Job Analysis
Job analysis entails a formal process that identifies the content of job in reference to the activities to be accomplished and the skills needed to perform the job. Job analysis is a crucial tool that is employed by an organization in efforts to determine the workers that are most qualified to perform certain tasks. Through job analysis, the human resources managers ensure that firms have the best human personnel to achieve a firm’s objective. The human resource management carries out job analysis through a number of techniques; such include questionnaires and interviews, which involve collecting job analysis data among employees, and work sampling among others.
Job analysis is either task oriented or worker oriented. Task oriented job analysis mainly pays attention to the activities involved in completing a task. This entails taking into contemplation the duties, functions, and responsibilities. Worker oriented job analysis involves an evaluation of the human attributes that are essential in performing a certain task. This revolves around the abilities, knowledge, skills among other characteristics. Through job sampling, the human resource management ensures that a job is well defined and has the most competent employee performing the predetermined task. Job analysis is an important tool in strategic human resource management planning. To enhance planning, job analysis evaluates the reason for existence of a certain job, mental and physical activities involved in the job, when the task is to be performed, the working conditions, the manner of job evaluation, the machinery needed, and the procedures of performing the job (Best, et, al, 2006).
The key responsibility of job analysis is to enable the human resources management to set up job specifications and job description. These are critical tools in guarantying that the right personnel are hired or recruited into a firm. Job description includes a formal list of general tasks, and responsibilities that a person in a specified position must perform. This may include salary range, minimum qualifications, and the additional skills required. Job analysis is normally documented and is used in further improvement of the job description since it collects information which is essential in future personnel compensation, training, selection, promotion criteria, and classification. The job description is a form of reference that in some firms may spell the relationship between the personnel and other employees, either managers or subordinates, in the organization. Through the data collected during job analysis, the job description may be employed to establish objectives to be attained in the future (Mueller & Baum, 2011).
Effective job analysis is the building block for successful management practices since it ensures that the qualified personnel are assigned particular tasks, these tasks are usually described in the job description. This means that both job analysis and job description are correlated and that they play a pivotal role during the hiring process in most firms. Hiring the most competent personnel is very important since it increases the firm’s productivity by offering quality products and services. Medical field is sensitive field whereby firms have to high medical professional who understand the field and perform their responsibilities with high precision (Anonymous, 2011). Therefore, the job description along with job analysis must ensure that the best and most suitable candidates are hired to fit in a certain position. To guarantee this, firm identifies the crucial responsibility areas, sets the selections standards, and identifies the fundamental performance areas. The selection standards refer to the academic qualification, special skills, job experience, career track, and the legal necessities. Through job description and unbiased job analysis, organizations can hire the most suitable candidate using suitable selection standards.
Job analysis also helps in the recruitment process, human resource managers use existing job descriptions to place job position adverts. The required skills, knowledge and abilities of potential employees are analyses and the best candidate is hired. Another important purpose is the determination of compensation; the tasks requirements of a position that are determined through job analysis are used to determine the salary or wage level, evaluation of compensations are also undertaken using job analysis. Job description also helps in determine whether an organization is overpaying or underpaying its employees by comparing compensations in other organizations. (Best, et, al, 2006).
In conclusion, job analysis as discussed above is the process that identifies the content of job in reference to the activities. It is crucial to the organization in that it is employed in efforts to determine the workers that are most qualified to perform certain tasks. Human resource use job analysis to managers ensures that firms have the best human personnel to achieve set objective. Task oriented job analysis mainly pays attention to the activities involved in completing a task. Worker oriented job analysis involves an evaluation of the human attributes that are essential in performing a certain task. Job analysis involves job sampling whereby the human resource management ensures that a job is well defined and has the most competent employee performing the predetermined task. Key responsibility of job analysis is to enable the human resources management to set up job specifications and job description
References
Anonymous. (2011, September 29). Cornerstone on Demand Inc.: Healthcare industry turns to talent management software to meet compliance requirements, improve patient care. Hospital Law Weekly, Retrieved August 2012, from Proquest.
Best, R. G., Hysong, S. J., Pugh, J. A., Ghosh, S. et al. (2006). Task Overlap among Primary Care Team Members: An Opportunity for System Redesign? /PRACTITIONER APPLICATION. Journal of Healthcare Management, 51(5), 295-306, Retrieved August 2012, from Proquest.
Mueller, J. R. & Baum, B. (2011). The definitive guide to hiring right. The Journal of Applied Business and Economics, 12, 140-154. Retrieved August 19, 2012 from Proquest.
