The role of human resource management in supporting the company's business strategy is greater than is often realized. The theory part of this thesis is based on human resource management literature reviews.
Case company introduction
The empirical part is based on qualitative interviews conducted with the owner and employees of the company, as well as an analysis of existing job descriptions and their content. Recommendations for developing job descriptions based on theory and research are provided to clients in Chapter Five.
Objectives
Research Question and methods
A job description is a management tool that can be used for many purposes throughout the human resource management process. Human resource management practices and processes must be designed and adapted to the resources and needs of small organizations.
Human resource management
Human resource management in small and medium sized enterprices
Human resource management in small companies differs from large organizations because of their size, informality, priorities and the nature of entrepreneurship (Dessler 2015, 592). Because the human resource management practices in small companies are often not formal or well documented, their systematic implementation and development is difficult.
Human resource management in Finnish small and medium sized
Most structured and documented human resources in small businesses usually include employment contracts, salary calculations, shift planning, vacation practices and occupational health and safety practices (Viitala 2016, 14). Often the CEO of a small business is responsible for people management in addition to all other responsibilities of a CEO.
Resources and organizing human resource management
Human resource management is not seen as part of the long-term development of the company, and human resource management efforts are often inconsistent.
Job analysis
The uses of job analysis information
The job analysis information can also clarify and identify the design and structure of an organization by minimizing overlap and duplication of duties, duties and responsibilities. The hiring process depends on the information provided by a job analysis about the requirements for satisfactory performance and a realistic picture of the job for the applicant.
Job analysis techniques and information collection methods
The advantage of a job analysis questionnaire is that it can be used to analyze almost any type of work. Criticisms of the job analysis questionnaire, however, are that it is difficult to understand and that the job descriptions it provides are abstract.
Job analysis, competencies and flexibility of organization
If used alone, none of the methods is likely to provide comprehensive information about the job. Regardless of the technique or methods used to perform a job analysis, it is always a static portrait of the job as it currently exists.
Work flow analysis
The changes in the modern workplace that make the work-oriented or task-oriented job analysis less useful are downsizing of corporations, the development in information technology, flexible job design, teamwork, project work, multi-skilling, the demise of specialization and changes in the organizational hierarchies. This has led to the increasing popularity of person-oriented or employee-oriented approach to job analysis and job descriptions.
Job design
- Work simplification
- Job rotation and job enlargement
- Job enrichment
- Team-based job design
Boredom, monotony, alienation, low engagement and high employee turnover are problems associated with this approach. Job rotation and job enlargement have the problem of improving only one of five key job characteristics, the variety of skills that can motivate employees (Gomez-Mejia et al. This approach uses the job characteristics model reviewed in Section 2.6.1 to would improve employee motivation and make jobs more interesting.
Employee motivation theories and job design
- Job characteristics model
- Two-Factor theory
- Work adjustment theory
- Goal-Setting theory
In the Job Characteristics Model, feedback refers to the direct information the job itself gives to the employee about how successful they are. According to the Job Characteristics Model, these characteristics of a job described above affect motivation and satisfaction of an employee. Unlike motivators, these factors are outside the job itself, but still located in the work environment.
Job satisfaction
A poor fit between employee characteristics and job design can decrease employee motivation. High commitment, on the other hand, requires the employee to feel that the goal is important and achievable. However, an inconsistent correlation between job design and job satisfaction can be found from the literature.
Job description
Benefits of a job description
A well-designed job description that helps simplify human resource management can therefore be a useful tool for a small business. However, the job description can also be used further in the interview process by turning the details of the job description into interview questions. A job description can help make job functions and reporting relationships clearer, as well as help identify essential duties and clarify what the employee is expected to accomplish.
Essential and marginal job duties
Writing a job description
Information about the salary range or level of the job can also be included. The terms and language should be fully understandable to anyone using the job description. The performance standards that the company expects from the job holder can be included in the duties and responsibilities section of a job description.
Criticism of job descriptions
A job specification is a written document that lists the human traits and qualifications needed to perform a job effectively. Two of them have the job title of salesperson and one is a warehouse coordinator. The thesis writer works at Rtech with the job title e-commerce and marketing manager.
Human resource management in Rtech
The research includes interviews with the owner and employees of the case company, as well as research on the current written job description documents. On the other hand, if one employee is missing, it already has a big impact on the functions of the company. In the case where the recruiting firm was in charge of the process, they interviewed the owner to create a job description used for the job advertisement and initial applicant interviews.
Work flow analysis and job analysis at Rtech
The owner is concerned that too often the employees see their only development option as "jumping up" and looking for work elsewhere instead of developing their competencies in their current job. Before creating the current job descriptions, the owner asked employees to do a job analysis of their own work and write down their daily tasks, duties and responsibilities. The employees did not engage very well in the process, and the owner ended up mostly writing the job descriptions himself.
Current job descriptions
- Current job description of sales person
- Current job description of bicycle mechanic
- The owner’s point of view on current job description
- Employees’ awareness of the job descriptions
- The use of job descriptions
- Importance of job description
According to the interviews, none of the employees knew what their job descriptions are used for, if they have one. Furthermore, according to the owner, the current job descriptions are not really being used for anything at the moment. According to the interviews, four out of six employees feel that a job description is important.
Essential and marginal tasks and duties
One employee stated that he does not mind if there is no job description. He said he doesn't want to be stuck in just a few tasks and wants to learn new things. The reasons why a job description is important to employees are that it makes the division of duties and responsibilities clearer and gives the impression that the employer cares about these matters.
Clarity of current division of tasks, duties and responsibilities
Image and reality of the job
Orientation and training
Performance appraisal and development discussions
I don't think there is enough communication between employees and employers on issues that are beyond the day-to-day duties." All six employees interviewed said that their work performance is not evaluated as much as they know. The writer states that he does not know how his performance at work is evaluated and there have been no official discussions about development at Rtech.
Strengths
Two employees said that they sometimes get brief comments during the day from the manager that include some feedback on their work performance. The case company's human resource management practices that are researched are not formal and are not systematically carried out or documented.
Problems and challenges
- Job analysis, job descriptions and job design
- Performance appraisal and development discussions
- Workflow
- Recruiting
- Employees responsibility for developing professional competencies
The challenge in the job analysis and job descriptions in the case company is how to involve the employees in the process. Both the employees and the owner indicate in the interviews that there are some problems with the workflow. According to the owner, the winter season should be dedicated to the development of the company and the training of the employees.
Conducting a job analysis with the employees involved
In addition to the critical incident report, the work-related information should be collected with interviews and diaries. In addition, the author suggests increasing employee involvement in the process by using diaries to collect the job analysis information. The author recommends that information gathered in the job analysis process should be used to create job descriptions for those jobs they are missing and update the current job descriptions.
Creating job descriptions for those jobs that are missing them
The writer recommends listing the performance standards the company expects of the position holder in the next section. The next part of the proposed job description form is the job specification, which lists the human attributes and qualifications required to perform the job effectively. This paragraph has been included to make the job description more employee-oriented, as described in chapter 5.1.
Updating the current job descriptions
Keeping the new job descriptions updated together with employees
In the case company's research, it also turned out that there is a problem for the owner to get information about the long-term changes, challenges and developments from the employees. There is a clear statement from the owner that there is a need for better communication on these issues between him and the employees. The writer recommends that the job description be updated consistently with the employee, e.g. annually to improve communication about these issues and keep job descriptions valid.
Using the new and updated job descriptions strategically
The author recommends that the information from the new job descriptions in the case company be used to clarify the basis for training and development of skills and knowledge for the employees. Traditional job descriptions are only suitable for repetitive work and ignore the dynamics of the job. The author recommends that the job descriptions be created for the jobs that are missing.
The main problem found in the research with the case company's current job descriptions is that they are not being used for anything. Before the job descriptions can be used effectively, they must be accurate and up to date.
