PSY339 Job Analysis PDF

PSY339 JOB ANALYSIS Introduction  A job is a collection of tasks that can be performed by a single employee to contribute to the production of some products or service provided by the organization.  Each job has certain ability requirements...

PSY339 JOB ANALYSIS Introduction  A job is a collection of tasks that can be performed by a single employee to contribute to the production of some products or service provided by the organization.  Each job has certain ability requirements (as well as certain rewards) associated with it. The employment contract has the expectations of the employer (job description) and the expectations of the expectations of the employees (corresponding rewards)  Job analysis is the process used to identity these requirements and the associated rewards. What is Job Analysis?  A job analysis is a systematic process of collecting data for determining the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOCs) required to perform a job successfully and make judgments about the nature of a specific job.  This analysis identifies a job’s activities, behaviors, tasks, and performance standards; the context in which the job is performed; and the personal requirements necessary to perform a job, such as personality, interests, physical characteristics, aptitudes, and job - related knowledge and skills. Each position is also analyzed in terms of its relationship to other positions in the organization.  Job analysis is often confused with job evaluation, but the two activities are quite different. Job evaluation is the process of comparing a job to other jobs within the organization to determine the appropriate pay rate  The immediate products of this analysis are job descriptions and job specifications a) Job Description is an important document, which is basically descriptive in nature and contains a statement of job Analysis. It provides both organizational information’s (like location in structure, authority etc.) and functional information (what the work is). It gives information about the scope of job activities, major responsibilities and positioning of the job in the organization. This information gives the worker, analyst, and supervisor with a clear idea of what the worker must do to meet the demand of the job. A job description contains the following items among others: 1. Job title / Job identification / Organization position: This includes the job title, alternative title, department, division and plant and code number of the job. The job title identifies and designates the job properly. The department, division etc., indicate the name of the department where it is situated and the location give the name of the place. 2. Location: The geographic location where the job will be executed 3. Job summary: This serves two important purposes. First is it gives additional identification information when a job title is not adequate; and secondly it gives a summary about that particular job. 4. Duties This gives a total listing of duties together with some indication of the frequency of occurrence or percentage of time devoted to each major duty. 5. Machines, tools and equipment: The information about the tools, machines and equipment to be used. 1|Page  6. Supervision given or received: This will give an idea of the span of control, the job titles of those to be supervised and the extent of supervision. 7. Working conditions: Information about the environment in which a jobholder must work. 8. Hazards: It gives us the nature of risks associated with the specific job and the possibilities of occurrence. b) Job specification is a written statement of qualifications, traits, physical and mental characteristics that an individual must possess to perform the job duties and discharge responsibilities effectively. Usually this information includes: 1. Physical specifications: The physical qualifications or physical capacities that vary from job to job such as height, weight, chest, vision, hearing, ability to lift weight, health, age, capacity to use or operate machines, tools, equipment etc. 2. Mental specifications: Ability to perform, arithmetical calculations, to interpret data, information blue prints, to read electrical circuits, ability to plan, reading abilities, scientific abilities, judgment, ability to concentrate, ability to handle variable factors, general intelligence, memory etc. 3. Emotional and social specifications: These include emotional stability, flexibility, social adaptability in human relationships, personal appearance including dress, posture etc. Emotional and social specifications are more important for the post of managers, supervisors, foremen etc. 4. Behavioral Specifications: These specifications include judgments, research, creativity, teaching ability, maturity, self-reliance, dominance etc. This specification play an important role in selecting the candidates for higher-level jobs in the organizational hierarchy, and seeks to describe the acts of managers rather than the traits that cause the acts. Importance of Job Analysis  Job analysis is used as the basis for many HRM activities. This is because job analysis provides information on what a job entails, the context it is performed and the skills and abilities required to perform it.  Important HR functions depend on the outcome of Job analysis. These functions include: recruitment and selection, performance management, training and development, compensation and benefits among others. Recruitment and Selection  Job analysis identifies the KSAOCs required for each position. It identifies the minimum education, certification, or licensing requirements. It also identifies the essential tasks and responsibilities of the job.  A job analysis is critical when an organization uses pre-employment examinations for selection and promotion. Tests must be job related; the knowledge, skills, abilities, personality variables, and constructs to be tested need to be identified through an up - to - date job analysis.  An organization does not know what knowledge, skills, and abilities to test for unless it knows what competencies are required for successful performance. 2|Page Compensation Management  Compensation is typically related to a job’s requirements, such as education, the skills and experience needed to perform the job, and whether the employee is working in hazardous conditions.  A job analysis provides a standardized procedure for systematically determining pay and other benefits across the organization.  It provides all employees with a basis for gaining a common understanding of the values of each job, its relationship to other jobs, and the requirements necessary to perform it. Human resources planning, career development, and training  Job analysis information can help employers design training and career development programs by identifying the skills required for different jobs.  Available information helps all employees understand promotion and transfer requirements and recognize career opportunities.  Identifying the knowledge, skill, and responsibility requirements of each job makes it possible to train and develop employees for promotional opportunities. Performance Evaluation  Performance standards should be derived from what employees actually do on the job  A job analysis identifies the tasks and responsibilities that employees perform in the course of their jobs  Areas of accountability can be identified and evaluation standards developed Risk Management  A job analysis can be used to identify job hazards such as exposure to flammable materials or complicated machinery.  Employers should use this information to develop training programs to alert employees to possible dangers.  Included in this are health, safety, and security issues. Job Design  Jobs are arranged around a set of work activities designed to enable the organization to carry out its mission  External and internal changes, however, often force organizations to rearrange or restructure work activities  The traditional tasks associated with a particular job change over time; a job analysis is necessary to identify and accommodate these changes 3|Page Steps in Job Analysis The first steps in conducting a job analysis are to define the purpose behind the analysis and then to determine what information is required. Specifically, job analysis involves the following steps: 1. Collecting and recording job information 2. Checking the job information for accuracy. 3. Writing job description based on the information 4. Using the information to determine the skills, abilities and knowledge that are required on the job. 5. Updating the information from time to time. Methods of Job Analysis Interview  The analyst interviews the incumbent performing the job, the immediate supervisor, or another subject matter expert (SME), or a combination of all three, about the essential functions of the position. Questionnaire  Subject matter experts are asked to complete an open ended questionnaire. The job incumbent usually is asked to complete the questionnaire first, and then the supervisor is asked to review it to add anything that may have been neglected or to clarify statements made by the incumbent. Observation  The analyst observes the incumbent performing the job and records what he or she sees. This method works primarily for jobs in which activities or behaviors are readily observable. This method would not work well for intellectual or cognitive processes. Diary or log  Employees are asked to keep track of and record their daily activities and the time they spend on each. A work diary or log is a record maintained by the employee and includes the frequency and timing of tasks. The employee keeps logs over a period of days or weeks. HR analyzes the logs, identifies patterns and translates them into duties and responsibilities. This method provides an enormous amount of data, but much of it is difficult to interpret, may not be job-related and is difficult to keep up-to-date. Critical incident technique  Job experts generate a list of good and poor examples of performance that job incumbents exhibit. These behaviors are then grouped into job dimensions.  The final list of job dimensions and respective critical incidents provides information about a job and the behaviors associated with success or failure. 4|Page   A critical incident should possess four characteristics: it should be specific , focus on observable behaviors that have been exhibited on the job, describe the context in which the behavior occurred, and indicate the consequences of the behavior. Combination of all methods  Depending on the purpose of the job analysis and the targeted jobs, it may be necessary to use a combination of all of the methods introduced here. Not all jobs lend themselves to observation  Many public and nonprofit incumbents sit behind desks, use personal computers, and talk on the telephone.  An analyst can observe those behaviors but will not understand the cognitive processes that accompany them or the requisite educational requirements and knowledge that may be specific to each position Sources:  https://books.google.com.ng  http://ebooks.narotama.ac.id/files/Human%20Resources%20Management%20in%20Public %20and%20Nonprofit%20Organizations%20(3rd%20Edition)/Chapter%206%20%20Job% 20Analysis.pdf  https://www.bbalectures.com/job-analysis-methods/  https://keydifferences.com/difference-between-job-analysis-and-job-description.html  https://www.mbaskool.com/business-concepts/human-resources-hr-terms/1797-job- analysis.html  https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and- samples/toolkits/pages/performingjobanalysis.aspx 5|Page