Job Analysis

and Design

Chapter
Two

Krista Uggerslev, NAIT

 Defining job analysis
• The systematic procedure through which you
determine the duties of positions in the
organisation and the characteristics of the
people to hire for them
 Definition (cont….)
• It involves studying jobs to determine what tasks and
responsibilities they include, their relationships to
other jobs, and the conditions under which work is
performed, tools and equipment used, and the
personal capabilities required for satisfactory
performance.
IT IS THE BACKBONE OF ALL HR
PRACTICES!

Required for legal compliance!!

Foundation of all HR practices
HR Planning

Legal
Staffing
Compliance

Employee JOB Training

Relations ANALYSIS

Performance
Rewards
Management

Safety
&
Health

4
 WHEN JOB ANALYSIS IS CARRIED OUT

1. When an organization is started

2. When changes occur which require new
methods and procedures in performing the
job e.g. introduction of new technology,
restructuring
3. When a new job is created
4. When the Pay Equity Commission comes
calling.
5. When the company is unionized
 Historical Perspective
• Frederick Taylor (1911) Scientific
Management
– Replaced rule-of-thumb work methods with
scientific study.
– Scientifically select, train and develop workers.
– Cooperate with workers to ensure that scientific
methods are followed.
– Divide work such that managers apply scientific
principles and workers implement them.
– Find the “one best way” to accomplish any task.
– Utilized time and motion studies to analyze tasks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCsOq
WbK46o – taylor, sm 6
 Purpose of job analysis
1. Determining qualifications required of jobholders
2. Providing guidance in recruitment and selection:
– Job analysis information helps recruiters seek and
find the right person for the organisation.
– And to hire the right person, the selection test
must access the most critical skills and abilities
needed to perform a job. This information comes
from a job analysis
 Purpose of job analysis ( cont..)

3. Evaluating current employees for transfer or

promotion (transfer, lay-off, etc.)
4. Provide a basis for determining training
– Knowing the skills necessary for jobs is essential to building
effective training programmes.
5. Setting compensation and maintaining fairness in
wage and salary administration:
– Compensation is usually tied to the duties and responsibilities of a job.
– Proper compensation demands accurate assessment of what various
jobs entails
 Purpose of job analysis ( cont..)
6. Judging the merits of grievances that question
assignments and compensation
7. Providing essential guidance for performance
management - in the establishment of standards of
performance and hence performance appraisal
8. Strategic planning
– Effective job analysis can help organizations to
change, eliminate or otherwise restructure work
or work flow process to meet changing
environmental demands
 Types of information collected for
job analysis
• Work activities - such as cleaning, selling,
teaching etc.
– The what? How? Why? When? Of the tasks
• Human behaviour
– Sensing, communicating, deciding , writing.
– job demands such as lifting weights or walking
long distances
 Information collected ( cont..)
• Machine,, tools, equipment and work aids.
This category includes information regarding
tools used, material processed, knowledge
dealt with or applied and services rendered
• Performance standards - in terms of quantity
and quality levels of each job duty
 Information collected ( cont..)
• Job context - such matters as physical working
conditions, work schedule, and the
organizational and social working context – for
example the number of people with whom
the employee would normally interact
• Human requirements – included information
such as job related knowledge or skills
(education, training, work experience) and
required personal attributes ( aptitude,
physical characteristics, personality, interest)
 Information Collected cont’d
• Social/relationship factors:
– Nature of social contacts.
– Level of social contact.
• Certification (desired) and licensure
(required):
– Certification (HR).
– Driver’s license.

13
 WHAT DOES THIS JOB ENTAIL?
The first step in job analysis

• Grass/ lawn maintenance

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm_C2qaBwFc
 The Process of Job Analysis
Sources of Job
Data Description

Human
Job Data Resources
Functions

Methods of
Collecting
Data Job
Specification

3-15
 Job Analysis Methods
Job Analysis
Methods

Qualitative Methods Quantitative Methods

Specialized
Observation Job Analysis Computerized
Interviewing Questionnaires Methods Job Analysis
Work Sampling
Diary/Log
N.O.C.
PAQ

http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/home-eng.do?lang=eng

4–16
 observation
• Direct observation is used for jobs that require
manual, standards, and shot-job cycle
activities e.g. job of a assembly line work,
filing clerk, data entry
• The job analysis observes a representative
sample of individuals performing the jobs
Limitations of observation method
• Observation method is not appropriate where the job
involves significant mental activity such as work of a
research scientist, lawyer, teacher etc

• The observation method requires that the job analyst be

trained to observe relevant job behaviours

• He/she must also keep out of the way so that work must
be performed
 OBSERVATION INFLATION

• Elton Mayo (1927-1932) Hawthorne Studies

– They studied light levels, but discovered
productivity improvement was independent from
lighting levels
– Output increases when observed. Return to
normal levels when not viewed by outsider.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7RHj
wmVGhs – hawthorne study, start at 4 min.

19
 Advantages of interview
• Its relatively simple and quick way of collecting
information including information that might never
appear in written form
• A skilled interviewer can unearth important activities
that occur only occasionally, or informal contacts that
wouldn’t be obvious form the organizational chart
• The employee might also vent frustration that might
otherwise go unnoticed by management
 Limitations of interview
• Different interviewers many ask different questions and
the same interviewer might unintentionally ask different
questions of different respondents
• There is also possibility that the information provided by
the respondents will be unintentionally distorted by the
interviewer.
• Finally the cost of interviewing can be very high
 Questionnaire method
• This is usually the least costly method of
collecting information
• It is an effective way to collect a large amount
of information in a short period of time
• The questionnaire includes:
– Specific questions about the job
– Job requirements
– Working conditions
– Equipment
Can suffer from questionnaire fatigue and/or central
tendency error.
 Job incumbent dairy or log
• The diary or log is a record by job incumbent
of job duties. It includes:
– Frequency of the duties
– When the duties were accomplished
• A daily log is useful when attempting to
analyze jobs that are difficult to observe such
as those performed by engineers, senior
executives, etc.
• Unfortunately, most individuals are not
disciplined enough to keep such a log a diary.
 Which method to use
• Any or a or a combination - a multimethod
job analysis approach
• It is recommended a combination because
each of the method has its strengths and can
elicit more of some specific information
• The choice of method may also be determined
by circumstances such as the purpose of the
job analysis, and time and budgetary
constraints
 Job Descriptions vs. Specifications
Job Description Job Specification
Defines what the Describes what the job
demands of employees
job does and the human factors
required
Identifies the tasks,
duties, and Lists the conditions,
responsibilities of a education, knowledge,
skills, and abilities (KSAs)
job. an individual needs to
perform a job satisfactorily.
Answers question - What min.
qualifications would be required if we were
filling this job in immediate future?
JOB ANALYSIS NOT DONE CORRECTLY
 Job Design

Outgrowth of job analysis that

improves jobs through technological
and human considerations
in order to enhance organization
efficiency and employee job satisfaction

3-27
Key Considerations in Job Design
Organizational Considerations
• Efficiency
– Achieving maximum output with minimal
input
– Scientific management movement and
industrial engineering principles
– Stresses efficiency in effort, time, labour
costs, training, and employee learning time
• Workflow
– Sequence of and balance between jobs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P41Xbf
5BIpU – tim hortons
 Ergonomics

An interdisciplinary approach
to designing equipment and systems
that can be easily and efficiently
used by human beings

3-30
 Ergonomic Considerations
• Considers the physical relationship between
the worker and the work
• Multi-disciplinary
• Fitting the task to the worker rather than
forcing employees to adapt to the task
• Can lead to significant improvements:
– Efficiency and productivity
– Workplace safety
– http://www.iapa.ca/main/documents/pdf/freedownloads_pda.pdf
Psychological Components of Job
Design
Human resource strategy requires
consideration of the psychological
components
of job design
 Employee Considerations

• Job Enlargement
– Broadening the scope of a job by expanding the
number of different tasks to be performed.
• Job Enrichment
– Increasing the depth of a job by adding the
responsibility for planning, organizing , controlling,
and evaluating the job.
• Job Rotation
– The process of shifting a person from job to job.

4–33
 Job Enlargement Example

Enlarged job Enlarged job

Task #3 Present job Task #2

(Lock printed (Manually insert (Adhere
circuit board into and solder six labels to
fixture for next resistors) printed
operation) circuit
board)
 Job Characteristics Model: Designing Jobs to
Motivate Employees

Job Characteristics Psychological States Job Outcomes

▪ Skill variety ▪ Meaningfulness of the ▪ Improved work
work performed performance
▪ Task identity
▪ Responsibility for work ▪ Increased Internal
▪ Task significance motivation
outcomes
▪ Autonomy ▪ Lower
▪ Knowledge of the
▪ Feedback absenteeism and
results of the work turnover
performed.
 Job Characteristics Model
• Task Identity
– Extent to which employees complete a whole, identifiable
piece of work
• Job Feedback
– Extent to which completing a task provides clear & timely
performance feedback
• Autonomy
– Extent of freedom and discretion available to determine
how to perform the job
 Job Characteristics Model (cont)
• Skill Variety
– Extent to which job requires a range of competencies and
abilities
• Task Significance
– Extent to which employees impact others and the
company
 BOTTOM LINE IMPACT ON POOR JOB
DESIGN
• Per year, Canadian employers lose $6 billion in lost
productivity due to absenteeism, presenteeism and turnover.
• Job design principles can address problems such as:
– Work overload
– Work underload
– Repetitiveness
– Limited control over work
– Isolation
– Shiftwork
– Delays in filling vacant positions
– Excessive working hours

• Sources: Mental Health Commission of Canada & CCOHS

 Job Analysis
Summary

4–39