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A Job evaluation is a means of determining the relative value of jobs within an organisation using job evaluation methodology and tools. It is an assessment of the relative worth of various jobs on the basis of a consistent set of job and personal factors, such as qualifications and skills required. It examines the job, not the incumbent. A Job Evaluation exercise will assist organisations in conducting performance management, recruitment and selection, training and development and succession planning.
Valid reasons for undertaking a Job Evaluation — Many organisations in Zimbabwe are undertaking job evaluation exercises to ensure internal and external equity in the administration of salaries and benefits. However, the exercise is often met with emotions and disputes especially in an economy like Zimbabwe where there are financial problems. Employees expect their grades to change in the hope of changing their salaries. It must be understood that a Job Evaluation exercise is not a tool for increasing salaries and perquisites and neither is it a tool for cost cutting or a budgeting technique.
Invalid reasons for undertaking a Job Evaluation — Organisations should not adopt titles and grades from other organisations as the scope of work is different from organisation to organisation. The grades are not transferrable or comparable. For example, a receptionist with a grade B2 in “Organisation A” cannot be compared to a receptionist in “Organisation B”. International best practice dictates that only a person trained to conduct a job evaluation is allowed to use the system and interpret it in the manner prescribed. Organisations or individuals who do not have proper training must seek guidance and direction from experienced and knowledgeable consultants.
In cases where consultants are engaged to undertake the job evaluation exercise, it is very important that employees participate in the exercise. The workers councils should be engaged to avoid disputes and conflicts. Job evaluation is a very sensitive exercise and hence transparency should be maintained.
Commonly used Job Evaluation Systems — Several job evaluation systems are on the market in Zimbabwe. The most commonly used is the Paterson system followed by the Castellion system. Other systems are the Peromnes and the Hay Guide.
The Paterson system grading is based on decisions made by incumbents. To facilitate the grading, Paterson ranks jobs according to six decision bands (Band A to F). These bands are correlated to six levels of the organisational structure as illustrated below:
Band Description
F – Policy-making decisions correlated to the top management
E – Programming decisions which are decisions made by senior management.
D – Tactical/ Interpretive decisions made by the middle management.
C – Process/ Routine decisions made by skilled workers
B – Automatic/ Operative decisions made by semi-skilled workers
A – Defined decisions correlated to the unskilled workers.
The Castellion system was developed by South African Breweries. The system ranks jobs according to six factors which are; decisions, pressure of work, controls and checks, consequences of error, education and experience. A numerical value is allocated to each factor and the points scored are summed to give a point value to each job. By adding the sub-factor scores and products, the total points value for the job is obtained. Grades are empirically established by the application of the system. The range runs from 4 to 1248 points, and it is divided into 15 grades, from the labourer to the top executive.
The Hay Guide system ranks jobs based on three criteria; the know-how (skills, knowledge); problem solving and accountability. It comprises a point system, so that after job evaluation in terms of factors, dimensions and gradation, job scores can simply be read from the chart. The system enjoys a considerable amount of international success. This system is particularly successful when evaluating managerial positions and more recently it has been successfully used for white-collar jobs.
The Peromnes system evolved from the Castellion system. It ranks jobs based on eight factors; problem solving, consequences of judgement, pressure of work, knowledge, job impact, comprehension, education, experience. Each factor is divided into nine progressive definitions, which are outlined in a “Peromnes job rating scale” chart.
These nine stages are also assigned a numerical scale ranging from 0—36, so that when a job is evaluated against each of these eight factors a points value can be given to the description which most satisfactorily describes the nature of the job on that particular factor. The points scored on each factor are summed to give the number of “rated points”, and the job can now be graded according to a conversion scale.
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