Question #2 – Job Analysis

What is job analysis?

“The systematic procedure for gathering, analyzing, and documenting information about jobs within an organization” (Drost)

“A record of observable behaviors or observable work products” (Uniform Guidelines 1978)

What is the written result of job analysis?

“The written result of a job analysis is a set of job descriptions that clearly denote the knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics (KSAOC’s) necessary for successful job performance (and meeting organizational goals and long-term strategies)” (Drost)

Knowledge

Skills

Abilities/Attributes

Other Characteristics

Why is job analysis often referred to as the “cornerstone” of human resource information? In other words, explain how job analysis information is used in developing effective policies and procedures for the various HR functions (e.g., FEP issues, recruitment, etc., etc., etc.).

“job analysis is necessary for selection, training, compensation, performance appraisal and separation decisions.” (Clifford)

Summary of Dr. Drost’s lecture/power point

1.  Legal Compliance: any employment decision should be based on a job-related decision (both for fairness and legal compliance)

  1. Determining job-relatedness is “rooted in demonstrating a clear relationship between the employment practice in question and the job description”

2.  Recruitment: carefully specify the characteristics of the individual that you are seeking

  1. Identify critical tasks & those which require high skill levels
  2. Develop recruitment/hiring procedures around high skill levels
  3. Clear audit trail back to critical tasks included in job analysis
  4. Clear relationship between recruitment success and
  5. accuracy/completeness of job postings,
  6. communicating unique or unusual info about job/organization
  7. providing job candidates with a comprehensive overview of job & organization

3.  Characteristics (job or individuals) important to:

  1. Know what kind of selection tools you should use
  2. Effectively review applications/resumes
  3. Develop job-related interview questions
  4. Develop job-related work sample tests or work simulations
  5. Determine which personality traits should be assessed

4.  Performance Appraisal: instrument must be closely linked to job description

  1. Must focus on job-related/performance related factors:
  2. How well does employee meet organizational goals and long-term strategies?
  3. This feedback is vital to employee’s

Development

Motivation

Satisfaction

5.  Compensation: should be tied to high performance

  1. to reward for merit you must be able to accurately assess merit

Summary of Job Analysis: Why Do It, and How Should It Be Done? by James P. Clifford

Job Analysis Principles:

1.  all jobs can be analyzed and recorded

a.  people do not behave in random fashion

b.  people can talk about their jobs in an organized, systematic manner

c.  job training could not occur if it were not possible to analyze & define jobs

2.  job analysis can enhance communication

DOL (1972): Verb, Immediate Object, and Infinitive Phrase

Job analysis should answer question: “what do you want me to do?”

Overly detailed descriptions will overwhelm employer/employee and impede communication

3.  the process can accommodate change

a.  jobs are dynamic & constantly changing

  1. employment decisions based on static analysis may be suspect

4.  employees and employers can understand and contribute to the process

a.  reasonable and simple

  1. relative frequency of tasks
  2. relative difficulty of tasks

5.  Job analysis can be the basis for all major personnel decisions

a.  Selection and hire

b.  Performance evaluation

  1. Did employee do what he was asked to do? At acceptable quality level?

c.  Training/development

  1. Identify different skills needed for each job
  2. Marginal skill differences necessary for proficiency at different jobs

d.  Compensation

e.  Job design

f.  Work force projections; work force reduction or expansion decisions

6.  Skills, knowledge and ability can operationally defined: If terms are used in assessment they must be operationally defined (Uniform Guidelines, 1978)

a.  Skill: having performed the work

i.  Proficient at driving a car

b.  Knowledge: knowing how to perform the work but not having performed it

i.  Taken courses in driving but has not actually driven a car

c.  Ability: having physical, emotional, intellectual and psychological ability to perform the work but neither having done the work nor having been trained to do the work.

i.  Has potential to drive but has neither been trained nor demonstrated proficiency at driving a car

d.  Determining min. skills for job should track back to min. skill requirement for individual tasks in job analysis

7.  Job analysis based on observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management

a.  By concentrating on behaviors and work products, there is a much greater probability of organization selecting a skilled person the first time (Clifford)

8.  Nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the work of a job is already written