CHAPTER 4

Workers, Jobs, and Job Analysis

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 Chapter Objectives

After you have read this chapter, you should be able to:
• Explain how the diversity of the workforce affects HR management
functions.
• Identify components of work flow analysis that must be considered.
• Define job design and identify common approaches to varying job
design.
• Describe different types of work teams and HR facets that must be
considered.
• Discuss how telework and work flexibility are linked to work-life
balancing efforts.
• Describe job analysis and the stages and methods used in the
process.
• List the components of job descriptions.
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 Workforce Composition
• Changes in the U.S. Workforce
 Increases in health care and health-related jobs
 Declines in manufacturing jobs and workers
 Increased need for workers with technical skills
 Increasing diversity in the workforce
• Diversity
 Differences in human characteristics and composition
in an organization
 Race/ethnicity • National origin/immigration
 Age/generational differences • Sexual orientation
 Gender • Marital and family status
 Disabilities • Religion

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 Business Contribution of Diverse Workers
• “Business Case” for Diversity:
 Allows new talent and ideas from employees of
different backgrounds, which can enhance
organizational performance.
 Helps recruiting and retention because protected-
class individuals often prefer to work in organizations
with coworkers of various demographics.
 Allows for an increase of market share because
customers can be attracted to purchase products and
services with varied demographic marketing activities.
 Can lead to lower costs because there may be fewer
discrimination lawsuits.

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 FIGURE 4–1 Various Approaches to Diversity and Their Results

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 Generational Differences
• Age/generational Groups:
 Matures (born before 1946)
 Baby boomers (born 1946–1964)
 Generation Xers (born 1965–1980)
 Generation Yers (millenials) (born 1981–2000)
• Challenges:
 Older workers delaying retirement
 Shortage of experienced and skilled workers
 Generational differences in expectations from jobs

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 FIGURE 4–2 Positive Multigenerational Management Activities

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 Nature of Jobs and Work
• Dividing Work into Jobs
 Work
 Effort
directed toward producing or accomplishing
results.
 Job
 A grouping of tasks, duties, and responsibilities that
constitutes the total work assignment for an
employee.

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 Influences Affecting Jobs, People, and Related HR Policies

Organizational Organizational Customer

Values Strategy Needs

Nature of Work

Jobs People Needed

Needed for Jobs

HR Activities Focusing on Jobs

• Job analysis• Recruiting
• Training and development
• Performance management
• Health, safety, and security
• Employee relations • Compensation

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 Workflow Analysis
• Workflow Analysis
 The study of the way work (inputs, activities, and
outputs) moves through an organization.

Inputs Activities Outputs

People, materials, Tasks and Goods and
equipment jobs services

Evaluation

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 Business Process Re-Engineering
• Business Process Re-engineering (BPR)
 Measures for improving such activities as product
development, customer service, and service delivery.

Rethink Redesign Retool

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 Workers and Job Design
Full-time Part-time
employees employees

Types of
Workers

Independent Temporary
contractors workers

Contingent
workers

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 Job Design
• Job Design
 Organizing tasks, duties, and responsibilities into a
productive unit of work.
• Person-Job Fit
 Matching characteristics of people with characteristics
of jobs.

Job Design Impacts

Physical and
Performance Job Satisfaction
Mental Health

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 FIGURE 4–3 Some Characteristics of People and Jobs

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 Common Approaches to Job Design

Job Design
Approaches

Job Job Job Job

enlargement enrichment rotation sharing

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 FIGURE 4–4 Job Characteristics Model

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 Using Worker Teams in Jobs

Types of Teams

Special- Self-Directed Virtual

Purpose Team Team Team

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 FIGURE 4–5 Encouraging Team Performance Success

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 Team Jobs

Advantages Disadvantages

• Improved productivity • Requires employees to be

• Increased employee “group oriented”
involvement • Not appropriate for most work in
• More widespread employee organizations
learning • Can be overused
• Greater employee ownership of • Difficult to measure team
problems performance
• Individual compensation
interferes with team concept

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 Telework
• Telework
Employees work via electronic telecommunications,
and internet means.
• Effects of Alternative Work Arrangements
More self-scheduling by employees
A shift to evaluating employees on results
Greater trust, less control and direct supervision
Legal issues related to state and federal laws
Career impacts of lack of direct contact (visibility)

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 FIGURE 4–6 Telework Advantages for Employers

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 Work Schedule Alternatives

Global Work Work

Schedule Schedule
Differences Alternatives

Work
Schedules

Shift Work
Job
and Compressed
Sharing
Workweek

Flexible
Scheduling

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 The Nature of Job Analysis
• Job Analysis
A systematic way of gathering and analyzing
information about the content, context, and the human
requirements of jobs.
 Work activities and behaviors
 Interactions with others
 Performance standards
 Financial and budgeting impact
 Machines and equipment used
 Working conditions
 Supervision given and received
 Knowledge, skills, and abilities needed

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 FIGURE 4–7
Job Analysis
in Perspective

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 FIGURE 4–8 Typical Division of HR Responsibilities: Job Analysis

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 Task-Based Job Analysis

Responsibility

Duty Duty

Task Task Task Task

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 Competency-Based Job Analysis
• Competencies
 Individual capabilities that can be linked to enhanced
performance by individuals or teams.
 Technical competencies
 Behavioral competencies

• Reasons for using a competency approach:

 To articulate valued behaviors within the organization
 To raise competency levels throughout the
organization
 To emphasize people’s capabilities for enhancing the
competitive advantage of the organization

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 FIGURE 4–9
Stages in the Job
Analysis Process

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 Job Analysis Methods
Observation Interviewing
Work Sampling Standardized Interviews
Employee Diary/Log Panel Interviews

Job
Analysis
Methods

Questionnaires Computerized
PAQ, MPDQ Systems

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 FIGURE 4–10 Typical Areas Covered in a Job Analysis Questionnaire

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 Job Analysis and O*Net

Work
Organizational
Required to
Goals
Achieve Goals

Functional
Job Analysis
(People, Data,
Things)

Level and
Training
Orientation of
Content
Work

Performance
Standards

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 Behavioral Aspects of Job Analysis

Behavioral Aspects of Job Analysis

Current Employee and

“Inflation” of Jobs
Incumbent Managerial
and Titles
Emphasis Anxieties

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 Legal Aspects of Job Analysis
• Job Analysis and the Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA)
Essential job functions—fundamental duties of the
job that are performed regularly, require significant
amounts of time, cannot be easily assigned to another
employee, and are necessary to accomplish the job.
• Percentage of time spent on tasks
• Frequency of tasks done
• Importance of tasks performed
Marginal job functions—duties that are part of the
job but are incidental or ancillary to the purpose and
nature of the job.

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 Job Analysis and Wage/Hour Regulations
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
To qualify for an exemption from the overtime
provisions of the act:
 Employees must perform their primary duties as
executive, administrative, professional, or outside
sales employees.
 Primary has been interpreted to mean occurring at
least 50% of the time.

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 Job Descriptions and Job Specifications
• Job Description
Identification of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities
of a job
• Job Specification
The knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) an
individual needs to perform a job satisfactorily.
• Performance Standards
Indicators of what the job accomplishes and how
performance is measured in key areas of the job
description.

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 Job Description Components
• Identification • Essential Functions and
 Job title Duties
 Reporting relationships  Lists major tasks, duties and
 Department responsibilities
 Location • Job Specifications
 Date of analysis  Knowledge, skills, and
• General Summary abilities
 Education and experience
 Describes the job’s
distinguishing  Physical requirements
responsibilities and • Disclaimer
components  Of implied contract
• Approval signatures

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 FIGURE 4–11
Sample Job
Description

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