Human Resource

Management
UNIT 3
Job Analysis

4-1
Orientation Activity
 Watch video entitled:
“This is what makes employees happy at work | The Way We
Work, a TED series”

https://youtu.be/PYJ22-YYNW8

Discussion Session: Important points to share

 Learning Objectives
 Understand the importance of Job Analysis
 Review HRM activities – organizational structure
and design; HR development and training
performance appraisals, career development;
labour relations, safety and health, etc
 Understand the Job Analysis Process (Steps)
 Differentiate between a job description and job
specification
 Review the Job Analysis Methods: 1) observation
methods; (2) interview techniques; (3) 4-3

questionnaires,
 Key Terms
 Job Analysis: Studying and under-standing
jobs through the process known as job
analysis is a vital part of any HRM program
 Job Specification: A job specification is a
document containing the minimum acceptable
qualifications that a person should possess in
order to perform a particular job

4-4
 Key Terms
 Job Description: A job description is a written
statement of what the jobholder actually does,
how he or she does it, and under what
conditions the job is performed.
 Job Evaluation: It suggests about the
relevant importance of a particular job in
organization.

4-5
 Job Analysis
 Job Analysis is the SYSTEMATIC process of
collecting and making judgments about all the
important information related to a job. Job
analysis is the procedure through which you
determine the duties and nature of the jobs
and the kinds of people who should be hired
for them. You can utilize the information it
provides to write job descriptions and job
specifications that are utilized in recruitment
and selection, compensation, performance
appraisal, and training.
 Job Analysis
Job Analysis: systematically identifying
tasks, duties and responsibilities expected to
be performed in a job as well as
competencies to be successful
 Job descriptions—written summaries of
the specific tasks
 Job specifications—competencies
required by a jobholder to be able to
perform the job successfully 4-7
 Importance of Job Analysis
A sound job analysis system is extremely critical
for numerous reasons.
 Staffing—All areas of staffing would be
haphazard if the recruiter did not know the
qualifications needed to perform the job.
 Training And Development—if the specification
suggests that the job requires a particular
knowledge, skill, or ability—and the person
filling the position does not possess all the
qualifications required—training and/or
4-8
development is probably in order.
 Importance of Job Analysis
 Safety and Health—Information derived from
job analysis is also valuable in identifying
safety and health considerations.
 Employee and Labor Relations—
Regardless of whether the firm is unionized,
information obtained through job analysis can
often lead to more objective human resource
decisions.
4-9
 Importance of Job Analysis
 Legal Considerations—having properly
accomplished a job analysis is particularly
important for supporting the legality of
employment practices.

4-10
 Types of Job Analysis
Information
 Considerable information is needed if job
analysis is to be accomplished successfully.
 Knowledge of the types of machines, tools,
equipment, and work aids that are used in
performing the job is important. Some job
analysis systems identify the standards that
are established for the job.

4-11
 Questions the Job Analysis
should answer
 What physical and mental tasks does the
worker accomplish?
 When does the job have to be completed?
 Where is the job to be accomplished?
 How does the worker do the job?
 Why is the job done?
 What qualifications are needed to perform the
job?
 What are the conditions under which this job
4-12

has to be done?
 When is the Job Analysis
Conducted?
Job analysis is conducted under following
situations.
 When the organization is founded - When
organizations are created complete
information about jobs to be performed is
collected through job analysis.
 When new jobs are created - When jobs are
changed significantly as a result of new
technologies, methods, procedures,
organizational review process.
 Uses of the Job Analysis
Information
 Recruitment and Selection – Job
descriptions and job specifications are
formed from the information gathered from a
job analysis, which help management decide
what sort of people to recruit and hire.
 Compensation – The estimated value and
the appropriate compensation for each job is
determined from the information gathered
from a job analysis.
4-14
 Uses of the Job Analysis
Information
 Performance Appraisal – Managers use job
analysis to determine a job’s specific
activities and performance standards.
 Training & Development – Based on the job
analysis, the job description should show the
job’s required activities and skills.
 Discovering Unassigned Duties – Job
analysis can help reveal unassigned duties.

4-15
 Job Analysis Outcomes
A job description is a written statement of
what the jobholder actually does, how he or she
does it, and under what conditions the job is
performed. There is no standard format for
writing job descriptions, but most descriptions
include sections on:
 job identification

 job summary

 relationships, responsibilities, and duties

4-16
 Job Analysis Outcomes
 authority of incumbent
 standards of performance
 working conditions
 job specifications

4-17
 Activity 1
Discussion Questions:
 Have you ever gotten a job without a job description?

 Were you able to do your job effectively understanding

your roles and responsibilities?
 How would the job description correct the problem/s
identified?

Let us watch this video entitled:

“What is Job Description, Its purpose & importance”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzXRaJCZdFI

4-18
 Job Descriptions
 A written summary of specific tasks,
responsibilities and working conditions of a
job
 Includes the following:
 Job title
 Job identification specifying important aspects of job
 Essential duties and responsibilities
 Job specifications—the competencies that are
required (knowledge, skills, abilities)
 Job Specifications
 A job specification is a document
containing the minimum acceptable
qualifications that a person should possess in
order to perform a particular job. Items
typically included in the job specification are
educationa requirements, experience,
personality traits, and physical abilities.

4-20
 Job Evaluation
 In Job Evaluation process the worth of job
is identified based upon job comparability and
according to worth, importance of job and
relative value Compensation is designed and
selected.

4-21
 Job Design
 Determining job tasks and responsibilities
employees are expected to perform
 Key issues to consider:
 Which tasks should be emphasized?
 How simple or complex are these tasks?
 How many tasks can employees perform?
 How much flexibility is given to employees?
 Why Perform Job Design
 Each job is unique and adds value in different
ways
 How employees will perform their jobs will
affect employees’ contributions
 Determine if design approach will be oriented
toward achieving employee efficiency or
employee motivation
Two Approaches in the Job
Design
 Efficiency Approach
 Motivational Approach
 Efficiency Approach
 Scientific management pioneered by Frederick
Taylor in 1911 sought to maximize efficiency
 Emphasized standardization of production
processes
 Time and motion studies were conducted
 Job specialization focused on breaking jobs
down into core elements
 Repetition increased skill and speed
 Efficiency Approach (cont’d)

 Job simplification removed decision-making

authority from employees and placed it with a
supervisor
 Training requirements were reduced
 Lack of complexity and variety in jobs led to
boredom, fatigue, and diminished satisfaction
 Motivational Approach
 Maximized employee’s drive to work as hard as
possible
 Focused on making jobs more interesting,
challenging and complex
 Job characteristics model—identified 5 job
dimensions and 3 psychological states that
affect motivation and satisfaction
 Growth need strength—extent to which
individuals need to learn and be challenged
 Improving Motivation and
Satisfaction

 Changing job tasks—modifying job to make it

less boring and more satisfying:
 Job enlargement—assigning additional tasks,
increasing volume or variety
 Job rotation—moving workers from one job to another
in a systematic manner (also a training tool)
 Job enrichment—increasing level of responsibility or
control over tasks of a job
 Empowerment—employees have input and authority
over how they work and participate in decisions
 Employee Teams
 Groups who work collaboratively toward a
common goal
 Work teams—well defined, stable, full-time
members
 Parallel teams—cross functional group to address
problem or issue (members retain their formal
positions as well)
 Project teams—exist for limited time to accomplish
an objective
 Self-managed teams—members work
collaboratively to make decisions, hire, plan,
schedule work, and accomplish goals
 Activity 2
“MBA 101 Strategic HRM, Job Analysis &
Job Design”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2_U_v
sfr6I

4-30
 Performing a Job Analysis
 Observation: job analyst observes and
documents activities performed while
employee works (helps reduce bias but
difficult to capture all aspects of job)

 Diary: employee keeps log of tasks and

activities (may only log tasks they tend to
emphasize and leave out others)
 Job Analysis (cont’d)

 Interview: job analyst conducts structured

interviews of jobholder and supervisor (time-
consuming and may be inaccurate)

 Questionnaire: standard questionnaire

administered to large number of employees
performing the job (requires considerable time up-
front, doesn’t offer opportunity for follow-up
 Job Analysis Techniques
Standardized approach:
 Use a single instrument (questionnaire or
O*NET) to collect data
 Use Functional Job Analysis (FJA) to
compare jobs by focusing on job dimensions
that apply to all jobs
 Use Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)
which is a standardized survey measuring
behaviors needed to perform job
 O*NET

 Occupational Information Network located at

www.online.onetcenter.org
 Free source of job information created by
Department of Labor
 Information for more than 800 occupations
including summary of tasks and job
specifications
 Job Analysis Techniques
Customized approach:
 Critical incidents approach focuses on
specific descriptions of work activities that
distinguish good from poor performance
 Task inventory approach focuses on
collecting information to identify tasks needed
to be performed on job
 Job element approach focuses on analyzing
employee competencies rather than on tasks
to be performed
 Strategy and Job Design
 Drives how managers structure jobs to be
performed
 May be based on teamwork in companies
focused on creativity and innovation
 May be structured to maximize efficiencies in
companies that compete on costs
 Company Characteristics
and Job Design
Smaller companies:
 Have a more fluid, open-ended approach to job
design
 Need employees to perform multiple tasks and
wider array of tasks
Larger companies:
 Have more bureaucracy and specialization
 Need more rules and regulations on how work is
done
 Employee Impact
Employee stress may result from unclearly
defined roles
 Role overload—too many expectations or
demands placed on employees
 Role underload—having too few
expectations or demands
 Role ambiguity—uncertainty about daily
tasks expected and how to perform them
 Role Conflict—tension caused by
incompatible or contradictory demands
 Flexible Work Arrangements
 Flextime—employees choose starting and/or
ending time
 Compressed workweek—reduce number of
days worked (four 10-hour days)
 Job sharing—two employees work part time
to complete a single job responsibilities
May be effective in attracting and retaining
workers and facilitate work/family balance
Other Impacts on Job Design
 Availability of skills sets in the labor market
 Aging of the workforce and supply of workers
 Availability of technology (Internet, e-mail,
videoconferencing) and trend toward virtual
teams
 Globalization with employees in multiple
countries
 Diversity and cross-cultural issues
 Job Design and Stress
 Survey of most stressful jobs found
paramedics, teachers and social workers had
most stress
 40% of employees claim jobs are “extremely
stressful”
 Reasons included heavy workload, infrequent
breaks, long hours, routine work with little
meaning or uncertain expectations, lack of
control
How to Change an Organization
to Prevent Job Stress
 Physical Conditions
of Job Design

Eliminate the following unpleasant conditions:

 Extreme hot or cold temperatures

 Lack of privacy

 Extensive noise

 Tasks with extended physically exertion

Solutions to Address Job Stress
 Ergonomics—design of tasks, jobs,
environments to make them compatible with
needs, abilities and limitations of people
 Job rotation—employees alternate between
tasks that require high and low physical
exertion
 Job Analysis
 Essential functions: job tasks, duties and
responsibilities required of a person in a job
 Job Analysis helps address issue of reasonable
accommodation and modifications to how work
is done. Includes:
 Changes to enable people with disabilities to
perform essential functions of a job
 Modifying work schedules
 Modifying equipment or making facilities accessible
Job Design and Employee Safety
 OSHA oversees guidelines for employee safety
and health
 Guidelines for job design include:
 Exposure to hazardous chemicals
 Regulations for machine operators
 Requirements for protective equipment
 Standards for working surfaces and environments
 Steps in Job Analysis Process
 Identify how the information will be used
because that will determine what data will be
collected and how it should be collected.
Interviewing and position analysis
questionnaire are some examples of data
collection techniques.

 Review relevant background information,

such as organization charts, process charts,
and job descriptions.
 Steps in Job Analysis Process
 Select representative positions to analyze
because there may be too many similar jobs
to analyze, and it may not be necessary to
analyze them all.
 Analyze the job by collecting data on job
activities, required employee behaviors,
working conditions, and human traits and
abilities needed to perform the job.