Everything you need to know about the uses of job analysis. A job analysis is an essential element of sound human resource management. It provides valuable information for taking right decision about the organisation’s human resources.
Job analysis generates several documents and procedures, which are very useful in the management of human resources. Job analysis provides information which is useful almost in all the operative function of Human resource management.
In short, job analysis is a systematic procedure for securing and reporting the information which defines a specific job. Job analysis has many and varied uses in human resources management.
Job analysis determines the qualifications required for a job, provides guidance in recruitment, selection, placement, induction, transfer or promotion of employees and in their training and development programmes.
Some of the uses of job analysis are –
1. Organizational Design 2. Acquisition of Personnel 3. Human Resource Development 4. Job Evaluation and Compensation 5. Performance Appraisal 6. Safety and Health 7. Employee Counseling 8. Employment 9. Human Resource Planning,
10. Recruitment and Selection 11. Placement and Induction 12. Training and Development 13. Career Path Planning 14. Labour Relations 15. Discipline 16. Vocational Guidance and Counseling 17. Promotion and Transfers.
Uses of Job Analysis in HRM
Uses of Job Analysis – Organisational Design, Personnel Acquisition, HRD, Job Evaluation and Compensation
The information disclosed by job analysis was initially used for recruitment and selection of employees and that too at lower levels.
However, since the human resource management practices focus more on managerial personnel, job analysis information has the following uses:
Uses of Job Analysis # 1. Organizational Design:
Organizational design involves building a network of relationships among various functions and positions. The steps involved in organizational design are identification of various jobs to be performed, grouping these jobs together on the basis of similarity, and assigning these jobs to positions.
Since assignment of jobs creates responsibility, commensurate authority is delegated so that the jobs are performed effectively. Job analysis provides the relevant information for completing the total steps of organizational design. It provides the base for identifying the contents of different jobs, their interrelationship and interdependence, responsibility involved in a job, and authority that may be required to perform the job.
Uses of Job Analysis # 2. Acquisition of Personnel:
Acquisition of personnel involves human resource planning, recruitment and selection, and orientation and placement.
In each area, job analysis helps in the following ways:
i. Human Resource Planning:
Human resource planning, involves determination of number and type of personnel required in future by the organization. The basis of this determination is the types of jobs that may be required to be performed in order to achieve organizational objectives.
Job analysis provides information for forecasting human resource needs in terms of knowledge, skills, and experience. It also provides help in planning for promotions and transfers by indicating lateral and vertical relationships among different jobs.
ii. Recruitment and Selection:
Recruitment and selection, taken together, involve the identification of sources from where the personnel will be acquired, motivating them for making themselves available for selection, and selecting those who meet the criteria as provided in job description and job specification.
The total process of recruitment and selection is based on the principle of matching jobs and individuals. In this process, various job-related factors in the form of tasks and responsibilities and individual-related factors in the form of knowledge, skills, and experience are matched. Both types of information are provided by job analysis.
iii. Induction and Placement:
Job analysis helps in induction and placement of personnel by further matching between jobs and individuals. This further matching is required when personnel are selected for a group of jobs rather than for specific jobs. In many cases, individuals are selected for a group of jobs such as management trainees, consultants, etc.
Their placement in specific jobs is determined by their match with job requirements. Job analysis helps in providing information about such job requirements.
In the dynamic environment, human resource development (HRD) is undertaken as a continuous process to match individuals and job requirements. Such matching is indicated by the information provided by job analysis. Thus, job analysis helps in the following areas of human resource development.
i. Career Planning:
Career planning involves determination of path of upward movement of individuals in the organization. The individuals join the organization at a particular level and make upward progression at various levels in their career. Job analysis provides information about the opportunities in terms of career paths and jobs availability in the organization. In the light of this information, both individuals and organization make suitable efforts for career planning and development.
ii. Training and Development:
Career planning itself is not sufficient but it requires the efforts in the form of training and development so that the individuals are equipped to meet the requirements of their jobs to be performed at various stages of their career. Job analysis provides valuable information to identify training and development needs of various individuals. A clear idea of what is required on a job helps in deciding what is learnt and developed in order to be effective.
Job evaluation is the process of determining the relative worth of different jobs in an organization with a view to link compensation, both basic and supplementary, with the worth of the jobs. The worth of a job is determined on the basis of job characteristics and job holder characteristics. Job analysis provides both in the forms of job description and job specification.
Performance appraisal involves assessment of actual job performance by an employee in the light of what is expected of him. Such an assessment is used for promotion, pay increase, and identification of training needs. Job analysis helps in determining performance standards against which the actual job performance is measured.
Job analysis helps in taking preventive measures for maintaining safety and health of employees at the workplace by providing information about unhealthy and hazardous environmental and operational conditions in various jobs. Heat, noise, fumes, etc. are examples of such conditions which cause occupational diseases if proper preventive measures are not adopted.
Job analysis helps in providing counselling to employees in different areas. These areas may be the choice of careers and rehabilitation. Employees who are unable to bear the stress of a particular job either because of job contents or the adverse working conditions like hazardous work environment may be advised to opt for other jobs or may be advised for voluntary retirement.
Uses of Job Analysis – With Summary according to Dale Yoder
A job analysis is an essential element of sound human resource management. It provides valuable information for taking right decision about the organisation’s human resources. Most functions of human resources management can be carried out with the help of information generated by job analysis.
The specific uses of job analysis are given below:
(1) Job analysis is an essential element of effective human resource planning. It helps in determining quality of hum a resources required in an organisation. It also facilitates division of work.
(2) Job analysis is useful in classification of jobs and interrelationship among them. Responsibility commensurate with authority and accountability for various jobs can be specified so as to minimise duplication or overlapping.
(3) Job analysis provides valuable information required to identify training needs, to design training programmes and to evaluate training effectiveness.
(4) Job analysis provides understanding of what an employee is expected to do on the job. Such understanding serves as the basis for meaningful forecast of job performance. Selection methods are based upon such forecasts.
(5) Job analysis reveals unhealthy and hazardous environmental and operational conditions in various jobs. Heat, noise, dust, fumes, etc. are examples of such condition. On the basis of such information, management can develop measures to ensure the health and safety of employees.
(6) Job evaluation – Job analysis serves as the basis for determining the relative worth of different jobs. Therefore, it helps in developing appropriate wage and salary structure, with internal pay equity between jobs.
(7) Career path planning – Job analysis provides a clear idea of career paths and jobs available in the organisation with the help of job analysis, both employees and the organisation make efforts for career planning and career development.
(8) Labour Relation – Information obtained through job analysis is helpful to both management and trade unions for collective bargaining. It is also helpful to resolve disputes and grievances originated in the workplace.
Dale Yoder summarizes the uses of job analysis as follows:
(1) Wage and salary administration
(2) Setting product standards
(3) Improvement of employee productivity through work simplification
(4) Organisation and integration of the whole workforce in organisational planning
(5) Training programmes
(6) Optimizing utility of personnel
(7) It also helps to identify job relationships for smooth functioning
(8) Transfer and promotions
(9) Improvement of working conditions
(10) Recruitment, selection and placement.
Job analysis generates several documents and procedures, which are very useful in the management of human resources. Job analysis provides information which is useful almost in all the operative function of Human resource management.
Uses of Job Analysis – Human Resource Planning, Recruitment, Selection, Fitment, Performance, Training and Compenstion
Job analysis data has multiple uses, besides understanding the nature of the job itself.
(a) Human Resource Planning – Forecasting the demand and supply of workforce is an important foundation function and job analysis data helps in such planning activities.
(b) Recruitment – Even before a firm starts looking for a candidate or a prospective employee, it should be clear about the purpose behind that search. The purpose is defined by the job and the best answer to that comes from the job analysis data.
(c) Selection – A reliable, valid selection process could always be able to employ tool and techniques which shall enable selection of the right candidate and vice-versa. One of the most fundamental information to get this right is to first understand what the ‘ideal candidate’ should be like. The job analysis data provides the answers again.
(d) Fitment – Person-job fit is best achieved when both are well understood and then matched. The job analysis data is obviously critical in achieving the same.
(e) Performance Management – Effective setting of performance objectives, key result areas (KRAs) and performance benchmarks is only possible when the job is understood well.
(f) Training – The job analysis data provides deep insight into the kinds of competencies required to successfully accomplish a particular job. This in turn, when matched with individual employee, helps a firm to identify competency-gaps and training needs.
(g) Compensation – Job analysis data help identification of ‘compensable factors’ which not only help in fixing the right compensation for a job but also in maintaining adequate differentials between jobs.
(h) Job Design – The design aspects of a job are closely related to innovation, efficiency, motivation. Job analysis data is one of the fodders for job design.
Uses of Job Analysis – Selection, Training, Development, Promotion and Transfers
Job analysis can result in a description of common duties, or tasks, performed on the job, as well as descriptions of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) required to perform those tasks. In addition, job analysis can uncover tools and technologies commonly used on the job, working conditions, and a variety of other aspects that characterise work performed in the position(s).
When used as a precursor to personnel selection (a commonly suggested approach), job analysis should be performed in such a way as to meet the professional and legal guidelines that have been established.
In the context of vocational rehabilitation, the output of the job analysis is usually evidence. The evidence is used to support a determination regarding the injured worker’s vocational choices. In certification testing, the results of the job analysis lead to a document for candidates laying out the specific areas that will be tested (named in various ways, such as the “exam objectives”) and to a “content specification” for item writers and other technical members of the exam development team.
The content specification outlines the specific content areas of the exam and the percentage of the exam (i.e., the numbers of items) that must be included on the exam from that content area.
Job analysis plays a significant role in human resource department assist affects numerous activities of the department.
Some of the activities are given below:
(a) Selection of personnel – Job analysis facilities in setting job specification. A job specification is the standard of personnel against which job applicant can be compared. The specification provides a basis for selection of personnel for various positions.
(b) Training and development – Identification of duties and responsibilities and the usage of machines and equipments help in developing the content and subject matter of the training programmes.
(c) Job evaluation – It facilitates job verification. There are certain jobs in which risks and hazards are involved. Job analysis helps in determining the worth of each job in terms of money so that the wages can be fixed.
(d) Performance appraisal – It helps in evaluating the performance objectively. It makes it possible to know how far an employee has been successful in achieving the objectives of the organisation.
(e) Promotions, transfers etc. – It provides the basis for promotions, transfers, and other related terms.
(f) Guidance – Job analysis provides the candidates in ascertaining the jobs for which they have necessary qualifications.
(g) Labour relations – Job analysis helps in setting performance standards which facilitate in resolving the disputes between trade unions and the management.
(h) Health and safety – It enables to identify hazardous and unhealthy environmental conditions so that corrective steps can be undertaken to reduce and avoid the possibility of accidents.
Uses of Job Analysis – A brief description of the specific uses of job analysis is given below
A comprehensive programme of job analysis can be used as a foundation and as an essential element of sound human resource management and industrial relations. It provides valuable information for taking decisions about human resources of the organisation. Most of the functions of the human resource management can be carried out with the help of such information provided by job analysis.
A brief description of the specific uses of job analysis is given below:
As job analysis provides information about duties, tasks and responsibilities etc., it serves as a useful guide in every phase of employment process such as man-power planning, recruitment, selection, placement, induction and performance-appraisal.
2. Organisational Design:
Job analysis is useful in classifying jobs and establishing inter-relationship among them. Responsibility consistent with authority and accountability for different jobs can be clearly specified with a view to avoid or minimise duplication or overlapping. Information provided by job analysis will enable the management to take sound decisions relating to hierarchal positions and functional differentiation, in order to improve organisational efficiency.
3. Human Resource Planning:
The information provided by job analysis is useful for forecasting manpower requirements in terms of skills and knowledge. It is also useful in planning for promotion and transfers by indicating vertical and lateral relationships between different jobs. The information provided by job analysis also helps in determining the quality of the human resources needed in the organisation. It also, facilitate division of work.
4. Recruitment and Selection:
Job analysis provides very useful information relating to the tasks, responsibilities, skills and knowledge and such information serves as a realistic basis for hiring employees. Job analysis is the basis for job description, job specification, job evaluation and performance appraisal. Such information enables the management to know what an employee is expected to do on the job. Such knowledge serves as a basis for meaningful forecast of job performance.
5. Placement and Induction:
Job analysis provides such information which enables the management to assign each employee that job for which he is best fitted. Similarly, the induction or orientation programme can be geared towards helping the employee learn the activities, tasks, and duties required to perform the job assigned.
6. Training and Development:
Job analysis provides very valuable information which is required to identify the training needs, to design training programmes and to evaluate the effectiveness of training.
7. Performance Appraisal:
Job analysis helps in determining performance standards in critical parts of a job. The employee’s performance can be evaluated against the pre-determined standards and critical activities. It helps the management to compare actual performance with the pre-determined standards and take necessary measures to set right any deviation between the two, if any.
8. Career Path Planning:
Job analysis provides clear information about the opportunities in terms of career path and jobs available in the organisation. With the help of such information, both the organisation and its employees can make efforts for career planning and development.
9. Labour Relations:
The information provided by job analysis is very useful to both the organisation and its employees for collective bargaining. It also helps the management to resolve disputes and grievances related to workload, nature of work, work procedure etc. and maintain sound labour relations.
The information available from job analysis can be used as a standard when discipline is required for standard performance.
11. Health and Safety:
Job analysis provides information about unhealthy and hazardous conditions and accident prone areas in various jobs. It helps the management to develop measures to ensure health and safety of employees.
12. Vocational Guidance and Counseling:
Job analysis provides information about career choices and personal limitations and therefore such information will be helpful in vocational guidance and rehabilitation counseling. Employees who are unable to maintain standard performance due to old age or health hazards may be advised to opt for subsidiary jobs or to seek early retirement.
13. Promotion and Transfers:
Job analysis information is very useful in charting a channel of promotion and in showing lateral lines of transfer.
14. Job Evaluation:
Job analysis serves as a basis for job evaluation, which becomes the basis for determining wage and salary levels as it takes into account the content of the job in terms of tasks, duties, responsibilities, risks, hazards etc. Job analysis provides several documents and procedures which are very useful in the management of human resources.
The purpose of job analysis are useful in:
(1) Human Resource Planning (HRP)
(2) In Employees Hiring, Recruitment and Selection.
(3) In Training and Development.
(4) Job Evaluation.
(5) Remuneration or Performance Appraisal.
(6) In assessment of the actual performance of an employee.
(7) In Personnel Information Systems and
(8) An excellent opportunity to uncover and identify hazardous conditions (safety and health).
1. Human Resource Planning (HRP):
Human Resource Planning determines as to how many and what type of personnel will be needed in the coming period. The number and type of personnel will be determined by the size of the unit and the nature of the jobs which will be needed to be staffed. Job related information is, therefore necessary for human resource planning.
2. Recruitment and Selection:
Recruitment needs to be preceded by job analysis. Job analysis helps human resource manager to locate places to obtain employees for openings anticipated in the future. An understanding of the types of the skills needed to have a better continuity and planning in staffing their organisation.
Similarly, selecting a qualified person to fill a job requires knowing clearly the work to be done and the qualifications needed for someone to perform the work satisfactorily. Without a clear and precise understanding of what a job entails, the human resource manager cannot effectively select someone to do the job.
The objective of employee hiring is to match the right people with the right jobs. The objective is too difficult to achieve without having adequate job information.
3. Training and Development:
Job analysis is useful for a human resource development manager in as much as it helps him / her to know what a given job demands from the incumbent in terms of knowledge and skills. Training and development programmes can be designed depending on the job requirements. Selection of trainees is also facilitated by job analysis.
4. Job Evaluation:
Job evaluation involves determination of relative worth of each job for the purpose of establishing wage and salary differentials. Relative worth is determined mainly on the basis of job description and job specification. It helps in determining wage and salary grades for all the jobs. Employees need to be compensated depending on the grades of jobs which they occupy.
Remuneration involves fringe benefits bonus and other benefits. It must be based on the relative worth of each job. Ignoring this basic principle results in inequitable compensation. A perception of inequity is a sure way of demotivating an employee.
6. Performance Appraisal:
Performance appraisal involves assessment of the actual performance of an employee against what is expected of him / her. Such assessment is the basis for awarding promotions, effecting transfers, or assessing training needs. Job analysis facilitates performance appraisal in as much as it helps fix standards for performance is relation to what actual performance of an employee is compared and assessed.
7. Personnel Information:
Organisations generally maintain computerized personnel information systems. Such information system is useful as it helps in improving the administrative efficiency by speeding up the provision of data, by reducing the resources for higher value activities which are fundamental to the success of management.
Further, personnel information provides decision support as the information which gives a factual basis for decision concerning the planning, acquisition, development, utilisation and remuneration of human resources. Job analysis is vital for building such information systems.
8. Safety and Health:
Further, job analysis provides an excellent opportunity to uncover and identify hazardous conditions and unhealthy environmental factors like heat, noise, fumes and dust, so that corrective measures can be taken to minimise and avoid the possibility of human injury.
The comprehensive information or data derived from job analysis aid considerably in almost every phase of personnel management. It constitutes an essential ingredient provides the major input to forecasting human resource requirements, determining the qualifications for a job, and writing job descriptions.
It provides guidance in recruitment and selection; it evaluates current employees for promotion and transfer, and establishes requirements for training programmes. It is used as a foundation for job evaluation and determination of proper compensation. It helps in employee development by means of appraisal and counselling.
It is also useful for establishing improved methods of analysing problems of health, safety and fatigue. It also helps in redesigning the jobs to improve performance or to enrich job content. Thus, it is useful in almost each and every sphere of personnel activity.
The specific uses of job analysis and its resulting products – job description and job specification – may be described as follows:
Job analysis is helpful in manpower planning since it is the qualitative aspect of manpower requirements. It determines the demands of the job in terms of responsibilities and duties and then translate these demands in terms of skills, qualities and other human qualities. It facilitates division of work, into different jobs. Thus, it is an essential element of manpower planning because it matches jobs with individuals.
In order to place a right person on the right job, it is essential to know the nature and requirements of the job and also the qualities and interests of the individual who will perform the job. Job descriptions and job specifications are of considerable value as guides to hiring and placement practices. Job analysis helps in matching as closely as possible the job requirement with employee’s aptitudes, abilities, interests, etc. to facilitate the execution of employment programme.
For a new trainee, job description is most helpful for orientation purposes.
Promotion and transfer of an employee from one job to another depends on a knowledge of the requirements of the new job as well as of the qualifications of the people being considered. Again, the basic goal is to match jobs with individuals. Job analysis helps in charting the channels of promotion and in showing the lateral lines of transfer.
Job analysis determines the levels of standard of job performance. It provides information on the requirements that training and management development programmes must fulfil. It helps to determine the content and subject matter of these programmes. It thus provides the minimum standards to match the actual requirements of the job.
Thus, it helps to generate a close match between actual and expected behaviour on the job. It also provides the employee with data concerning opportunities and requirements for career development within the organization.
Job analysis provides a basis for job evaluation. Job evaluation is a method for determining, the relative worth of jobs and providing a fair basis for differences in pay between one job and another within a company. An accurate and comprehensive set of job descriptions and job specifications provides a factual foundation for evaluating the relative worth of the job which in turn helps in determining the compensation of the job.
Job analysis data provide a clear-cut standard of performance for every job and help in evaluating the performance of each individual with the set standard. In an organization, jobs are structured in a way that is intended to contribute maximally to productivity and maintenance goals; then individual performances are compared with these expected patterns. Job descriptions are useful in defining the area in which job goals should be established. Then the work done towards these goals is appraised. This contribution to the appraising and evaluating process is an important function of job analysis.
Industrial engineers may use the job analysis information to alter the content of certain jobs. The change in jobs is done in order to permit their being filled by personnel with special characteristics. Industrial engineering activity is concerned with operational analysis, motion study, work simplification methods etc. Job analysis information is helpful also to the Human Engineering activity which takes into consideration human capabilities both physical and psychological, and prepares the foundation for better productivity and improved efficiency.
Job analysis data can be utilized to identify job hazards and unhealthy and dangerous working conditions. This information is infact an integral part of job descriptions. With this information corrective measures may be taken to minimize the chances of various risks and to avoid the possibility of accidents.
Job descriptions and occupational information based on extensive job analyses can be of high value in such areas as vocational guidance and rehabilitation counselling. Job information is highly useful in counselling.
A job description is a standard of function. If an employee attempts to add to or subtract from the duties listed therein, the standard has been violated. The labour union as well as the management is interested in this matter. Controversies often result, and a written record of the standard job jurisdiction is valuable in resolving such disputes.
Job analysis provides a means to common understanding between management and the labour unions with regard to the characteristics of various jobs and job-holders and thus it reduces one type of employee grievance. It reduces considerably suspicion of favoritism to the extent that pay differentials are based on clear differences in job duties. Job analysis thus contributes to reduced internal conflict once the programme is well established and widely accepted. Job analysis thus helps in maintaining the discipline in the organization and in settlement of grievances.
Job analysis helps in classifying job requirements and interrelationships among jobs. Responsibility, commensurate authority and accountability for various jobs can be specified so as to minimize duplication or overlap.
In short, job analysis is a systematic procedure for securing and reporting the information which defines a specific job. Job analysis has many and varied uses in human resources management. It determines the qualifications required for a job, provides guidance in recruitment, selection, placement, induction transfer or promotion of employees and in their training and development programmes.
It is a basis for job evaluation, performance appraisal and counselling. It helps in maintaining discipline, reducing grievances, minimizing conflict and stress and promoting health and safety among employees. Thus, job analysis is one of the most pervasive tasks of personnel management.