1. Lecture 5: Job Analysis Instructor: Shawn Komar, PhD Office: P2022 Office Hours: Mon & Wed, 2:30-3:30 Email: skomar@wlu.ca

2. What is a job? Group of related activities and duties “natural units of work”

3. Job Analysis Job analysis: Formal procedure to determine Tasks, duties & responsibilities of a job Human attributes (KSAs) required to perform job

4. Job Analysis …is not just a procedure that HR people use …it is a TOOL that should serve a specific organizational goal(s)

5. Job Analysis Job analysis informs: Job descriptions Job specification Compensation Training needs HR planning Criteria for performance appraisals Classification of jobs (unionized workplace) …what else?  What the job entails  The human requirements for the job

6. Purolator (2006) Employed 11,600 Canadians Workers compensation bill came in at $13 billion (!) 90% of compensation claims come from two jobs: couriers and sorters These jobs require constant lifting, hauling, pushing, and pulling Leads to soft tissue, orthopedic, and joint injuries They conducted job analysis for the 25 jobs where most of the injuries were occurring “Early and safe back-to-work” initiative Reduced lost day severity, total number of lost days, and number of modified or accommodated days

7. Other Purposes for a Job Analysis Another organization used job analysis to assist employees with career planning. How? Another used job analysis to increase employee performance and decrease stress. How? Another organization used job analysis to ensure that their hiring practices weren’t discriminating on the basis of prohibited grounds. How?

8. Why Do a Job Analysis? If an organization didn’t do (or didn’t use) a job analysis, what would happen? What would their hiring, compensation, planning, training, managing, etc., look like?

9. Job Analysis Steps 1.Relevant organizational information is reviewed 2.Jobs are selected to be analyzed 3.Collect data 4.Verify and modify data as needed 5.Develop job descriptions and job specifications 6.Communicate and update information as needed

10. Job Analysis Steps 1.Determine the strategy, goals and priorities of the organization, and then decide if job analysis is needed to serve those goals 2.Relevant organizational information is reviewed 3.Jobs are selected to be analyzed 4.Collect data 5.Verify and modify data as needed 6.Develop job descriptions and job specifications 7.Communicate and update information as needed

11. 1. Determine if JA is needed JA requires significant resources (time, money). Is it needed? Think about the purpose that it will serve. Is a job analysis a good way to achieve that purpose? Important considerations/practical trade-offs Quality of the analysis: how rigorous does the data collection need to be? Cost: how much is the organization willing or able to spend? Resources: does the HR staff have the necessary time and/or the expertise? Do employees and managers have the necessary time? Legal defensibility: does the organization anticipate legal challenges to its HR practices?

12. 2. Review Organizational Information  The choice of what information to review (e.g., organizational chart) should relate to the purpose of the job analysis

13. 3. Choose the Jobs to be Analyzed  The choice of which job to analyze should relate back to the purpose of the job analysis. Choice could be based on: Jobs that are critical to the success of the organization Jobs that are difficult to learn to perform (training) Jobs in which the firm continuously hires new employees Jobs that exclude members of protected groups Jobs that have significantly changed (e.g., use new technology, work environment has changed, job demands have changed, etc.)

14. 4. Determine Data to Collect Examples: Tasks (work operations used to carry out a duty) Duties (major subdivision of work) Responsibilities (accountability) Human characteristics (skills, abilities, training, etc.) Working conditions Performance standards

15. Top Hat Question

16. 4. Determine Approach Traditional Job Analysis Collect detailed information on tasks, duties, responsibilities and human characteristics required for the job Competency-based Job Analysis Describe the job in terms of the knowledge, skills and abilities that an employee doing that job must be able to do well Organizations develop competency models by choosing competencies that are believed to be critical for the organization to execute its strategy The model is then used to assess the degree to each job requires each competency

17. Competency-based JA: Example Competencies:EngineerManager Technical ExpertiseHighMedium Problem-solvingMediumHigh CreativityMediumHigh Communication SkillsHigh Organization SkillsMediumHigh LeadershipLowHigh Schwind et al. (2013)

18. Top Hat Question

19. 4. Determine Data Collection Methods Job Analysis Methods ProCon Observational Methods Don’t need to rely on recallCan’t observe mental activities Individual interviews More detailed info (can ask follow-up questions) May not know some aspects of the job (things that have been highly routinized) Group interviewsAchieve a shared view of the job Group processes can bias results (e.g., groupthink) QuestionnairesCan assess reliability across raters Standardized, well-researched Or can be customized Can include hundred of questions that can overwhelm respondents and lead to inaccuracy NOC and O*NETTheoretical foundation and easy to use classification system May be too general and could be out-of-date Morgeson & Dierdorff (2011)

20. 4. Determine Data Source  The choice of who to survey should relate back to the purpose for the job analysis. Which job incumbents should be surveyed? Which supervisors/managers should be surveyed? What important stakeholders need to be included?

21. Is Job Analysis Relevant in the 20 th Century? Is JA relevant for “boundary-less” and “de-jobbed” organizations where employees are “expected to seamlessly move from job to job”?

22. Next Class Job design