JESP

Job Evaluation for Senior

Posts
Good Practice Guide

May 2013

JESPGoodPracticeGuide240513Issue1 1
Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................................4

The JESP Handbook.....................................................................................................4

The Senior Civil Service................................................................................................4

Managing JESP.............................................................................................................5

The Role of Job Evaluation...........................................................................................5

Equality Issues..............................................................................................................6

The Law.........................................................................................................................6

Job Evaluation...............................................................................................................6

Achieving Fairness and Consistency............................................................................6

Training in JESP............................................................................................................7

The JESP Process........................................................................................................7

The Need for a JESP Evaluation..................................................................................7

The Key Stages in a JESP Paper-based Evaluation....................................................8

The Key Stages in a Full JESP Evaluation...................................................................8

Evaluating New Posts...................................................................................................9

Planning.........................................................................................................................9

The Job Analysis Form................................................................................................10

The Job Evaluation Interview......................................................................................10

Preparation..................................................................................................................10

The Interview...............................................................................................................11

Job Profiles..................................................................................................................12

Scoring Posts..............................................................................................................12

Job Evaluation Panels.................................................................................................13

Composition.................................................................................................................13

The Type of Meeting....................................................................................................13

Panel Scoring..............................................................................................................13

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Governance.................................................................................................................14

The Roles of the Post-holder and the Manager..........................................................14

The Role of Civil Service Employee Policy.................................................................14

The Role of the Trade Unions.....................................................................................15

Requests to Review Evaluation Decisions..................................................................15

Maintaining a JESP Evaluation Library.......................................................................16

Future Assurance........................................................................................................17

Additional Guidance....................................................................................................17

Annex A - Equal Pay Legislation – A Summary...........................................................18

Annex B - Job Evaluation Process Flowchart ............................................................19

Annex C - Job Analysis Form......................................................................................21

Annex D - Job Analysis Form - Guidance...................................................................24

Annex E - Suggested Structure of a JESP Job Evaluation Interview.........................28

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Introduction
This guide provides advice on the processes which should be followed in evaluating
Senior Civil Service (SCS) posts. It replaces all earlier versions of the Job Evaluation
for Senior Posts (JESP) Good Practice Guide. The changes reflect the transfer of the
job evaluation policy lead from the Cabinet Office to Civil Service Employee Policy.
They include new advice on paper-based evaluations, job evaluation libraries and
reviewing decisions which are disputed. The amendments have been drawn up in
discussion with the Job Evaluation Network which represents HR teams involved in
job evaluation across the UK Civil Service.

JESP was introduced in 1994 as the analytical job evaluation methodology for posts
within the SCS. It was revised in 1997, 2003 and 2007 to ensure that its values (i.e.
factors and level descriptors) continued to reflect the key qualities required of SCS
jobs.

The main purpose of JESP is to provide a fair and consistent approach to arriving at
SCS pay banding decisions. This guidance is intended to help JESP users in
achieving this. It draws on the experiences of departmental and central practitioners.

The term ‘departments’ has been used throughout this Guide to refer to departments,
agencies and NDPBs.

The JESP Handbook

Guidance on the JESP factors used to evaluate posts in the SCS is set out in the
separate JESP Handbook. This should be used by HR teams, senior managers and
others undertaking evaluations or sitting on job evaluation panels.

The Senior Civil Service

The SCS is responsible for leading the Civil Service and ensuring the delivery of
Government objectives. It is a corporate cadre which aims, both individually and
collectively, to give a clear sense of direction to policy formulation and the effective
delivery of services, both within and across departmental boundaries. A common pay
system, underpinned by analytical job evaluation, is an essential element in driving
this collective outlook.

The SCS comprises three main pay bands:

 Pay band 3 Director General level

 Pay band 2 Director level

 Pay band 1 Deputy Director level.

The Civil Service Management Code provides that, ‘Departments and agencies must
have regard to the job-weight (JESP) ranges appropriate to each band when
allocating staff to pay bands’.

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Managing JESP
It is recommended that a Job Evaluation Manager is identified within the department
to be responsible for grading relativities and maintaining JESP standards across the
organisation. This responsibility should include:

 ensuring that CS Employee Policy training is used to train evaluators

 ensuring that only trained evaluators use JESP to evaluate posts

 overseeing the maintenance of consistent grading standards by the various

evaluators

 liaising with appropriate trade union representatives and considering their

involvement in the evaluation process

 maintaining the library of JESP evaluations and ensuring evaluations are

copied to CS Employee Policy

 supporting the work of the Job Evaluation Network

 promoting the good practice set out in this Guide.

The Job Evaluation Manager should be trained in JESP and may be given delegated
responsibility for signing off paper-based JESP evaluations (see the section on
‘Governance’ below).

Departments will need to decide whether this individual is to fulfil a similar role in
relation to Job Evaluation and Grading Support (JEGS) as recommended in the
JEGS Good Practice Guide.

Where third parties outside the UK Civil Service are used to carry out individual JESP
evaluations for departments, evaluators should ensure that they have been trained in
JESP and have relevant job evaluation experience.

The Role of Job Evaluation

Job evaluation determines the relative quality of jobs within an organisation and
provides a rational basis for the design and maintenance of an equitable and
defensible grading structure. Job evaluation assesses the demands of a job. JESP is
used to determine the relativities between one role and another.

Individual contribution to the role is covered by mechanisms such as the Civil Service
Competency Framework which is designed to help develop the right mix of skills and
experience to do the job well. Performance management systems are designed to
consider personal performance and contribution to organisational goals and targets.
Job evaluation is separate from individual contribution. It assesses the demands of
the role.

Job evaluation is also not concerned with how busy a post is or how heavily it is
loaded. The evaluation should focus on the nature of the tasks which need to be

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performed in the role and the type of responsibilities which the role requires to be
undertaken.

Equality Issues
The Law

The Equality Act 2010 1protects people from discrimination on the basis of their
protected characteristics. These cover age, disability, gender, gender reassignment,
race, sexual orientation, religion, marriage and civil partnerships, and pregnancy and
maternity. A summary of equal pay legislation is set out in Annex A.

Job Evaluation

Job evaluation has attracted specific attention as a direct result of the Equal Value
amendment to the Equal Pay Act now incorporated into the Equality Act 2010. This is
mainly because analytical job evaluation is recognised as a sound basis on which to
determine work of equal value and therefore provides a means to ensure that equal
pay issues are addressed.

Care has been taken in the design of JESP to avoid bias. Care must also be taken to
ensure that evaluations do not have an impact on one group at the expense of
another. The main risk to achieving fairness and consistency in job evaluation is bias
which can be introduced into the job evaluation process in various ways. For
example:

 evaluators may allow their evaluation of the role to be influenced by the

qualities or characteristics of the post-holder or may make assumptions about
the role because of who the post-holder is

 post-holders may ‘under’ or ‘over’ sell the job challenge of their role

 one job group may be regarded as less important than another (e.g. head
office v field jobs, administrative v specialist roles, full-time v part-time posts)

 there may be an excessive emphasis on current status and job titles.

Achieving Fairness and Consistency

If job evaluation is to be effective and able to support a credible, acceptable

grading/pay banding structure, all forms of bias must be avoided and the evaluator
must concentrate on the role and its requirements. Good practice in job evaluation is
about building protection against possible bias throughout the job evaluation process.
Good practice includes:

 involving post-holders in completing relevant job information documents when

roles are evaluated

1
Provisions of the Equality Act 2010 only apply to Great Britain and do not change the equality law in
Northern Ireland relating to age, disability, gender, general, race, religion/politics and sexual
orientation.
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  using trained evaluators to assist post-holders to complete job information
documents

 using job descriptions which follow the JESP factors

 ensuring job evaluation panel members are representative of the workgroups

being evaluated

 ensuring that evaluators and panel members are trained in equality issues

 anonymising any personal data on the Job Analysis Form (JAF) or job profile
before the post is scored by evaluators and/or panel members

 involving trade union representatives to support post-holders through the

process, if required

 to ensure transparency, keeping records for each role evaluated including the
reason for each factor assessment

 ignoring the characteristics and qualities of the post-holder (for example

gender, age and experience) and focussing on the role.

Training in JESP

All those involved in evaluating SCS posts must have been trained in the use of the
JESP methodology. This training is provided free of charge by CS Employee Policy
and details of courses are on the Civil Service Learning Portal. Applications should
be submitted to CS Employee Policy using the following email address:

[email protected]

It is desirable that members of job evaluation panels receive training and this can
also be provided by CS Employee Policy.

Job evaluation interviewing is a specific skill and training in this is provided by

Beamans Management Consultants. Further details can be obtained from their
website at www.beamans.co.uk.

Evaluating posts using the JESP methodology and conducting job evaluation
interviews are skills which will develop with practice. Departments should consider
allocating a more experienced evaluator as a mentor to those new to evaluation or to
evaluation interviewing. The mentor may then act as the second evaluator for paper-
based evaluations or as the other participant in a job evaluation interview.

The JESP Process

The Need for a JESP Evaluation

The full evaluation process is set out in Annex B. A formal JESP evaluation should
be undertaken where:

 a new post is created and the pay band is not obvious

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  an existing post changes significantly, raising doubt about the pay band

 posts are on the boundary of different pay bands

 posts are subject to a grading review

 a pay banding decision is disputed.

The key to achieving fairness and consistency in the application of JESP is in

obtaining factual evidence about the full scope and responsibilities of the roles
being evaluated. The quality of the output from JESP is reliant on the quality of the
input.

The Key Stages in a JESP Paper-based Evaluation

It is likely that the majority of JESP evaluations undertaken by departments will be

paper-based. This process involves the following steps:

 considering what information needs communicating to those involved including

the trade unions

 the evaluator obtaining an agreed job description or Job Analysis Form (JAF)
where possible in discussion with both the post-holder and the manager

 two evaluators scoring the anonymised job profile using the JESP Handbook
and then discussing any differences to reach an agreed scoring
recommendation

 the outcome being signed off by a senior manager or someone formally

authorised to act on their behalf. This could be the Job Evaluation Manager
(see ‘Managing JESP’ above.)

Paper-based evaluations should only be undertaken where the issues raised are
likely to be straightforward. Where posts are likely to raise complex or disputed
issues, a full evaluation should be undertaken.

The Key Stages in a Full JESP Evaluation

The full JESP evaluation process involves the following steps:

Collecting the Evidence

 considering what information needs communicating to those involved including

the trade unions

 the completion of a job analysis form (JAF) by the post-holder which is then
agreed with the manager

 an interview of the post-holder carried out by a trained evaluator

 the evaluator drafting a job profile

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  the post-holder and manager commenting on the job profile

 the evaluator incorporating any agreed amendments into the job profile

 the post-holder and manager agreeing the job profile.

Scoring the Post

 the evaluator scoring the job profile using the JESP factors

 the job profile being considered by a job evaluation panel which discusses the
job collectively and agrees an outcome.

Detailed guidance on these various steps is given below.

Evaluating New Posts

There will be occasions when evaluators are asked to comment on the grading of a
post at the early stage of job design. In offering their opinion, they should make clear
that this is not a formal evaluation and the grading may change as further information
becomes available.

Where a more formal evaluation is requested and the job description and other
paperwork provided are not sufficient to carry this out, the evaluator should request
the additional information needed from those responsible for creating the post. It may
be helpful to share this Guide with the relevant senior managers to help them
understand the process involved and the need for the information requested.

Planning

Approaches to JESP exercises will vary and will inevitably depend on the numbers of
jobs to be evaluated, the available resources and the process which is followed. It is
important to set expectations with those involved about the amount of time it could
take to complete an evaluation and to emphasise the need for the evaluator to have
enough time to complete a quality evaluation. For full evaluations, sufficient time will
be needed for:

 the issue and return of the JAF

 arranging and conducting the interview

 writing the job profile

 quality assuring the job profile

 getting the job profile agreed by the post-holder and the manager

 incorporating agreed changes

 identifying the availability of panel members and fixing a date

 considering how and when post-holders are to be informed of the outcome.

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The Job Analysis Form
A key stage in any evaluation is to obtain sufficient information about the role to
enable it to be scored against the relevant factors. This information needs to reflect
the current post so should only cover the previous twelve months.

To help evaluators to collect this information, a sample Job Analysis Form (JAF) is
contained at Annex C. It has been designed to complement the JESP process and to
capture the information which will help to score the post. Departments should
consider issuing guidance and offering support from a trained analyst to help post-
holders and managers complete the JAF. Sample guidance to help with the
completion of a JAF is attached at Annex D.

Where a full evaluation is being undertaken, the JAF will form the basis for the
interview. Where a JAF has not been completed, the interview may need to be based
on a job description possibly with other background papers. The aim of the interview
will be to complete a full job profile.

Those undertaking paper-based evaluations may also start the process with a job
description and some other background papers although, where possible, they
should start with a completed JAF. These evaluators may also need to go back to the
post-holder and/or manager on a more informal basis to ensure that they have
sufficient information on which to base their evaluation.

Apart from the JAF, evaluators should consider whether any other background
information will be useful before conducting the interview or carrying out the paper-
based evaluation (e.g. anything which will help to put the post to be evaluated in
context or which will improve the understanding of the work processes and
terminology). Care should be taken, however, not to pre-judge the outcome of the job
evaluation based solely on this research.

The Job Evaluation Interview

The purpose of the job evaluation interview in the full evaluation process is to obtain
additional information so that the evaluator has a full picture of the job on which to
base the evaluation.

Preparation

The department will need to decide how many people should conduct each interview.
Experienced interviewers often operate alone. Less experienced ones may prefer to
work in pairs or with a more experienced interviewer in a mentoring relationship. If
the latter approach is adopted, the normal convention is to have one person in the
lead, with the other person taking notes and having an opportunity to ask questions
at the end of each section. Normally the person in support will complete the job
profile.

It is recommended that the evaluator has a completed JAF ahead of the interview.
This allows time to prepare the areas which should be covered during the discussion,
saving time at the interview and potentially making agreement of the final job profile
easier. Occasionally, they may have to undertake the interview without a JAF.
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Although more difficult and often more time consuming, the experienced evaluator
should still be able to achieve the desired outcome.

Ahead of the discussion and to save time on the day, it is worth outlining the process
and timing to the post-holder and the manager.

The Interview

It is recommended that the interview is held face-to-face but it can be successfully

undertaken over the telephone or through video conferencing.

During the introduction, the interviewer should confirm:

 the anticipated length of the interview. Not allowing enough time will result in
insufficient evidence to assess the role and will probably cost additional time in
going back to the post-holder at a later date. Rushing through a discussion
may also reduce the credibility of the evaluator and the JESP process with the
post-holder

 the end product (e.g. a job profile three to four sides in length which will
capture the essence of the job and be sent to the post-holder to agree)

 that the key to a successful interview is to establish the post-holder’s specific

role

 the structure of the interview – normally following the sequence of the JAF

 that it is the post which is being reviewed, not the post-holder’s own
performance, qualities or characteristics. The current post-holder is being
consulted as a key source of information about the job

 that they are happy to answer any questions which the post-holder may have.

The interview should be used to obtain factual information about the role’s activities
taking into account the areas covered by the JESP factors. Whenever possible, open
questions should be used.

The structure will be up to the evaluator but care should be taken to ensure the
interview flows and progresses naturally from one area to another. Many of the
questions will be apparent from the JAF (e.g. gaps, further information needed, lack
of clarity, post-holder’s input). The evaluator may find it useful to summarise points
and check back with the post-holder as the discussion progresses.

A suggested order, based on the JAF structure, including some rationale and content,
is set out in Annex E.

Sometimes it can be useful to have others sitting in on a JESP discussion. For

example, a trade union representative may be present to support the overall fairness
of the process.

At the end of the interview, the post-holder should be given the opportunity to
comment on any aspects of the job not covered. The evaluator should also ensure
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that, if necessary, either party can get back to the other in order to clarify information.
The evaluator should conclude by explaining the next phase of the JESP process.

Departments should ensure that evaluators are briefed to give common messages on
how JESP is being applied in the organisation and on the information which will be
issued as a result.

Job Profiles
To ensure that evaluators produce consistent job profiles, many departments have
introduced quality assurance checks at the draft job profile stage. Although this
approach is resource intensive, a high level of consistency is achieved.

The normal convention is to follow the headings in the JAF. There is no right length
for a job profile although most organisations can produce a fully comprehensive one
in three to four sides of A4. Some points to consider include:

 ensuring information is factual

 avoiding using emotive language and value judgements

 avoiding any references to the current post-holder’s characteristics, e.g.

gender, age or experience

 avoiding using jargon

 aiming to capture the essence of the job

 ensuring the profile contains sufficient examples

 avoiding paraphrasing the JESP Handbook.

Most departments allow half a day to a day to complete a job profile. The evidence is
likely to be more accurate if it is written up as soon as possible after the interview.

Some departments produce notes following interviews rather than a full job profile.
The information is contained within one to two sides of A4 and is recorded under the
JESP factor headings. In these cases, a score for each factor and a total score is
provided by the evaluator for the scoring panel to consider. The JAF is also made
available to the panel.

The job profile should be sent to the post-holder and their manager to sign off the
accuracy of the evidence before evaluating the role. It will then have the status of an
agreed job profile.

Scoring Posts
Guidance on the JESP factors and scoring is given in the JESP Handbook.

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Job Evaluation Panels
Job evaluation panels are responsible for scoring and agreeing the evaluation
outcome where a full evaluation is undertaken and may also be used for scoring
paper-based evaluations. They may, additionally, be given a role in ensuring the
wider consistency of evaluations across the department and helping to maintain the
integrity of JESP.

Some departments use an existing committee or forum to carry out the role of a job
evaluation panel. In making evaluation decisions, these bodies should also follow the
good practice guidance set out below.

Composition

Where they are used for paper-based evaluations, panels should comprise a
minimum of two trained evaluators. For full evaluations, panels should comprise at
least three people and be chaired at a senior level. It is recommended that someone
from the management chain is in attendance. It is helpful for at least one panel
member to have a wide perspective of relevant SCS posts across the department or
that part of the organisation and, if possible, to be senior to the post being evaluated.
The evaluator should also normally be present to support the panel and may form
one of the members. To help with its quality assurance role, CS Employee Policy
should be notified of panel meetings and invited to attend.

It is desirable that panel members undertake some form of training prior to scoring.
CS Employee Policy can provide this by giving members a brief overview of the
scoring conventions and the opportunity to score posts which have an agreed score.

The Type of Meeting

While it is recommended that the panel meets face-to-face, discussions can take
place over the telephone, through video conferencing or by correspondence.
Departments need to be careful that sufficient discussion takes place and there is
sufficient opportunity for views and assumptions to be challenged.

Panel Scoring

The evaluator will normally provide a proposed outcome to the panel. Where a
second evaluator is involved, the two evaluators should review the proposed
outcome before the panel meeting and provide their agreed score to the panel. It will
then be up to the panel to ratify or change the proposal. To save time on the day, the
agreed evidence and proposals should be put to the panel in advance of the meeting.

Jobs should be scored from the best available information about the job. This is
normally in the form of the job profile which should be agreed by the post-holder and
the manager.

Where agreed job profiles are used, it is recommended that this is the only piece of
information available to the panel. This ensures that a consistent approach is
maintained. The job profile should contain sufficient information to enable the post to
be scored with confidence.

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The convention is for individual panel members to read the job profile and produce a
proposed score broken down into factors. This forms the basis for discussion
amongst the panel members who then reach agreed conclusions.

Where jobs of varying quality are to be assessed on the same day, it can be helpful
to start with the more senior posts which can provide useful benchmarks.

At the end of the scoring process, all total and factor scores should be compared to
ensure that the approach and output has been fair and consistent. The ranking
produced should reflect the importance of the posts to the organisation.

During the process, it is helpful for someone to undertake a secretarial function and
make notes of all discussion points. These can be very helpful in dealing with any
requests to review the decision.

Governance
Departments will need to determine an appropriate governance route to ‘sign off’
evaluation outcomes. This is particularly important where paper-based evaluations
are undertaken. The person signing off the evaluation outcome should be a senior
manager or someone formally authorised to act on their behalf, for example the Job
Evaluation Manager identified under ‘Managing JESP’ above. This person may
attend panels for full evaluations so that the scoring decision can be taken at the
panel meeting.

The Roles of the Post-holder and the Manager

Both have a key role to play in the JESP process. In the full JESP process, it is
important that the JAF is completed by the post-holder and agreed by the manager.
Similarly, a completed job profile should be agreed by both parties. A similar
approach of involving both the post-holder and the manager should be adopted for
the job description or JAF used in a paper-based evaluation. This approach will help
to ensure that the job is fairly and accurately reflected. It will reduce the need for
further discussions to clear up misunderstandings and the number of decisions which
need to be reviewed.

While the involvement of the post-holder is crucial, it should always be remembered

that it is the post, and the qualities and experience which it requires, which are being
evaluated, and not the post-holder, with their particular characteristics and qualities.

It is important that the respective roles of the post-holder and the manager are
conveyed clearly before the start of the process. Where departments are undertaking
an organisational review, an effective communications strategy will secure co-
operation and contribute significantly to the smooth running of the project.

The Role of Civil Service Employee Policy

CS Employee Policy maintains the JESP system and helps to ensure consistency of
application. This includes, where appropriate:

 providing training to departments on the use of JESP

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  working with departments to quality assure their evaluations

 participating in JESP scoring panels

 working with departments to build a robust case for pay band 3 roles

 arranging for full evaluations to be undertaken for Director General and

Permanent Secretary roles at the request of the Cabinet Office

 maintaining the integrity of the JESP methodology

 providing advice to departments on specific issues and promoting good

practice

 maintaining the central Library of JESP evaluations.

Requests for CS Employee Policy to participate in panels, to assist with the

evaluation of pay band 3 posts or to assist with other queries should be submitted
using the following email address:

[email protected]

The Role of the Trade Unions

Departments are encouraged to consider the role of their trade unions in the JESP
process. Some departments have, for example, successfully included trade union
representatives on their JESP scoring panels. Some have an agreement to share
JESP scores with local trade union representatives who have been trained in JESP
and who may be actively involved in the evaluation process. We recommend that
trade unions should be notified of planned JESP reviews.

Departments should make arrangements to ensure that any trade union

representatives taking part in job evaluation panels are trained in JESP. Nominations
should be submitted to Civil Service Employee Policy through the relevant HR team.

Requests to Review Evaluation Decisions

Where an evaluation decision has been taken on a post by a job evaluation panel, it
is unlikely that there will be a case for reviewing that decision. The post-holder should
be informed about the decision. However, there may be a need to review a full or
paper-based evaluation where it appears that:

 there has been a failure of process, for example, the relevant guidance has
not been properly followed

 significant new information or significant aspects of the post have not been
taken into account when arriving at the evaluation outcome, or

 some form of discrimination (unfair, biased or inconsistent treatment) has

occurred in the way the evaluation was carried out.

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It may be possible to resolve some issues through informal discussion but where this
does not resolve the situation, a more formal process may need to be followed. This
might then involve:

 a clear timetable with reasonable time limits so that everyone understands

how long the process will take and when it will be completed

 carrying out a full evaluation if the role has not already been fully evaluated

 where the post has been fully evaluated, convening a further evaluation panel
to review the scoring outcomes. This panel could include members of the
original panel alongside new, independent members.

Departments will need to consider how requests for reviews should be handled and
who will determine how they should proceed. Post-holders should receive a written
explanation of why a request for a review has been turned down and should be
advised in writing of the outcome of any review. Managers’ views may be sought as
part of the review process but they should not be able to determine whether or not a
review goes ahead. Whatever processes are put in place, post-holders should be
made aware of the options available to them.

Maintaining a JESP Evaluation Library

Departments should hold libraries of evaluations. These are helpful when looking to
identify roles for benchmarking and providing quality assurance. As a minimum, a
record should be maintained which shows the following for all posts which have been
evaluated:

 the date of the evaluation

 an anonymised job description/JAF/job profile

 scores by factor

 the finally agreed overall score

 the evaluated pay band.

Departments should have regard to their duties under the Data Protection Act (DPA)
when retaining documents relating to evaluations. The above documents will not
normally relate to individuals but to the post in question and therefore the DPA would
not apply. However, care should be taken in circumstances where there is an
evaluation of an existing post-holder’s role to analyse whether the information
retained relates to the post-holder concerned and could lead to that post-holder being
identified in which case the DPA would apply.

A copy of each record should be sent to CS Employee Policy as it is added to the

department’s library (Email [email protected]).

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Future Assurance
In many cases, the characteristics of posts will change over a period of time.
Managers have a lead responsibility for monitoring these changes and taking action
where a change of grade may have occurred. Departments may also need to plan
further JESP exercises to reflect any changes and to assure themselves that the
current JESP score/range is correct. Departments should review their grading
structures and guidance at regular intervals to ensure that they are fit for purpose.

Additional Guidance
The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s Equality Act 2010 Code of
Practice provides detailed guidance on equal value and equality issues generally.

ACAS also has some useful material on job evaluation which can be accessed at
www.acas.gov.uk

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Annex A - Equal Pay Legislation – A Summary
The law relating to equal pay is contained in both European Community (EC) law and
in UK statute. UK legislation is required to conform with EC law. The domestic legal
framework for equal pay for work of equal value is provided within the Equality Act
2010. Where issues related to equal pay cannot be resolved informally, a complaint
can be made to an employment tribunal. Claims are generally taken under domestic
law where possible but in some circumstances claims may be referred to the Court of
Justice of the European Union.

In essence, this legislation makes gender discrimination in pay and conditions of

service unlawful. In order to establish a prima facie equal pay claim an employee in
the United Kingdom must first identify an employee of the opposite sex, in the same
employing organisation, who is paid more and establish that:

 the work which they do is the same, or broadly similar provided that there are
any differences in the work and these are not of practical importance (known
as ‘like work’); or

 the work which they do is different but is rated under the same job evaluation
scheme as being work of equal value (known as ‘work rated as equivalent’); or

 the work which they do is different but of equal value in terms of factors such
as effort, skill and decision-making (known as ‘ work of ‘equal value’).

It is then for the employer to identify the reason for any difference in pay. If the
employee can show that the reason is either directly related to their gender, or has an
adverse effect on employees of that gender, then the employer will be called upon to
justify the reason for the difference in pay.

If the employee cannot get over the first hurdle of proving like work, work rated as
equivalent or work of equal value, they will not be able to establish a prima facie
claim. In considering this question an employer will be in a much stronger position if
the job in question has been subject to a formal analytical job evaluation process.

Claims based on equal value (i.e. where the person is doing a different job but the
work done is of equal value to the higher paid comparator) can be brought whether or
not there are job evaluation arrangements in place in the organisation. In cases
where an analytical job evaluation scheme is not being used by the employer, a
tribunal can appoint an independent expert to assess equality using an analytical job
evaluation methodology. In cases where an analytical job evaluation scheme is being
used this will provide a defence to an equal value claim unless the job evaluation is
held to be flawed or has not been properly followed.

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 Annex B - Job Evaluation Process Flowchart
Consider a JESP evaluation when…

 a new post is created and the pay band is not obvious

 an existing post changes significantly, raising doubt about the pay band
 posts are on the boundary of different pay bands
 posts are subject to a grading review
 a grading decision is disputed

Paper-based Evaluation Full Evaluation

A paper-based evaluation by a A paper and interview based
trained evaluator using an agreed evaluation by a trained evaluator
job profile using an agreed job profile

Quality Assurance

Evaluation quality assured with another trained evaluator and outcome

benchmarked

Records

Audit
Senior manager to sign off Evaluation panel discuss and
evaluation agree pay band

Manage Outcome
Manager advises post-holder of outcome and their options, including a decision
review

Record outcome

Place details of evaluation in Job Evaluation Library and send to CS Employee

Policy

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Job Evaluation Process – text version
Consider a JESP evaluation when:

 a new post is created, raising doubt about the pay band

 an existing post changes significantly, raising doubt about the pay band

 posts are on the boundary of different pay bands

 posts are subject to a grading review

 a grading decision is disputed.

Step 1. A paper-based evaluation by a trained evaluator using an agreed job profile

Yes: go to step 2

No: go to step 6

Step 2. Evaluation quality assured with another trained evaluator and outcome
benchmarked. Maintain audit records throughout the process

Step 3. Senior manager to sign off evaluation

Step 4. Manager advises post-holder of outcome and their options, including a

decision review

Step 5. Place details of evaluation in Job Evaluation Library and send to CS

Employee Policy

Step 6. A paper and interview based evaluation by a trained evaluator using an

agreed job profile

Step 7. Evaluation quality assured with another trained evaluator and outcome
benchmarked. Maintain audit records throughout the process

Step 8. Evaluation Panel discuss and agree pay band

Step 9. Manager advises post-holder of outcome and their options, including

decision review

Step 10. Place details of evaluation in Job Evaluation Library and send to CS
Employee Policy

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Annex C - Job Analysis Form

1. Basic Details
Job title

Grade/pay band

Team/ Business Unit/Location

Completed by

Date

Telephone no.

Manager’s name

Date agreed with manager

2. Overall Job Purpose

Please provide a summary of the role, main objectives, key responsibilities and
deliverables.

3. Organisation
Please provide an organisation chart showing the post, those reporting to it, the post
it reports to and the others who report to the same manager.

4. Main Activities
Please list the main activities and estimate the percentage of time spent on each.

Activity % time

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5. Context and Current Issues
Briefly, set the scene for the work including how it fits into wider developments and
some of the issues the post-holder handles (and their role in dealing with those
issues).

6. Managing People
Please give details of the number and job types of people directly managed, their
location, deployment and the post-holder’s contribution to management
responsibilities.

7. Accountability
Please give examples of the extent to which the post-holder is held accountable for
the use of resources, decisions, providing advice, performance and results.

8. Judgement
Please give examples of the types of situation where judgement is applied, the level
of creativity needed and the impact on decisions the post-holder is involved in.

9. Influencing
Please give examples of the requirements to get results through others outside the
line management chain. This may include negotiation, persuasion, representation
and/or co-ordination within the Civil Service and beyond.

10. Professional Competence

Please detail the key abilities required to undertake the job effectively, including any
mandatory qualifications, and the extent to which the post-holder has to provide input
(rather than managing others who are the “experts”).

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11. Further Information
Any particular comments which you consider would be helpful including, in particular:

 the effect of expected changes in the area of business over the next two years

 the coherence of the present responsibilities

 the impact of expected changes in the management of finance and manpower.

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Annex D - Job Analysis Form - Guidance

Introduction
This note provides guidance on the completion of the Job Analysis Form (JAF). The
JAF is primarily to assist trained evaluators to have an understanding of the post and
may form the basis for an interview if the full evaluation process is being used. It is
based on the five JESP evaluation factors.

It is important to remember that it is the post which is being evaluated and not your
performance.

The form should outline the key aspects of the post and should include enough
information to give the evaluator, who may know nothing about the job, an idea of
what it involves. This information needs to reflect the current post so should only
cover the previous twelve months. It is not necessary to provide documents which
are used in the post such as guidance, instructions or policy statements.

It is important that you provide accurate information which is clear and unambiguous,
and that you avoid using jargon and unexplained acronyms. Please support general
descriptions with specific examples of things you do, how you do them and the result.
If you require any further assistance, please speak to your manager who will need to
sign off the form.

Questions

Overall Job Purpose

This is the reason the job exists. A brief statement is required to describe the purpose
of the post, its responsibilities and the main objectives of the post (excluding your
own personal objectives) and deliverables.

Organisation

Please provide an organisation chart showing the position of the post in relation to
your manager, any employees who you manage or for whom you are responsible,
and your colleagues. This is to show the relationship between your job and others in
the same team or business area.

Main Activities

Please list the main tasks of the job and estimate the percentage of time normally
spent on each activity/task. This should identify what you spend most of the time
doing and not exceptional or one-off tasks. Please note you should only list what the
post requires, rather than what you think it should do.

Context and Current Issues

Here you should set the scene for the work, how it fits into wider developments and
the current challenges. You should detail some of the key issues the post faces and
the role of the post in dealing with those issues.

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Managing People

This factor measures the requirement to get results through others who are directly
or ultimately accountable to the post-holder. It concerns the need to deploy, for
example, the skills of leadership, motivation, communication, performance
management and team building. This factor is not exclusively focused on the number
of people the jobholder ultimately manages.

When completing this section, please consider the following:

 does the post involve directing and co-ordinating people (employees and
consultants)?

 what percentage of your time is spent on managing employees?

 do you have responsibility for teams across a large/medium/small part of the

organisation?

 are the employees based in one location or on multiple sites?

 what type of work is done by those employees e.g. technical, administrative,

project or a mixture?

Accountability

This factor measures the requirement to "carry the can" and be answerable for the
use of resources, decisions and results. It also applies where other bodies are
directly accountable in the first instance for their own performance, but where the
post-holder is expected, through leadership, performance management or regulatory
roles, to add value and deliver results. An example is where the post-holder carries
stewardship responsibilities for public and third party funds.

When completing this section, please consider the following:

 does the post have the “final say” on issues and/or does the “buck” stop with
the post?

 to what extent do you make decisions within the bounds of legislation, policy
and existing practices and to what extent do you exercise discretion?

 are there any senior posts above in the formal chain of accountability?

 does the post have any discretion in how budgets are spent?

 what role does the post have in any corporate decision making?

Judgement

This factor measures the requirement to apply reasoning and experience to

situations in order to form a sound judgement about the way forward. Such
judgements may have to be applied to the strategic direction of the organisation or to
policy and delivery issues.
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When completing this section, please consider:

 the nature, extent and complexity of issues or situations which you are
required to handle

 the level of information available to you when making judgements.

 the level and degree of risks involved when making judgements

 if you rely on professional advisers or others to provide support or make

judgements.

Influencing

This factor measures the requirement to deliver results through persuasion,

negotiation and leadership of people who are not directly accountable to the post-
holder, rather than through exercising direct authority or control.

When completing this section, please consider the following:

 does the post require the use of a range of approaches and strategies to
influence people?

 what levels of internal and external stakeholders is the post required to

influence and how do you do this?

 is influencing a significant part of the job?

Professional Competence

This factor measures the requirement to apply professional knowledge using specific
professional qualifications. “Professional” in this context is aimed at particular career
groups which require, as an operational pre-requisite, specific qualifications before
an individual can use the job title or is ‘licensed to practice’ within the profession. This
would include, for example, lawyers, doctors, vets and accountants. Other
professions may score under other factors but should enter the relevant information
here.

When completing this section, please consider the following:

 is there a requirement for any professional qualifications?

 can the post be undertaken without any professional qualifications?

 does the post manage any employees which require professional

qualifications?

 is membership of a professional body a requirement for undertaking the post?

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Further Information

You can include here any other information which you feel would be helpful for the
evaluator to understand the post. This could include issues around context or
development.

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Annex E - Suggested Structure of a JESP Job Evaluation Interview
Overall Job Purpose

This provides a general overview and aids the interviewer’s understanding of the job.
This is normally limited to three to five minutes.

Organisation

A chart will normally have been provided. As a minimum, this should show one level
above, others at the same level and one level below. The evaluator needs to
establish the types of issue which the post-holder refers up the line and explore the
lateral links.

Main Activities

The approximate percentage breakdown of the post-holder’s activities needs to be

agreed with the post-holder. This should typically be broken down into three to five
component parts. It is not always easy to quantify this but it helps place the job in
context, and safeguards against scoring at the extremes. The time breakdown can be
quite persuasive during scoring discussions.

Context and Current Issues

This sets the scene for the work and starts to explore the interrelationships within the
organisation. It will help the interviewer understand how the post fits into the wider
issues. It is also important to encourage the post-holder to discuss issues of current
concern and their input to the process. Ideally four or five examples should be used.
This section often forms the meat of the interview and examples of Judgement and
Influencing come to the fore.

Managing People

The following needs to be established:

 the number and types of employees (professional, specialist, technical,

administrative)

 the levels of employees (grades/pay bands)

 changes taking place - increases, decreases, uncertainties, particular

difficulties etc

 the location of employees

 examples of the types of issues which the employees bring to the post-holder

 the post-holder’s input to the managing people process.

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Accountability

The issues the evaluator should explore include where does the ‘buck stop’ and who
is the last word regarding advice and input into delivering goals/targets.

Judgement

This covers the requirements to apply reasoning and experience to form sound
judgements and includes:

 the types of decision taken and the flexibilities available

 the control and influence over expenditure

 key respects in which the job contributes to the work of the area

 the work which is part of a personal caseload

 the impact of decisions taken by the post-holder

 the typical input (if extreme quote frequency) of the post-holder.

About five examples should be sought. Much of this information may already have
been gathered under Context and Current Issues.

Influencing

This covers the requirement to get results through others, outside the post-holder’s
command. The evaluator will need to identify the post-holder’s:

 involvement in corporate decision-taking

 working relationships with others in the organisation

 links with Ministers, other departments and the private sector.

The evaluator needs to examine the post-holder’s role in respect of negotiation,

persuasion and representation. The interview should explore how contentious the
issues are, how captive and established the audience is and the post-holder’s
specific role, if operating as part of a departmental team. It is anticipated that most of
this information will have been gathered under Context and Current Issues.

Professional Competence

This includes the need for professional qualifications. The evaluator will need to
establish the type of qualification, the linked experience, the frequency and the depth
of application.

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