Competition and equal employment opportunity legislation has made job analysis a mandatory organizational consideration for small businesses. Because human resources represent the largest cost item for most small businesses, managers must have current and systematized information on all jobs in order to produce products and services efficiently. The myriad of laws, guidelines, and court decisions concerning equal employment opportunity make job analysis necessary. Small businesses have been quite vulnerable on the issue of discrimination in employment practices. One way to defend employment practices is to conduct job analysis and prepare job descriptions.
Job descriptions are the most visible output from job analysis.
Comprehensive job descriptions developed from job analysis are used in selection, training, performance appraisal, and compensation. There are many formats used in preparing job descriptions. Included in this factsheet is one job description format used by small businesses. Job Analysis Job analysis is an in-depth study of a job and provides information for job descriptions. The job analyst will gather information about jobs through interviewing employees, observing performance of certain tasks, asking employees to fill out questionnaires and worksheets, and collecting information about a job from secondary sources such as the Dictionary of Occupational Titles.