Chapter 12

Job Analysis

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
1 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Job Analysis

Is the formal process of collecting information

about the components of a job.
The information is used to prepare job
descriptions and job specifications.
Is the written document that
Job outlines the duties and
Description responsibilities of a job.
Is the written document that
Job outlines the personal qualifi-
Specification cations an employee must
possess to perform the job.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
2 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Uses of Job Analysis
(1 of 2)
Assists in recruiting, selecting, and placing employees
in positions that match their qualifications.
Assists in determining qualifications of employees.
Facilitates employee performance appraisal.
Facilitates employee promotion and transfer.
Facilitates identifying areas in which new or existing
employees may need training.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
3 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Uses of Job Analysis
(2 of 2)
Assists in standardizing the same job performed by
several employees.
Plays an important human relations function.
Assists in development of equitable salary scales.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
4 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Prerequisites to Beginning Job Analysis

1. Identify the jobs that will be included in the

analysis.
2. Identify the order in which the jobs will be
analyzed.
3. Identify the nature of the information to be
collected.
4. Identify the method to be used in collecting the
information.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
5 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Benefits of Job Analysis
(1 of 2)

1. Provides an objective basis for determining the

importance of each job, determining the rate of pay
for each job, and appraising the performance of
each employee.
2. Enables each employee to better understand job
duties and responsibilities that his/her job
comprises.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
6 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Benefits of Job Analysis
(2 of 2)

3. Facilitates making more equitable employee work

load assignments.
4. Assists employees in areas where self-improvement
is appropriate.
5. Aids in supervising employees because each job
is clearly defined.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
7 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Steps in Developing a Job Analysis Program

1. Determine the uses that will be made of the

collected information.
2. Become familiar with available background
information.
3. Determine which jobs are to be analyzed.
4. Collect the data.
5. Verify the accuracy of the collected data.
6. Develop the preliminary job descriptions and job
specifications.
7. Finalize the job descriptions and job specifications.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
8 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Data-Collection Techniques

Questionnaire

Observation Interview

Daily Log

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
9 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Questionnaire Technique

Employees whose jobs are being analyzed complete

a data-gathering questionnaire.
Typical Categories of Information
1. Title of job.
2. Description of job.
3. Tasks performed daily, weekly,
monthly, quarterly, annually.
4. Special requirements of the job.
5. Special work performed for the job.
6. Forms/reports/equipment used.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
10 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Situations for Which the Questionnaire
Technique is Useful

1. When the job being analyzed can be described

quite easily.
2. When the job being analyzed consists mainly of
physical activities rather than human relations
or personality factors.
3. When a considerable number of jobs have to be
analyzed.
4. When the questionnaire can be precisely and
clearly worked.
5. When job information has to be obtained
quickly.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
11 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Questionnaire Technique

Facilitates rapid collection of

Advantage a large amount of information.

Disadvantages
1. Tendency to develop a data-collection instrument
that is difficult to complete.
2. Tendency for some employees to over- or under-
estimate the importance of their jobs.
3. Collating and synthesizing information tends to
be a time-consuming process.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
12 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Interview Technique

Involves questioning employees about their job

duties and responsibilities.
Three Types of Interviews
1. Individuals
2. Groups
3. Supervisors of employees whose jobs
are being evaluated.
Uses a job information worksheet on which
responses may be recorded.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
13 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Situations for Which the Interview
Technique is Useful

1. When the number of employees whose jobs are

to be analyzed is quite small.
2. When the job being analyzed is quite compli-
cated.
3. When the interviewer’s data-collection
efforts are enhanced by observing the employee
at work while talking to him or her about his/her
job tasks.
4. When the job being analyzed is largely comprised
of human relations and personality factors.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
14 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Interview Technique

Interviewer is able to collect

Advantage all the desired facts about a
particular job.
Disadvantages
1. Is a time-consuming process.
2. Data-collection process is likely to be much
slower than when using the questionnaire
technique.
3. Requires the establishment of rapport with the
the interviewee.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
15 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Observation Technique

Involves observing the employee at his/her work

station or at various locations where he/she
works.
Records observations on a job observation sheet.
Sheet contains many of the items that would be
found on a questionnaire or a job information
worksheet.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
16 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Situations for Which the Observation
Technique is Useful

1. When the nature of the job prohibits the

employee’s absence from his or her workstation.
2. When, because of the complexity of the job,
the analyst has difficulty analyzing the job on
the basis of the information gathered through
a questionnaire or interview.
3. When the number of jobs to be analyzed is
small.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
17 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Observation Technique

Provides accurate
Advantage
information.

Disadvantages
1. Process is time consuming.
2. Some employees are uncomfortable being
observed.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
18 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Daily Log Technique

Is a less formal, less structured method than those

previously discussed.
Employees who have the same job title keep track
of their activities over a period of several weeks.
Once the information is gathered, it is
synthesized.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
19 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Combination of Methods

Using two or more of the data-collection techniques

results in more accurate information.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
20 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Advantages of Job Descriptions

1. When job descriptions are written, management

has more control over employee performance.
2. Jobs cannot be changed by employees to
reflect their personal desires.
3. Descriptions help prevent misunderstandings
between employees and their supervisors.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
21 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Suggestions for Developing Job Descriptions

1. A simple, direct sentence structure should be used.

2. A functional verb in the present tense should begin
each sentence.
3. All unnecessary words should be eliminated.
4. Description should focus on the skills involved in
performing the job, as well as on the tools and
equipment that are used.
5. Job titles should appear in all capital letters.
6. Actual job content should be reflected accurately
in the description.
7. Job description should be as thorough as possible.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
22 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Content Sections of Job Descriptions
(1 of 2)

1. Job identification: job title, level, and department;

comparable DOT number, and date of approval.

2. Summary of job: brief outline of what

constitutes the job.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
23 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Content Sections of Job Descriptions
(2 of 2)

3. Duties of job: describes duties and responsibilities

and identifies their frequency of occurrence.
May also include:
1. Tools and equipment, forms and materials.
2. Title of job holder’s supervisor.
3. Relationship of the workflow, transfer and
promotion characteristics of the job being
described, and other similar jobs.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
24 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Content Sections of Job Specifications
(1 of 2)
1. Job identification: same as job description, in
addition to point value, if appropriate.
2. Experience requirements: stated in terms of years.
3. Educational requirements: stated in terms of
minimum requirements.
4. Human relations requirements: stated in terms of
human relations and personality factors.
5. Job knowledge requirements: includes such things
as tools, equipment, and materials.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
25 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Content Sections of Job Specifications
(2 of 2)
6. Responsibility requirements: includes brief
discussion of the areas of responsibility for the job
being described.
7. Skill requirements: includes a list of skills
required by the job.
8. Physical effort requirements: includes a list of
such requirements as walking, standing, lifting, etc.
9. Environment requirements: includes such elements
as lighting, air, temperature, and noise levels.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
26 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Uses of Job Descriptions

1. To inform the job holder about the duties and the

responsibilities of his or her job.
2. To assist the job holder in improving his or her
job performance.
3. To assist the job holder in preparing for a
promotion or transfer.
4. To facilitate orientation and training of new
employees.
5. To assist in the arbitration of employee grievances.
Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.
by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
27 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
 Uses of Job Specifications

1. To facilitate recruitment and selection of employees,

especially in screening job applicants.
2. To facilitate the job evaluation process.

Administrative Office Management, 8/e ©2005 Pearson Education, Inc.

by Zane Quible Pearson Prentice Hall
28 Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458