TEXT 2. DEVELOPING A PERSONNEL SYSTEM

TEXT 2. DEVELOPING A PERSONNEL SYSTEM
Assessing Personnel Needs
The firm's personnel policies should base on explicit, well-proven principles. Firms that follow these principles have higher performance and growth rates than those that do not follow them. The most important of these principles are:
■ All positions should be filled with people who are both willing and able to do the job.
■ A written job description and definition are necessary.
■ Employees chosen on the basis of the best person available are more effective than those chosen on the basis of friendship or expediency.
■ Employee training results in higher performance.
The process of selecting a competent person for each position is best accomplished through a systematic definition of the requirements for each job, including the skills, knowledge and other qualifications that employees must possess to perform each task. To guarantee that personnel needs are adequately specified personnel manager has to:
1. conduct a job analysis,
2. develop a written job description, and
3. prepare a job specification.
Job Analysis

Job analysis is a systematic investigation that collects all information related to each task performed by an employee. From this analysis, you identify the skills, knowledge and abilities required of that employee, and determine the duties, responsibilities and requirements of each job. Job analysis should provide information such as

■ Job title.

■ Department.

■ Supervision required.

■ Job description - major and implied duties and responsibilities.

■ Characteristics of the job including location.

■ Types of material used.

■ Types of equipment used.

■ Qualifications.

■ Experience requirements.

■ Education requirements.

■ Mental and physical requirements.

■ Manual dexterity required.

■ Working conditions (inside, outside, hot, cold, dry, wet, noisy, dirty, etc.).

Job Description

The job analysis is used to generate a job description, which defines the duties of each task, and other responsibilities of the position. The description covers the various task requirements, such as mental or physical activities; working conditions and job hazards. The approximate percentage of time the employee should spend on each activity is also specified. Job descriptions focus on the what, why, where and how of the job.

The best way to develop job descriptions is to ask employees themselves to describe their jobs. A good employee may know more about the job than anyone else.

Job Specification

The job specification describes the person expected to fill a job. It details the knowledge, education, qualities, skills and abilities needed to perform the job satisfactorily. The job specification provides a standard to measure how well the worker matches a job. The job specification should be used as the basis for recruiting.

Assignment. Answer the questions:
1. What are the most important principles of a firm's personnel policies?
2. What is a job analysis? What information is contained in a job analysis?
3. What is a job description? What information is contained in a job description?
4. What is a job specification? What information is contained in a job specification?