Business Sense: Improve Laboratory Productivity Through Job Analysis and Job Evaluation
Business Sense: Improve Laboratory Productivity Through Job Analysis and Job Evaluation
In the November/December issue of JDT, I covered laboratory business planning and outlined the five steps to developing a business plan to position your lab for growth and success. One of the important aspects of the business plan was the planning and allocation of resources to accomplish the objectives defined in the business plan.
I am certain that we can all agree that a laboratory’s human capital is a key resource. Therefore, this critical resource should be carefully analyzed and planned for as you strive to grow and enhance your business. This process has been studied and best practices developed to produce successful human capital resource development and allocation. The process has been honed and perfected and identified as job analysis and job evaluation. For those of you who are more operational and production oriented, I will mention the Toyota Production System (TPS) Lean, and the eight types of waste found in business to make my case for job analysis and evaluation.
- Errors/defects
- Non-value added processing
- Excess motion
- Idle time, waiting
- Disengagement of people
- Over production
- Transportation
- Excess inventory
Much of this waste can be significantlty reduced through job analysis and job evaluation. With that said, I will provide you with an overview of job analysis and job evaluation and how you can utilize the process to help you align your people with the work that needs to be done in your lab.
Look at the Big Picture First
Before undertaking the job analysis and job evaluation process, it will be necessary for you to first view your lab from the 50,000-foot level. You need to look at your current business and team and compare it to where you want to see it in three to five years. Some examples of this view would be in the area of technology and materials. Technology has and will be a major factor shaping the industries workforce. CAD/CAM, digital impressions, digital RX, implant solutions, and new materials will all shape the nature of the type of technician you will employ to produce your work. I recommend that you start by laying out your lab by department in a organizational chart listing the number and type of technicians you currently employ. Then repeat the process for where you see your lab in three to five years based on the changes you project. Do not overlook your marketing, sales, and support staff. Our industry is also under going changes on how business will be done in these areas.
This process will help you better perform your job analysis and job evaluation.
Job Analysis
Job Analysis, in simple words, means a process of collecting detailed information about a job. The information collected relates to the nature of the job and the qualification required for performing the job. Job Analysis is the starting point of the whole process of job assignments, recruitment and selection. According noted business guru Edwin Flippo, "job analysis is the process of studying and collecting information relating to the operations and responsibility of a specific job." Job analysis is a systematic exploration of the activities within a job. It is a basic technical procedure, one that is used to define the duties, responsibilities and accountability of a job.
Job analysis collects all the necessary data that is required and is useful. The data collected is used for the following purposes:
- Employee assignments and hiring
- Training and development of manpower
- Performance appraisal
- Compensation management
- Computerization of personnel information system
Components of Job Analysis
There are two components of job analysis: job description and job specification. Job description emphasizes the job requirement, whereas the job specification sets forth requirements sought in the person who is to perform the work. According to Flippo, the job description is, "an organized factual statement of the duties and responsibilities of a specific job. It should tell what is to be done, how it is done and why." Job description means describing the details of the job to be performed. Job specification is, "a statement of minimum acceptable human qualities necessary to perform a job properly. It refers to a summary of the personal characteristics required for performing the job. The process of job analysis involves the following five steps:
- Selection of specific job for analysis.
- Collection of information.
- Processing of information.
- Preparation of job description.
- Preparation of job specification.
Advantages of Job Analysis
- Facilitates purposeful personal interviews.
- Facilitates proper advertising of jobs.
- Facilitates scientific selection, placement and orientation.
- Facilitates scientific promotions and transfers.
- Facilitates introduction of rational wage structure.
- Facilitates redesigning of jobs.
- Facilitates job evaluation.
- Facilitates manpower training and development.
- Facilitates performance appraisal.
- Facilitates human resource planning.
Job Evaluation
In your laboratory, different employees perform different jobs and their salary is also not the same. But how do companies decide the importance and hierarchy of jobs? The answer is job evaluation. Job evaluation means determining the relative worth of a job by comparing it with other jobs. Job evaluation is done on the basis of the value of the particular job and how important it is to the laboratory. After evaluation, they are placed in order of their importance and a job hierarchy is formed. Wages are decided based on job evaluation and job hierarchy. Systematic job evaluation should the responsibility of every laboratory owner. Job evaluation is the process of analysis and assessment of jobs to ascertain reliably their relative worth, using the assessment as a basis for a balanced wage structure. Job evaluation is a systematic and orderly process of determining the worth of a job in relation to other jobs.
Principles of Job Evaluation
Job evaluation should be done only to rate the job and not the employees performing them. The evaluator should understand that the job requirement is fixed and definite. The elements selected for rating purpose should be easily explainable. The elements selected should be few and should cover the essential requisite of every job. The process of job evaluation should be told to employees. Employees should be given clear-cut explanation and maximum cooperation should be garnered from them. Common methods that can be used to supplement lab management knowledge and experience in the laboratory arena are:
1. Direct Observation is a method of job analysis to observe and record behavior / events / activities / tasks / duties while something is happening.
2. Work methods analysis is used to describe manual and repetitive production jobs like model pouring, metal finishing, and skill jobs, such as ceramists, CAD/CAM design. Work methods analysis includes time and motion study and micro-motion analysis.
