Job Evaluation Schemes

Factors/Explanation of a Job Evaluation Scheme:

A job evaluation scheme is “a method to determine the value of each job in relation to all jobs within the organization.” A job evaluation process is useful because sometimes job titles can be misleading- either unclear or unspecific- and in large organizations it’s impossible for those in HR to know each job in detail. The use of job evaluation techniques depends on individual circumstances.

Job evaluation is often used when: establishing the relative value or size of jobs or roles, providing as objective as possible a basis for placing jobs or roles within a grade structure, making certain that consistent decisions will be made about grading jobs or roles, and certifying that the organization meets legal and ethical equal pay for work of equal value requirements and the legal and ethical requirements not to discriminate on grounds of race, disability, sexual orientation or religion. Businesses should evaluate if certain compromises are necessary, and use a job evaluation method to provide an objective standard from which changes can be made.

There are different aims for job evaluation schemes. First, although there are different job evaluation schemes that can be chosen such as analytical or non-analytical, a job evaluation scheme should be analytical so that sexual discrimination will not be an issue. In its Good Practice Guide on Job Evaluation Schemes Free of Sex Bias the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) states that: “Non-discriminatory job evaluation should lead to a payment system which is transparent and within which work of equal value receives equal pay regardless of sex.” Secondly, a job evaluation scheme should be objective. This suggests that the value of the employee’s pay should be based on work performed, and not the job title. Thirdly, the organization that is doing the job evaluation scheme should compare themselves to other competitors in the industry to be sure that their employees are being treated and compensated equally.

Another factor to consider when implementing a job evaluation scheme is the cost. A company has different options when they are choosing an evaluation scheme, whether it be analytical or non-analytical. Obviously, one of the cheapest methods would be for the organization to design their own job evaluation scheme. Still, other companies may choose to buy a package that describes how to implement a job evaluation scheme. A final option would be for an organization to hire a consultant to build a package that is appropriate for the organization.

The final factor when implementing a job evaluation scheme the nature of the job.

A job evaluation can take the form of: A non-analytical scheme in which whole jobs are compared with each other, without any attempt to break the jobs down and analyze them under their various demands or components. Non-analytical schemes are particularly prone to sex discrimination because where whole jobs are being compared (rather than scores on components of jobs), judgments made by the evaluators can have little objective basis other than the traditional value of the job. Examples of non-analytical schemes include the ordering method (or ranking method), and paired comparisons. These consist almost entirely of drawing up a list of jobs in rank order. A non-analytical job evaluation scheme does not provide a defense against an equal value claim. The rationale for a non-analytical job evaluation scheme is that it produces a hierarchy of jobs that is close to the “I felt it was fair” ranking of these jobs in the minds of the people working in the organization. But in many cases the fact that the jobholders in a particular job are predominantly male or predominantly female influences the placing of that job within the overall rank order. A non-analytical job evaluation scheme can bring about a situation in which the jobs most frequently performed by women are regarded as having less value than those mostly performed by men. Examples of this would be where different job titles are applied to workers of different sexes who are in fact doing the same work, or where a “mail” job which has become deskilled is still regarded as skilled, even though it is now equivalent to “female” semi or unskilled jobs.

Job descriptions should, however, enable jobs to be assessed according to a common standard, and the people responsible for the preparation of the job descriptions should be trained in the importance of ensuring that these do not omit aspects of women’s jobs nor over-emphasize those job characteristics which are missing from jobs typically performed by women. Different job titles should reflect differences in the work being done.

Job evaluation schemes can also take the form