CHAPTER 4

JOB ANALYSIS
JOB DESCRIPTIONS
AND
PERSON SPECIFICATIONS

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 Job Analysis Exercise
JobTitle
Responsibilities & duties

Challenges

Level of authority

Physical environment

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 INTRODUCTION
 Job analysis is provides information
about jobs and the tasks making up
those jobs that can be used for
virtually all HR functions, eg:
selecting a person for the job.
 Despite the need for clear job
descriptions, many managers do not
analyze the jobs under their control.

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 Result: Decisions that are biased
and prejudiced and can be perceived
to be unfair and discriminatory.
 From a legal point of view, managers

must base decisions on job content

and inherent requirements (EEA)
of the job.

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 If a dispute arises regarding
discrimination and the fair treatment
of employees, the legal burden of
proof (objective, accurate, up-to-date
job related information) is on the
employer.

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Why detailed job analyses are not
done in many SA organisations:

Most of the job analysis techniques

available are complicated,
They take a long time to complete,

Specialists have to be employed

and trained in their use,

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 The best known techniques are
marketed by US organisations that
have standardized their scoring
systems and analyses based on info
gathered in the USA, and

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 Jobs are constantly changing in
response to changes in the
organisation and the environment,
such as increased competition, new
products, new technologies, mergers,
redundancies, employee transfers,
promotions and resignations.

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 Therefore, some organisations use the
concept of job roles - a more general
approach, that provides broad
parameters within which people are
expected to behave.
 However, roles have to be clearly
defined for this concept to work.
 If roles are not defined – result is role
ambiguity - employee uncertain of
what role he/she is expected to perform.

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 Role conflict can also arise where
aspects of the roles are in conflict
with each other.

 To overcome these problems with

roles, role prescriptions (similar to
job descriptions) be drawn up for
clarity.

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 Another objection to detailed job
analyses is that it is difficult to apply
when organisations have
implemented broad-banding - jobs
or roles are placed in broad job
evaluation bands so that people can
perform a variety of jobs.

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 THE OBJECTIVE OF JOB
ANALYSIS
 Is to provide accurate and detailed
information about jobs that will form
the basis for developing most other
HR functions.

 It forms a sound approach to the

management of people in an
organisation.

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 DEFINITIONS
A task - piece of work that can be
identified in terms of its end result/
objectives.

A job - a number of tasks that are

sufficiently alike to be grouped
together and allocated to an
individual employee.

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 Job analysis is a process of identifying
the tasks performed in a job and collecting
and analyzing information relating to
those tasks.
 A position is a place in the organisation
for a certain category of employee. There
might be only one job but many positions.
 A vacancy is a position that is vacant, i.e.
does not have a person performing the
job.

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 A job description - job holder’s overall
role/responsibilities, specific tasks/
accountabilities & reporting relationships.
Its content is based on job analysis.
 A person specification -characteristics

an individual would need to possess to

fulfill the requirements of a job, such as
educational level and experience. Also
known as a job specification.

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 An occupation - grouping of jobs
with broadly similar content, for
example, managerial, technical,
crafts.
 A role - set of behaviours expected

of a person in a particular position.

 An incumbent is the person who fills

a certain position or performs a

certain job.
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 THE USES OF JOB ANALYSES
 Jobanalysis is the foundation on
which a variety of HR systems and
procedures are based.

 Info
contained in a job analysis can
be used for:

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Relating to individual employees:

 Selection
 Placement
 Promotion
 Transfers
 Career Counselling

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 Performance Appraisals
 Training
 Employee development
 Salary adjustments
 Grievance procedures
 Disciplinary procedures

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Relating to Organisational needs:

 Organisational analysis
 Restructuring of an organisation
 Organisational development
 Introduction of new technology
 Job design and development
 Employment / HR planning
 Salary administration
 Changes in work methods

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Relating to Legislative requirements:

 Health and safety regulations

 Employment equity procedures and
practices

Relating to Industrial relations:

 Employee pay and benefits

 Productivity bargaining

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JOB ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES
Numerous techniques are use to analyse
jobs:
 Questionnaires

 Interviews

 Observations

 Self reports

 Check lists

 Diaries or logs

 Critical incident technique

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JOB ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES
 The Functional Job Analysis (FJA)
 The Management Position Description

Questionnaire
 Patented techniques

 The Functional Job Analysis (FJA)

 The Position Analysis Questionnaire

(PAQ)
 The systems approach

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