In order to successfully evaluate the performance of your employees, you need to have a comprehensive understanding of their roles.
And when it comes to recruitment, to ensure that you match the right candidate to the right job, a firm grasp is required of what that job entails. This is where a comprehensive job analysis can offer deeper insight.
When you understand a job analysis and how to implement it in your business, you can find the most qualified employee for a specific position.
That begs the question, what exactly is a job analysis? And how do you introduce this practice into your company?
What Is a Job Analysis
A job analysis is a detailed assessment of the conditions and significance of a particular job. And the skills required to perform it.
The focus is on the employee’s expertise and the specific expertise the job requires.
Job Analysis Vs Job Description
A job analysis is a systematic process by which one arrives at a job description.
When creating job descriptions, you should include the following information
- Scope of job role
- Tasks that must be performed when doing the job
- Duties the job entails
- Responsibilities when employed in that job role
- Working conditions surrounding the job position
- Skills, qualifications, and competencies required to carry out the job
Once you have collected data on the job requirements, working conditions, and skills best suited for the job, you can write an effective job description. Or improve an existing job description to find better talent.
A job analysis can also assist you in facilitating a job evaluation.
Job Analysis Vs Job Evaluation
A job evaluation assesses the performance of individuals in a specific role. It determines the worth of a particular job position compared to other job roles in the organization.
The job evaluation is an integral part of the process by which fair compensation is calculated for each job. You can use it to compare the compensation for a role across industries and amongst competitors.
This will allow you to reduce remuneration disparities and establish a fair pay scale.
In a job evaluation, job analysis data is used to determine compensation and salary structure for different positions in the company. Your employee remuneration system relies heavily on this data.
How To Implement Job Analysis in Your Business
Why is a detailed job analysis essential?
The job analysis process is vital to human resource management across all businesses. As mentioned, job analysis information has far-reaching implications for recruiting and establishing pay grades.
And decisions about a pay raise or promotions. These quantify as the strategic objectives of your job analysis.
The question is, how do you initiate the job analysis process in your work environment? Whether you have a dedicated human resources team or an outsourced job analyst, the job analysis methods remain the same.
Follow the steps below to achieve a well-rounded and functional job analysis.
Define The Job Expectations for a Role
Research is paramount for understanding what a position should entail. It is also essential that you outline what the business requirements are. And what the team dynamics require for a certain position.
Identify the tasks that need to be carried out by someone in that job role. Make a list and ask what the most critical tasks are. Establish the range of competencies and human attributes needed to perform specific tasks.
Go through your list of skills required for the job. Is each skill listed strictly necessary to perform in the role? Eliminate irrelevant data and hone in on the core duties. And the abilities required to complete them.
Which of those competencies on the list are common to other jobs in the company, and which are more specialized? Pinpoint the job-specific requirements. Do they require higher education? Could in-house upskilling programs provide the skill set required, or not?
Compare your observations to similar positions throughout the industry, and across industries. What remuneration package is typically offered for these skills and this job position?
Create A Position Analysis Questionnaire
Ask employees to fill out a questionnaire based on their job position. Ask about working conditions, mental and physical aspects of the job, and the attributes they believe qualify them to perform the role.
Enquire about their general daily tasks. As well as occasional job requirements they have experienced. Questions should be job-specific, requiring detailed answers. You can draw up a task inventory based on these answers.
Take note that a simple multiple-choice questionnaire may not suffice. The answers can be heavily biased by factors such as job satisfaction, employee engagement, and work attitudes. Rather, make the questionnaire as detailed as possible.
Interview Employees in Person
One-on-one interviews may be necessary to identify the finer points of a particular job role. As reviewing employee performance based on data alone can be misleading.
The critical incident technique is a performance appraisal tool that analyzes employees’ behavior in which they either performed better or worse than others in similar positions.
This also gives you the platform to assess to what degree an employee’s attitude and temperament contribute to their job success.
These are usually personality factors that have little to do with skills or competencies. Although job satisfaction also affects job performance.
The clues provide insight into the type of candidate best suited to the specific job position. Where a face-to-face interview is not feasible, video interviews are useful.
Conclusion
Functional job analysis helps identify the job specifications, and skill sets necessary to fulfill roles in an organization.
A comprehensive job analysis can be of great value to your HR team. This is because by outlining the core duties and details of all positions, you are able to prime employees to fulfill their roles according to the set-out standards.
