Understanding Job Analysis

• Job analysis is a systematic study used to determine a job's specifications and skill requirements.
• Job analysis is used for HR functions like wage-setting, recruitment, training, performance management, and job redesign.

Job Analysis Terminology

• A job is a group of related activities and duties.
  • It may be held by one or several employees.
• A position is a collection of tasks and responsibilities performed by an individual

HRM Activities Relying on Job Analysis

• Improves employee productivity levels through careful job study.
• Eliminates unnecessary job requirements that could lead to discrimination.
• Aids in creating job advertisements to attract qualified applicants.
• Matches job applicants to job requirements.
• Assists in planning future human resource needs.
• Determines employee onboarding and training needs.
• Ensures fair and equitable employee compensation.
• Identifies realistic and challenging performance standards.
• Redesigns jobs to enhance performance, morale, and quality of work life.
• Provides a basis for fair and accurate employee performance appraisal.

Steps in Job Analysis

• Preparation for job analysis is the first phase.
• Collection of job analysis information is the second phase.
• Use of job analysis information is the third phase.

Phase 1: Preparation Steps

• Become familiar with the organization and its jobs.
• Determine the uses of job analysis information.
• Identify the jobs that need to be analyzed.

Phase 2: Collection of Job Analysis Information Steps

• Determine the sources of job data, including human and nonhuman sources.
• Identify the required data:
  • Job Identification (e.g., job title)
  • Duties (e.g., the job tasks)
  • Responsibilities (e.g., equipment operation, supervisory responsibility)
  • Human Characteristics (e.g., lifting, hearing)
  • Working Conditions (e.g., exposure to hot or cold)
  • Performance Standards (e.g., how well the job needs to be performed)
• Methods for data collection that can be chosen:
  • Interviews
  • Focus groups
  • Questionnaires
  • Employee logs
  • Observation
  • Combinations

Phase 3: Use of Job Analysis Information

• Job descriptions
• Job specifications
• Job standards
• Competency models

Job Description Contents

• Key parts of a job description:
  • Job identity
  • Job summary
  • Duties and responsibilities
  • Working conditions
  • Approvals

Job Identity

• Common elements of a job's identity:
  • Job title, job location, job code
  • National Occupational Classification (NOC)
  • Skill level and skill type
  • Industry and occupational mobility

Job Summary and Duties

• It summarizes the job in a few sentences.
  • Indicates what the job is
  • Indicates how the job is done
• Explains what the job requires.
  • Each major duty is described in terms of the actions expected.

Working Conditions and Approvals

• Working conditions may go beyond descriptions of the physical environment.
  • Hours of work, safety and health hazards, travel requirements, and other job features.
• Approvals are reviewed by jobholders and supervisors.

Job Specifications

• A written statement that explains the human knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) needed for a job.
• Includes experience, specific tools, actions, education, and training required.
• Includes physical and mental demands on jobholders.

Job Performance Standards

• Performance level expected from an employee:
  • Objectives or targets for employee efforts
  • Criteria for measuring job success
• Can be informed by job analysis information.
• Alternative sources (e.g. industry standards)

Competency

• Knowledge, skills, ability, or behaviour associated with success on the job
• Broader in scope than KSAOs (e.g. communication)
• Competency Model (competency framework): Describes a group of competencies required in a particular job
• Competency Matrix: A list of the level of each competency required for several jobs at an organization

Organizational Considerations

• Efficiency
  • Achieving maximal output with minimal input
  • Scientific management & industrial engineering principles
  • Stresses efficiency in effort, time, labour costs, training, and employee learning time
• Work flow
  • Sequence of and balance between jobs in an organization needed to produce the firm's goods or services

Ergonomic Considerations

• Considers the physical relationship between the worker and the work
• Fitting the task to the worker rather than forcing employees to adapt to the task
• Efficiency and productivity can improve.
• Workplace safety

Employee Considerations

• Autonomy: Having control over one's work & response to work environment
• Variety: Opportunity to use different skills or perform different activities
• Task Identity: Feeling of responsibility or pride from doing an entire piece of work
• Feedback: Information that helps evaluate success or failure
• Task Significance: Knowing that one's work is important

Job Specialization

• Job Rotation
• Job Enlargement
• Job Enrichment
• Employee Involvement and Work Teams

Environmental Considerations

• Workforce Availability
  • Abilities and availability of the people who will do the work
• Social Expectations
  • Expectations of larger society and workers
• Work Practices
  • Set ways of performing work

Job Analysis in the Gig Economy

• Adopt a future-oriented style when describing job activities and specifications
• Focus on new competencies required
• Will continue to be relevant for legal compliance and defensibility