The human resource department in any organization is a very important department. This is mainly because it provides the organization with the manpower needed to carry out various duties. In order to hire the right people for the right job, it is necessary for the HR to have a clear job description. Only then can it pick an individual with the necessary skills. The essay below lays an extra emphasis on job description and its benefits.
Human Resource Management
According to Management Study Guide (2012a), job analysis is a tool used by the HR to gather, synthesize and implement information regarding the workforce. The main objective of job analysis is to make sure that only the right people are hired for the task at hand. Two outcomes are derived from a job analysis; job description and job specifications. Job description is a clear statement of what the post entails; the duties and responsibilities of the position holder. Job specification, on the other hand, focuses on the requirements or qualifications of the individual to be hired. It aims at mapping the qualifications of the individual to the task at hand. These two are very important to the HR department.
There are various benefits derived from a job analysis (Management Study Guide, 2008). It provides first hand job related information. This means that the HR gets raw data on the job, hence making it easy to make the right decisions. The information also helps in creating a profile for the most qualified individual for the job, aiding in the hiring process. It is also an accessory during the hiring process because it acts as the map to guide through the selection process. During appraisal of employees, the HR can also use this tool in assessing how best the employees dispense the duties they were hired for. It also helps in the designing of training and development activities as it helps the HR identify the areas in which the workforce shows weakness.
The above benefits indicate that job analysis is a very important tool in the work environment. However, it can be seen that its success is heavily dependent on information. As such, the process of gathering information is equally important. There are different forma of gathering information such as interviews, questionnaires, observation and participant diary or logs (Anon, 2011). The interviews are the most common method, in which the workers directly report the activities or behavior that might not be obvious. It is advantageous in that it allows for interaction and feedback reception. However, there is a possibility that information can be distorted when interviews are used.
The other method is the use of questionnaires where the employees are given structured questions to which they respond. The advantage of this method is that it controls the information collected through the structuring of questions, such that only the important information is collected. The disadvantage is that the feedback rate is at times low (Anon, 2012). Observation is a method applied when the job entails a lot of observable physical activities or immeasurable mental activity. It is advantageous in that the subjects are not aware that they are being studied, hence the information collected is very real. However, the method is prone to observer bias and judgment errors which can compromise the information.
Participant diary is a form of data collection where employees enter records for every activity they engage in. they also indicate the time. This method ensures continuous collection of data hence there are higher chances of accuracy. The backdrop is that some employees can exaggerate some information which can be misleading. Regardless of the method used to gather the data for job analysis, it is agreeable that job analysis is at the core of HR in any organization.
References
Anonymous. (2011). Personnel Planning and Recruiting. (Attached).
Management Study Guide. (2012). Job Analysis – Job Description and Job Specification. Retrieved on 13th Sept. 2012 from http://www.managementstudyguide.com/job-analysis.htm
Management Study Guide. (2008). Advantages and Disadvantages of Job Analysis. Retrieved on 13th Sept. 2012 from http://www.managementstudyguide.com/advantages-disadvantages-job-analysis.htm
