Kate Gaffaney PSYC 475 October 3, 2013

Job Analysis The book defines job analysis as the process of describing what is done on a job and the context in which the work activities are performed. This description is very broad, as the nature of job analysis is encompassing all aspects of a job. Job analysis allows the Human Resource department to better understand each job in a given company. One of the key functions of job analysis is to identify important job tasks. It also defines the specific skills needed to perform these tasks. Job analysis is very important because, if done properly, it provides legal defensibility to a company. This is essential when hiring a new employee, because a company needs to be able to back up their job requirements in case of a lawsuit by a job seeker. It also allows companies to see changes in a job description. Technology has become a big driver in job modifications and has even replaced some jobs. This allows companies to see where they can save money by eliminating jobs. When conducting my job analysis, I used the task-oriented approach. This approach describes a job in terms of the activities performed as opposed to the worker-oriented approach which describes the characteristics an individual needs to possess to perform a job. The information I obtained was mostly qualitative. I used an individual interview to collect my data. I believe that this method was overall beneficial. The employee that I interviewed gave me a lot of information to work with, which made the process a lot easier. A strength with this method is the ability to gain first-hand information about a job by the person who actually performs the job.

While in my case, the employee I interviewed was very aware of her daily and weekly tasks, in other cases an interview may not be the best method because some employees may not be able to articulate what they do on a day-to-day basis. Other methods of data collection include: direct observation by a job analyst, group interviews, and questionnaires. As stated earlier, I used a structured interview to collect my data. I interviewed an Assistant Controller in the Accounting department at a paint manufacturing company in Chicago. The interview was completed over the phone. I started by asking the employee about the most important aspects of her job and then asked her to expand on the knowledge and skills needed to perform these tasks. I recorded her responses to my questions as she answered them so that I had an accurate account of what was said. Some of the questions I asked were: What tasks are most important to your job?, What skills are needed to perform these tasks?, What kind of knowledge is crucial to the tasks you perform?, do you work under any abnormal/hazardous conditions. In the interview, the employee stated six tasks that were most important to her job. She believed that her time per week was divided equally between these tasks. The first of these tasks was to oversee the accounting department. This employee oversees four employees in her department. This task requires interpersonal skills and the ability to manage a lot of projects at once to make sure that everyone is on schedule and is performing their duties correctly. It also requires interpretation of the emotions and ideas of others. She also mentioned that she is responsible for financial recording and reporting of financial transactions. She also analyzes financial data to determine company performance. These tasks require many skills including math skills, precision, computation, and computer skills. She must be well-versed in Excel and has acquired knowledge in the different formulas

and formats within Excel. Knowledge of the use of a calculator is also required. She must also have knowledge of the financial reporting system used. Developing procedures to ensure internal controls is another job aspect. This part of the job requires knowledge of the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). It also requires knowledge of Sarbanes Oxley standards, which are legal regulations used in accounting. This task requires math skills, precision, and computer skills. It also requires problem solving skills. This employee works with auditors on a semi-regular basis. One of the most important skills in this aspect of the job is a high level of language ability. She must be able to communicate her procedures precisely to the auditors and that would not be possible without a strong knowledge of the language used in her field. This also applies to when she describes her processes to upper-level management. Again, interpersonal skills are relevant to this aspect of the job because one must always know how to present themselves to different audiences. Finally, she mentioned that she also provides tax data for company returns. She described this as a less important aspect of her job. This task only requires a broad knowledge of tax knowledge and tax codes. This also involves the ability to present information in a clear and concise way. There were also other aspects of the job that were not specifically tied to one task. She mentioned that she is frequently asked to meet short deadlines, and serious consequences for not meeting said deadline. She also performs many repetitive tasks and must bounce between tasks quickly and efficiently when necessary. Overall, for an entry level position, a degree in Accounting or a related field is required. Knowledge of financials and how to handle financial data is also required. Interpersonal skills

are a necessary skill. Basic computer skills are necessary but some of the finer aspects of the Excel spreadsheets could be learned on the job. It is also necessary to have a knowledge of GAAP and Sarbanes Oxley standards that were mentioned earlier. Performance evaluations are handled in many different ways across many different fields. There are a variety of different ways to evaluate job performance. Some companies use graphic rating scales, or Likert scales, to evaluate performance. These scales consist of many different statements and the evaluator usually a supervisor rates the employee on each dimension. Other companies use a Behaviorally Anchored Rating System (BARS). In the BARS system, a group of supervisors would collect a variety of different actions performed by employees and rank the actions from best behavior to worst behavior. They then rate employees based on this scale. This method has a greater acceptance and use by employees, however, it is extremely time consuming, and only slightly better than Likert scales. Relative rank ordering is a method where all employees are ranked from best to worst. This method is misleading because there is no indication of how big of a discrepancy there is between each employee. This method is also subject to rater bias because a rater may rank employees he or she likes higher. The relative paired comparison method is also used. In this method, each employee is compared to every other employee and individual rank is determined by the number of times the employee was rated as superior. This method is very time consuming, especially for large organizations, therefore it is rarely used. The final method that can be used is the relative forced distribution. This method uses a normal curve to place workers in categories of performance. This method is not very effective because it forces some employees to be in the bottom percentile even if they are good employees their peers just may excel more.

I would assess this job using a combination of BARS and the Likert scale. Because her supervisor is knowledgeable on the job description of Assistant Controller I think the assessment would be fair and the employee could even give her own input. I would create a BARS scale for each task she described as important to her job description. That way, both she and her supervisor can see which areas she is excelling and which she needs improvement in. Although the BARS method is time consuming, I think it would be beneficial to have set guidelines for performance. I would also give Likert scales to her subordinates so that there is more feedback on how she is performing as a supervisor because I feel that it beneficial to take into account the voices of those who you are in charge of. Both of these assessments would be qualitative.

Table 1 Tasks FREQUENCY (per week) 17% 20% 20% 17% 16% 10%

TASK Oversee accounting department (4 employees) Financial recording and reporting Analyzing financial data Develop procedures to ensure internal controls Work with auditors/management Provide tax data for company returns

IMPORTANCE (1-5 scale) 3 4 4 3 3 2

Table 2 KSAOs Accounting policy and procedure GAAP Sarbanes-Oxley standards Tax knowledge Math skills Precision Computation Computer skills Interpersonal skills High language ability High mathematical ability Problem-solving Interact with auditors Importance (1-5 scale) 5 4 4 2 4 4 3 3 3 4 4 4 3

Knowledge

Skills

Abilities