What is Job Design?

Meaning

Job design means to decide the contents of a job. It fixes the duties and responsibilities of the
job, the methods of doing the job and the relationships between the job holder (manager) and
his superiors, subordinates and colleagues.

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Job design also gives information about the qualifications required for doing the job and the
reward (financial and non-financial benefits) for doing the job. Job design is mostly done for
managers' jobs. While designing the job, the needs of the organisation and the needs of the
individual manager must be balanced. Needs of the organisation include high productivity,
quality of work, etc. Needs of individual managers include job satisfaction. That is, they want
the job to be interesting and challenging. Jobs must not be made highly specialised because
they lead to boredom.

Importance of Job Design

Job design is a very important function of staffing. If the jobs are designed properly, then
highly efficient managers will join the organisation. They will be motivated to improve the
productivity and profitability of the organisation. However, if the jobs are designed badly,
then it will result in absenteeism, high labour turnover, conflicts, and other labour problems.

Factors Affecting Job Design

The guidelines influencing or factors affecting job design are depicted below.

1. Proper scope of job

The scope of the job should be proper. If the scope is narrow (less), then the job will not be
challenging. It will not give an opportunity for development. The manager will not get
satisfaction after completing an easy job. If the scope of the job is very wide, then the
manager will not be able to handle it properly. This will cause stress, frustration and loss of
control. Therefore, scope of the job must be balanced and proper.

2. Full-time challenge of the job

The job should be so challenging that it takes up the full-time and effort of the manager. So,
the service of the manager must be fully utilised. If not, the manager will have a lot of free
time. He will use this free time to interfere in the work of his subordinates. This will cause
problems and conflicts because subordinates do not like unnecessary interference from their
superiors.

3. Managerial skills

The skills of the manager should be considered before designing his job. All managers do not
have equal skills. So jobs should be designed after considering the skills of the manager. So,
a manager having a high level of skill should be given very challenging jobs while a manager
having a low level of skill should be given fewer challenging jobs. Jobs must be made
flexible so that it can be changed according to the skills of the manager.

4. Organisation's requirements

Jobs must be designed according to the requirements of the organisation. We cannot use the
same job design for all organisations.

5. Individual likes and dislikes

People have different likes and dislikes. Some people like to work alone while some people
prefer to work in groups. Some people want to do only planning and decision making while
other people like to implement these plans and decision. So, individual likes and dislikes
must be considered while designing the job.

6. Organisational structure

Organisational structure also affects the job design. Individual jobs must fit into the
organisation's structure.

7. Technology
The level of technology used by the organisation also affects the job design. An organisation
having a high level of technology will have different job designs compared to an organisation
having a low level of technology.

What Are the Three Basic Methods of a Job Evaluation?

by Amie Martin, Demand Media

By using a job evaluation process in your business organization, you assess the relative
content and value of positions and determine equitable, understandable and competitive
compensation. Job content is evaluated based on work type, skills and knowledge required;
value is evaluated based on each job's contribution to company goals. Three of the most
commonly used methods of job evaluation, upon which other methods are based, can be
customized to your company's specific needs.

Ranking
The ranking method ranks each position within your organization, from highest to lowest.
Rather than a job being assigned to a group, which is the classification method, or totaling
points assigned to the job's factors, which is the points method, each job is assigned a rank
based on the overall value and complexity within your organization. The hierarchy of a
company organization chart is a visual example of the ranking method. This method is well-
suited for small businesses because of its simplicity, but it can be difficult to establish and
maintain in larger, more complex organizations.

Points
The points job evaluation method uses an established scale -- whether customized or
following a template -- of key job factors and associated maximum points for every position
within your organization. Examples of factors include skills, accountability and effort. Each
factor may have sub-factors; skills, for instance, may include sub-factors such as education
and training. Once you have approved your organization-wide factors and developed a point
system, evaluate each position individually. Jobs are finally ranked based on total number of
points, from highest to lowest, and compensation is assigned accordingly. Jobs with similar
point totals generally have similar pay scales.

Classification
Classification uses categories, or classes, of similar job content and value. Examples of
categories include executive, managerial, skilled and semi-skilled. The number of categories
and their relative content, value and associated pay grades are determined by your
organization. This method works well for large organizations, such as government agencies
and worldwide corporations with numerous locations. Jobs within the same class have
comparable compensation packages.

Considerations
To some extent, the job evaluation process is often subjective, regardless of the method used.
Use the same method for everyone in your organization. If you have job descriptions already
in place, use them with your job evaluation method and revise them as necessary; if not, use
this opportunity to develop them. Job descriptions should be in accord with the placement of
the job's ranking, total points or classification. Talk to your managers and employees when
reviewing or creating job descriptions and implementing your job evaluation method; they
can provide up-to-date, direct and valuable input. The job-evaluation process evaluates
positions, not the people who hold them. By openly involving your team in the process, you
may prevent negative feelings toward it that could, in turn, affect morale and performance.

Job Evaluation Process

How are Jobs evaluated

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Competitive Salary Determination

This process refers to all components of the university's formal pay program. The staff
employee's pay at Case results from the following:

A. How are jobs evaluated?

The job evaluation process established the relative value of jobs throughout the university.
There are two steps involved in this process:

1. Job Analysis and Job Description - Using a "job profile," the content of each job is analyzed
to identify key duties, responsibilities, and qualification necessary to perform the job.
Written job descriptions are then prepared to contain this information.
2. Job Evaluation - A computer assisted job evaluation plan, measuring 17 dimensions of
nonexempt work and 28 dimensions of exempt work, is used to evaluate the relative worth
of staff positions. This evaluation process focuses on valuing the content of each position in
terms of a series of well defined compensable factors.

The factors for clerical, service, technical, and administrative support positions include:
a. Knowledge: Minimum required level of specialized training, education, and previous
related work experience.
b. Skill: The manual and physical skills required to perform the duties of the position.
c. Work Complexity: The degree and amount of judgment, initiative and ingenuity
involved in accomplishing work.
d. Contact with Others: The extent to which the work entails dealing with others in the
course of one's regular duties, including the frequency and nature of contacts and
the likely results of such contacts.
 e. Property Protection and Use: The extent to which the position has responsibility for
university property, including funds, vehicles and confidential information.
f. Work Leadership: The responsibility for directing, instructing and training personnel;
and for planning controlling and assigning work.
g. Working Environment: The physical conditions encountered during a typical work
day. Conditions such as heat, cold, dirt, fumes, hazards, etc. are considered.
h. Student Relations: The responsibility for dealing with students, including the nature
and frequency of contacts.

The factors for professional, administrative, and managerial positions include responsibility
for:

i. Programs, Projects or Operations: The level in the organization, scope of activities

performed, parameters of authority, complexity or nature of responsibilities, and
the minimum credentials required to perform the job upon hire.
j. Supervision: The number and variety of employees supervised.
k. Employee Relations: Promoting and maintaining satisfactory human relations,
morale and effectiveness or subordinates.
l. External Contacts: Personally dealing with individuals or organizations outside the
university.
m. Internal Contacts: Personally dealing with individuals within the university, but
outside the direct line of authority of the position, to coordinate activities and task
accomplishment.
n. Investigation or Fact Finding: Activities undertaken to identify facts, and develop
ideas, designs or processes.
o. Scheduling, Planning and Forecasting: The complexity, variety and nature of the
activities involved in determining and carrying out plans and reports.
p. Establishing Objectives, Policies, Standards, Procedures, and Practices: The degree
of authority to establish standards, and the scope, nature and complexity or these
standards.
q. Effects of Decisions: Making decisions and commitments which impact the
university's resources.
r. Student Relations: Personally dealing with students from routine exchanges of
information to more complex activities such as counseling.

At the conclusion of the job evaluation process, the compensable factors are weighted. A
numerical total is then derived and each position is assigned a salary grade which has a salary
range A salary range consists of a:

The lowest wage paid to a new employee with limited or no experience in this specific
MINIMUM:
position.

MIDPOINT: The "market" (or average) wage paid to one who is fully qualified.

MAXIMUM: The highest wage paid for jobs in the salary grade.

Each salary range has different jobs, e.g. Clerk and Grounds Worker, because they have the same
relative value as determined by job evaluation.

Salary ranges (link to lastest Salary Structures for Staff) intentionally overlap from one grade
to another. Fully qualified incumbents in a lower salary grade may be at the high end of their
salary range, while the salary of a less experienced employee in a higher salary grade may be
near the minimum of the range. It is thus possible that the salary of an experienced incumbent
in a lower rated position will be the same as or more than the salary of an inexperienced
incumbent in a higher rates position.

B. How do we establish competitive salaries?

Salary surveys are conducted annually and analyzed to establish and maintain competitive
pay levels with all the markets in which the university competes and recruits, as summarized
in the following exhibit.

SURVEY SOURCES

Employee Group Market Salary Surveys

A. Exempt

1. Department Head National Customized surveys with data form selected private
and Above research universities
 2. Below Department Regional Customized surveys with data from selected private
Head research universities

3. Entry Level Local Local surveys for service employees and salary data from
the College Placement Association

B. Nonexempt

All Jobs Local Local surveys of selected manufacturing and service

employers (banks, insurance, health care, etc.)

Specialized surveys as needed for specific jobs, e.g.

plumbers, radiation technicians, etc.

This market data is correlated with the job evaluation results and salary ranges are
established. These ranges are then periodically reviewed and adjusted to reflect changes in
the marketplace.

C. How are salaries determined?

Starting salaries of new hires are normally placed within the first quartile of the salary range
but occasionally may go up to the range midpoint to accommodate special recruiting needs.
Salary progression in the range occurs over time, based on the salary budget and employee
performance.

Subsequent to employment, salaries normally change as a result of a promotion, an annual

merit increase or an adjustment to maintain equity.