Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
A job analysis is a structured process for gathering information about a job’s requirements. Organizations use a job analysis to make sure job descriptions are current. They can also use them to design learning activities. Right now, some organizations might be using a job analysis to determine what tasks can be automated or performed by artificial intelligence (versus which ones will be completed by employees or contractors).
It’s important to remember that a job analysis isn’t a guessing exercise. It’s amazing how many times an employee says that they’re doing a task that the organization didn’t realize they were doing. This is why there needs to be a structure to doing a job analysis. Here are four ways to collect data and information:
- Interviews are a great way to get first-hand information from employees who are doing the work. The interview can be done in-person, over the phone, or via video. Each of these mediums has its own advantages and challenges. One advantage to all of them is the ability to hear the employee describe their work. The interviewer can ask follow-up questions to gather additional information. A challenge they all share is this method is time consuming and requires a skilled interviewer.
- Focus groups could be a way to reduce some of the challenges with individual interviews. Get a group of employees together to talk about the work. This could be very efficient when you have a lot of employees who hold the same job title, like customer service representative. The challenge with this method is the same with any focus group. Organizations will want a skilled facilitator who is able to engage the group and not have one person dominate the conversation.
- Surveys and questionnaires are another way to solicit information directly from employees. These can be completed online or via paper, which makes them very efficient. They can also be designed for a confidential and/or anonymous reply – which could encourage greater participation. The downside of using surveys and questionnaires is design and fatigue. Poorly designed surveys produce poor results. And frankly, people get surveys all.the.time, so managing survey fatigue is another consideration.
- Observation is the final method for gathering job-related information. One the surface, the process is simple – observe the employee doing the work. What can be a significant upside to this method is it’s possible the employee might do something that they otherwise would forget to mention during an interview or focus group. The downside is that if the employee knows they’re being watched, will they change the way they work? Also, the observer needs to be skilled using this method.
Of course, there’s no reason that a job analysis couldn’t include each of these methods. For example, an organization might do a survey before having a focus group or interviews. Or conduct an observation and follow-up with an interview. This does bring up another consideration about job analysis. If an organization is conducting a job analysis and doesn’t tell employees, the effort could come across as sneaky or suspicious, which could erode trust. And if employees don’t trust the process, what level of cooperation in gathering information will you get? I’m not saying employees will deliberately withhold information … but we all know what happens to processes that are not supported by the workforce.
The results of a job analysis help the organization hire, engage, and retain the best employees. We need to know the job to effectively recruit for it. We need to know the job to train employees. And we need to know the job to accurately evaluate performance. All things that the organization – and employees – want.
Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby while exploring the streets of Orlando, FL
