line of tasks to be performed to the existing line of activities.
• Job Rotation: This means increase in task range by shifting employees between jobs involving different activities on periodic basis.
• Job Enrichment: It brings basic changes to the job content and hence, the level of responsibility.
• Socio-technical Enrichment: It emphasizes on integrating employees with technology.
• Autonomous Work Teams: This signifies job improvement at the group level, in the sense that, self-managed teams are set up by the employer.