Chapter-4 (Job analysis)

Job Analysis

Job analysis is a systematic and detailed examination of jobs. It is a procedure for determining
the duties and skill requirements of a job and the kind of person who should be hired for it.

Job analysis is the procedure through which company determines the duties and nature of the
jobs and the kinds of people who should be hired for their goal. It provides to write job
descriptions and job specifications, which are utilized in recruitment and selection,
compensation, performance appraisal, and training.

According to Scott, Clother and Spriegel “job analysis is the process of critically evaluating
the operations, duties and responsibilities of the job”.

It includes-

 Job description: is the written summary of tasks, duties and responsibilities of a job.

 Job specification: the minimum skill, education and experience necessary for an
individual to do a job.
 Job evaluation: is a systematic procedure for finding the relative worth of each job.
  Job Description

Job description includes basic job-related data that is useful to advertise a specific job and attract
a pool of talent. It includes information such as job title, job location, reporting to and of
employees, job summary, nature and objectives of a job, tasks and duties to be performed,
working conditions, machines, tools and equipment’s to be used by a prospective worker and
hazards involved in it.

 Job Specification:

Also known as employee specifications, a job specification is a written statement of educational

qualifications, specific qualities, level of experience, physical, emotional, technical and
communication skills required to perform a job, and other unusual sensory demands. It also
includes general health, mental health, intelligence, aptitude, memory, judgment, leadership
skills, emotional ability, adaptability, flexibility, values and ethics, manners and creativity, etc.

Differences between a job description and a job specification-

Content

 Job description usually lists out the job title, location, job summary, working
environment, duties to be performed on the job, etc.

 Job specification lists out the qualifications, experience, training, skills, emotional
attributes, mental capabilities of an individual to perform the job.

Measures

 Job description measures the tasks and responsibilities attached to the job.

 Job specification measures the capabilities that the job holder must possess to perform the
job.

Usefulness

 Job description offers ample information about the job which helps the management in
evaluating the job performance and defining the training needs of an employee.

 Job specification helps the candidates who are applying for a job to analyze whether they
are eligible for a particular job or not.
Benefits

 Job description statement helps the organization to be clear about “Who should do what”.

 Job specification statement helps the management to take decisions regarding promotion,
bonus, internal transfers and salary increase.

Techniques for designing job

1. Job simplification: refers to the method whereby jobs are divided into smaller unit and

subsequently assigned to workers as a whole job. It increases the workers’ productivity.

2. Job enrichment: refers to the vertical integration of jobs. In this method more

responsibilities are added with autonomy and promotion. Job enrichment is nothing but

adding greater responsibility, greater autonomy to a person.

3. Job enlargement: Refers to increasing number of task an individual performs. Job

enlargement increases the job scope or job diversity.

4. Job rotation: Systematic movement of an employee from one job to another. Job

rotation is a practice of regularly transitioning all employees between different jobs to

ensure they gain exposure to various departments of the company while learning and

improving their skill sets. Job rotation can also be used to break up monotonous work.
 Job Analysis Process

 Identification of Job Analysis Purpose: Well any process is futile until its purpose is
not identified and defined. Therefore, the first step in the process is to determine its need
and desired output. Spending human efforts, energy as well as money is useless until HR
managers don’t know why data is to be collected and what is to be done with it.
 Decide Will Conduct Job Analysis: The second most important step in the process of
job analysis is to decide who will conduct it. Some companies prefer getting it done by
their own HR department while some hire job analysis consultants. Job analysis
consultants may prove to be extremely helpful as they offer unbiased advice, guidelines
and methods. They don’t have any personal likes and dislikes when it comes to analyze a
job.
 How to Conduct the Process: Deciding the way in which job analysis process needs to
be conducted is surely the next step. A planned approach about how to carry the whole
process is required in order to investigate a specific job.
 Strategic Decision Making: Now is the time to make strategic decision. It’s about
deciding the extent of employee involvement in the process, the level of details to be
collected and recorded, sources from where data is to be collected, data collection
methods, the processing of information and segregation of collected data.
 Training of Job Analyst: Next is to train the job analyst about how to conduct the
process and use the selected methods for collection and recoding of job data.
 Preparation of Job Analysis Process: Communicating it within the organization is the
next step. HR managers need to communicate the whole thing properly so that employees
offer their full support to the job analyst. The stage also involves preparation of
documents, questionnaires, interviews and feedback forms.
 Data Collection: Next is to collect job-related data including educational qualifications
of employees, skills and abilities required to perform the job, working conditions, job
activities, reporting hierarchy, required human traits, job activities, duties and
responsibilities involved and employee behavior.
 Documentation, Verification and Review: Proper documentation is done to verify the
authenticity of collected data and then review it. This is the final information that is used
to describe a specific job.
  Developing Job Description and Job Specification: Now is the time to segregate the
collected data in to useful information. Job Description describes the roles, activities,
duties and responsibilities of the job while job specification is a statement of educational
qualification, experience, personal traits and skills required to perform the job.

How company can design flexible work?

Flexible work arrangements can take any number of forms, from basic flextime programs to
innovative child-and elder-care programs.

1. Flextime—this is a system wherein employees choose their starting and quitting times
from a range of available hours. These periods are usually at either end of a "core" time
during which most company business takes place. Formerly regarded as a rare, cutting-edge
workplace arrangement, flextime is now commonly practiced in a wide variety of industries.

2. Compressed Work Week—under this arrangement, the standard work week is

compressed into fewer than five days. The most common incarnation of the compressed work
week is one of four 10-hour days. Other options include three 12-hour days or arrangements
in which employees work 9- or 10-hour days over two weeks and are compensated with an
extra day or two of time off during that time.

3. Flexplace—this term encompasses various arrangements in which an employee works

from home or some other non-office location. Telecommuting is the most commonly
practiced example of this type of flexible employment.

4. Job Sharing—under these arrangements, two people voluntarily share the duties and
responsibilities of one full-time position, with both salary and benefits of that position
prorated between the two individuals.

5. Expanded Leave—this option gives employees greater flexibility in terms of requesting

extended periods of time away from work without losing their rights as employees. Expanded
leave, which can be granted on either a paid or unpaid basis, is used for a variety of reasons,
including education, community service, family problems, and medical care .

6. Phased Retirement—under these arrangements, the employee and employer agree to a

schedule wherein the employee's full-time work commitments are gradually reduced over a
period of months or years.

7. Partial Retirement—these programs allow older employees to continue working on a part

time basis, with no established end date.
 8. Work and Family Programs—these programs are ones in which employers provide some
degree of assistance to their employees in the realms of child-care and elder-care. The best-
known of these programs are in-house facilities providing care for the children of employees,
but even basic flex-time programs can ease child-care logistics for employees.

 Job analysis problems:

1. Employee fear: Employees fear a job analysis because they see it as a threat to their
current jobs or pay levels orboth. a job analysis has been used in the past as a means of
expanding jobs while reducing th etotal number of employees. a jobanalysis has also been
used to increase production rates by increasing substantially the contents of the job and
therefore, decrease emplyees pay. employees with fearful mind may not give accurate
information.

2. No communication of supporting Message: To make the job analysis process

successful, it is desirable that top management should at least make it clear to all
employees that their full and sincere cooperation is highly essential. But unfortunately
top management’s message supporting the eprocess is rarely communicated.

3. Single mehtod: Although there are many proven methods for collection job related data,
job analysts more often rely on only one of these methods, when a combination of
methods might give better data.

4. Crash program: A job analysis is usually conducted as if it were a crash program.

Consequently employees do not get the required time to do a thorough job analysis.

5. Distored data: If employees are not properly trained and perpared, they are likely to
distort data to be submitted either intentionally or not.

6. No training or motivation: No doubt, job holders are potentially a good source to data
about a job. But normally these employees are neither trained nor motivated to generate
quality data for job analysis.