Factors in Job Analysis - Literature review Example

Job Analysis: Student Name: Name of institution: Lecture; Date: Introduction Job analysis is a planned investigation that applies a number of methods to determine the tasks, requirements, responsibilities and duties of a given position. Job analysis identifies relevant skills and competencies for candidates to fill particular positions (Singh, 2008). A job analysis is a process that strives to provide verifiable and objective information about the actual job requirements. Schools need to conduct thorough job analysis to obtain the right competencies and skills in candidates they choose to fill teaching positions. However, the job requirements of the teaching profession are changing rapidly due to pressure from various sources. Students are looking for quality learning from their teachers while their supervisors need teachers to achieve better outcomes in class with limited resources (Singh, 2008). Changes in technology are also causing the job requirements for teachers to change. The benefits of job analysis are not limited to the hiring process only. While job analysis ensures accurate recruitment, they also provide standards for performance appraisal. Job analysis is also an important tool for classifying and reclassifying positions. According to Singh (2008), Job analysis can be an important tool for comparing the skills possessed by employees. Such a comparison is important in restructuring and redesigning jobs as well as workforce planning. Factors in Job Analysis Task Identity According to Prien et al (2009), more satisfaction is obtained by employees if they perceive they have done a ‘whole’ piece of work. This perception can be created by giving jobs a distinct beginning and a visible end for the concerned employee and others. Prien et al (2009) argues that it is important for employees to see the results of their work or that of their team. Variety Prien et al (2009) challenges people who come up with job descriptions to come up with a variety of tasks that can be completed by each individual worker. He argues that repetitive tasks are likely to become boring to workers as they offer no challenge. On the other hand, employees who engage in a variety of task are likely to remain interested and committed to their tasks. Variety should not be assumed to mean adding more but similar tasks. Asking an employee to fill different kinds of forms does not add variety to his work. On the other hand, when the variety of tasks to be handled becomes too much frustration, dissatisfaction and conflict arise in the work. Responsibility: An effective task analysis will consider the responsibility of the teacher in the overall organization. Armstrong and Taylor (2014) argue that it is important to give responsibility to employees for significant parts of work that they perform. Responsibility creates the perception that the employee is responsible for the success or failure of parts of the work that is identified as his responsibility. Teachers must understand the significance of their role in the school and how it fits into the purpose of the institution. Autonomy Autonomy is closely related to responsibility. Autonomy holds that employees are given the power to make decisions that affect their job (Prien et al, 2009). Employees who are autonomous have greater control over their work. Working environment: A job analysis should have considerations of the employee’s working environment. Nowadays, ethical and legal responsibility requires employers to provide a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment (Prien et al, 2009). The work environment should also be safe with appropriate safety equipment and aids provided. Understanding of reporting relationship is crucial for the success of teachers. Teachers should clearly understand these relationships to avoid reporting conflict (Prien et al, 2009). Recognition and support: Employees need to feel that their jobs contribute to their self-respect. Self-respect is promoted by being recognized and accepted by their supervisors and colleagues (Prien et al, 2009). Teaching jobs should encourage relationships between individuals so that employees do not develop a feeling of isolation. Outcomes & performance measures: Employees need to have realistic performance targets that relate to the overall school mission and operations. It is important to involve employees in the identification of these performance goals as this promotes a sense of ownership of the goals (Prien et al, 2009). Performance standards should also be identified alongside performance measures. Performance outcomes and measures provide the employees with an opportunity to advance their skills through customised learning. Elements of a Job Analysis Process Job Analysis / Design Process Job design requires information to be collected depending on the complexity of the role under investigation. Relatively new positions require detailed information on the position to be collected. In contrast, an existing position needs a review of duties and activities to be performed by the candidate. According to Rozenfeld et al (2010), it is important not to design jobs in isolation with others within the same work area. It should be remembered that most jobs in a work area are related and dependant on each other. Data Gathering The data gathering stage of the job analysis process asks the following questions Prien et al (2009): What is the objectives/direction of the school in the future? What responsibility will the holder of the position have? What does the holder of the position need to do? What is the impact of the job on others in the area? What minimum knowledge and skills does the position require? Where is the physical location of the work site? What is the current organization of the work? What is the reporting structure of the position? What are the working equipments and aids required for this position? While this information is known it is important for a job analysis to be based on first-hand information (Rozenfeld et al, 2010). Therefore, the information can be collected using observation, questionnaires, interviews and group discussions. The importance of gathering this information from employees comes from the fact that it is perceived as participation in decision making process. Employees can also offer valuable information for the process of job analysis. According to Rozenfeld et al (2010), employees will be willing participants in decisions they feel they were considered in making. Therefore, data collection from employee is crucial to their motivation and involvement in completing the duties and task identified. Sources of Data Data needed to complete a job analysis can be obtained from the following sources (Prien et al, 2009): The incumbent in the position. Employees who have undertaken similar duties. Supervisors of the envisioned or existing position. Performance plans and performance indicators associated with the position. Customer feedback Organizational timetables and schedules. Student evaluation Workforce plans. Data Analysis The data collected in the previous stage should be analyzed to be meaningful to the job analysis. The data analysis includes (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014): Grouping tasks into functional areas,for example student administration or exam administration. Elimination of wasteful and unnecessary activities. Listing the functional areas in order of their importance. Once a job description has been made, consideration should switch to the key job analysis factors identified earlier. Each job should consider task identity, responsibility and autonomy, variety, recognition and support, working environment, and results and performance measures (Rozenfeld et al, 2010). Formal Documentation and Adjustment Formal documentation is important as the job analysis is used a future point of reference for job positions. Formal documentation is required as the job analysis process is not fine-tuned or adjusted to the specific needs of each organization (Prien et al, 2009). Management and staff should meet to discuss and address problematic areas in the job analysis process. Such meetings can seek to find out if additional training is required for existing position. Furthermore, improvement of information flows can be suggested at this stage. Job Documentation Job documentation is also referred to as the position description. The position description signifies the end of the job analysis process (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014). Position description is supposed to provide applicants with a clear description of duties, outcomes and accountabilities of the identified position. The document is also used as base to gauge the performance of teachers by the school management (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014). The description provides relevant information about a particular position at a given point in time. However, over time the description of given position change thus requiring changes in the job description. Job Title The choice of a job title is also an important part of the job analysis process. A job title is an indication of the duties expected of the holder of a particular position (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014). It also shows the position of the job in the authority hierarchy of the institution and is also an indicator of the employees’ status in the organization. According to Armstrong and Taylor (2014), job title should be very simple and should never include technical jargon. Furthermore, generic job titles should be used as much as possible. In addition, Job titles should be descriptive of the task to be expected of the position holder. By following these principles the resulting job descriptions will be easy to understand. References Armstrong, M., & Taylor, S. (2014). Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice. Kogan Page Publishers. Prien, E. P., Goodstein, L. D., Goodstein, J., & Gamble Jr, L. G. (2009). A practical guide to job analysis. John Wiley & Sons. Rozenfeld, O., Sacks, R., Rosenfeld, Y., & Baum, H. (2010). Construction job safety analysis. Safety science, 48(4), 491-498. Singh, P. (2008). Job analysis for a changing workplace. Human Resource Management Review, 18(2), 87-99 Read More