Issues that Arise in Occupational Analysis

Occupational Analysis is particular type of Job Analysis which focuses on how an occupation is employed across multiple organizations. While a Job Analysis is fitting when the goal is to address an organization’s specific needs, an organization analysis has the objective of addressing the interests of an enterprise or even the entire industry. Occupational Analysis generally takes four steps, the construction of survey instruments, collection of occupational data, analysis of the survey data within the context of known organizational issues, and working with relevant stakeholders to implement changes identified as necessary. For an organizational analysis to be effective and comprehensive, it has to encompass both the short-term and long-term goals as well as the required knowledge, skills and abilities required for the successful execution of a role. An organizational analysis is important since it is aimed at pointing out the areas with inefficiency and presenting opportunities through which the organization can streamline its strategy and reorganize (Boyd, 2008).

 Job analysis is defined by Velhal and Sawant (2013) as a systematic process through which data about each job in the organization is gathered. Alternatively, a Job Analysis can be thought of as being a systematic process through which the nature of a job is analyzed, usually through subdividing the role into smaller sub-steps (Mackenzie & O’Toole, 2011). A Job Analysis is important since it helps in the Human Resource Management for an organization. A firm can get a good picture of the individual roles each member of the team contributes to meeting the overall objective of the company. Consequently, the firm has the relevant information they can use to undertake planning requirements or any desired changes. A job analysis for an occupation has six individual steps, and these steps lead up to the formulation of a job specification and description (Mackenzie & O’Toole, 2011).  A job description lists the general tasks, responsibilities and functions that characterize a position within the organization (Dessler, 2014). The job specification on the other hand, is a written record of the minimum qualifications that a job candidate should have for the successful execution of their assigned role.

The first step involved in carrying out a job analysis is the identification of the tools that will be applied in the gathering of information some examples being interviews and questionnaires, or observation. Secondly, the relevant organizational data is explored with the aim of identifying the organizational requirements the role serves. Third, a single position which marks the interest point is identified, and the duties and responsibilities associated with the position are analyzed. Fourth, data related to the position is collected, and this might include the activities and conditions required for success in the position as well as employee characteristics. Fifth, some verification procedures are applied to the data to satisfy that it is accurate. Typically, this might be as simple as asking the managers and the supervisors. Last, a job description and specification are developed.

The main issue identified in this instance, pertains to the individual responsibility the Human Resources Department has in the creation of a job analysis. The question I sought as answer to was how well does the HR department understand the process of carrying out a job analysis? Do they implement it correctly? And who holds accountability in the event there is an error? The reason for this deliberations were that some employees observations on some of their roles not being part of the job description. The context of this issue involves a Geoscience and Remote Sensing company engaged in the plotting maps for rural parts of the country. There is no public transport in the areas and therefore mobility is an issue. The Administrative Assistants are tasked with facilitating the role of the driving of the GIS specialists, a role the company maintains involves driving these scientists to their destinations and back. The Administrative Assistants disagree and point to the lack of mention of the topic in their job description.

The first step I took towards the resolution of the process was review the job analysis literature used in their employment. The first impression I got was that the data had not been updated for some time, and it did not explicitly mention driving as a job expectation for the role. Secondly, I called a focus group with the Administrative Assistants. The impression I got from the meeting was that most of them did not fully understand their role within the organization. The Administrative Assistants felt that they were overqualified to act as drivers, and the role was beneath them. As a result, I undertook some research to ascertain the role of the responsibilities and functions of the Administrative Assistants with a view of bringing the issues to a resolution.

The results of the research revealed that while the job description did not specifically qualify the role of the Administrative Assistants as drivers for the GIS specialists, it cited one of their main roles as “the facilitation of the roles of the GIS specialists through providing necessary assistance.” Also, the legislation on the subject does not require a written job description, instead the recommendation is that it points to the essential functions of the candidate in the role. The preconditions for what exactly constitutes an essential function to a role are if it meets any of the following conditions. A function is essential if the position requires that the worker perform that function, only a limited number of employees are available among whom the job can be assigned, or if the function is highly specialized and requires special expertise.

Another resolution I came to based on the research was that the company could benefit from keeping their job description materials up to date. Following the realization that the Administrative Assistants would have had to drive the GIS specialists around, the documentation should have been adjusted to reflect the changes. The job description should also eliminate vague wording, and minimize the use of the word “may” in outlining the job requirements. The initial statement on the roles that the employees would serve should have been worded to the effect that “the job description for the mentioned role includes but is not limited to” and should conclude with the wording “The Management retains the discretion to add or change to the duties in this list at any time.” In this way, the net result would be that the management is able to avoid similar occurrences.

Most jobs evolve over time, and as such it is necessary to document the job requirements from time to time. While the job description has not been updated for a while, it is necessary to update it and document those factors that have changed since. In addition, it would serve to indicate to the existing staff that driving is an essential part of the functions that and Administrative Assistant ought to do. Since these aspects of the job description had not been documented, and these parties may have legitimate concerns, it would be necessary for the company to engage in a deliberate interactive process with the employees where they would be advised on the importance of this particular aspect of their jobs. Further, where possible, accommodations should be made to ensure that these workers receive due consideration. In this way, all parties will benefit from the developed understanding.

References

Dessler, G. (2014). Fundamentals of human resource management. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

Boyd, R. (2008). Staffing the commons: Job analysis in the context of an information commons. Library Hi Tech , 26 (2), 232-243.

Velhal, G., & Sawant, S. (2013). Job analysis of nursing staff. The Nursing Journal of India , 1 (6), 259-260.

Mackenzie, L., & O’Toole, G. (2011). Occupation analysis in practice. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.