My employer just asked me to complete a questionnaire about my job. Some of my answers will show that the job isn’t conducted the way it was several years ago when I started and I am concerned that my job may be at risk. What should I do?
If you are worried, consider asking your employer about the purpose of the questionnaire and let her know your concerns. If it has been several years since job descriptions have been updated and your organization has seen changes over the years, going through this process is actually a positive thing.
As organizations change, so do the roles employees play. Reviewing job descriptions on a regular basis helps the organization continue to hire qualified people, support fair pay practices, ensure policies and procedures are up to date and assist with maintaining on-boarding, training and development programs. I always recommend an organization conduct a job analysis in collaboration with their staff, as the process helps to identify what actually takes place in the employee’s day-to-day work. Input from the employee gives first hand information about how the job is performed, what departments it impacts (or what departments have impact on it), level of difficulty, physical demands, required behaviours, as well as deliverable outcomes of the role.
Conducting a job analysis in collaboration with staff also helps clarify any misperceptions about the responsibilities of the role. In my experience, when an employer conducts a job analysis, it is often made apparent that there are misperceptions about the required outcomes expected of employees. Learning this gives the employer the opportunity to clarify roles and responsibilities. More often than not, employees identify that they are responsible for much more than their employer expects.
By asking you and your co-workers to participate in the process, your employer is reducing the risk of missing important information. You have the opportunity to contribute valuable information to the process and potentially improve the quality of the job and organization as a whole.
A job analysis may be performed for many different reasons, as the organization may be reviewing pay scales, evaluating the physical or mental demands of the role, revising job descriptions, fine-tuning their hiring criteria, reforming roles, defining safety issues or concerns, clarifying job requirements, updating learning and development programs, identifying performance criteria and revising performance management tools. The information from a well facilitated job analysis can be used to support many HR functions in the organization.
When rolling out a job analysis questionnaire, employers sometimes forget to communicate the purpose, what the information will be used for and how the staff best can assist with giving the most valuable information. This does leave staff feeling just what you expressed, fearful for their jobs. By asking your employer the purpose and how you can best contribute, while expressing your concerns, you will be able to alleviate your concerns and determine how you can best help your employer with her needs.
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