Job Evaluation and the Hay Scheme
Job evaluation is a means of assessing the relative size of jobs within an organisation.
The University of Sheffield uses the Hay job evaluation scheme to ensure consistency and fairness in assessing the jobs of its staff. The University selected the Hay job evaluation scheme following comparative pilots of the Hay and HERA schemes in 2002.
The first jobs to be evaluated were 155 benchmark jobs - core jobs that are carried out by a number of people across the University.
Job evaluation underpins the University´s grading structure. The University of Sheffield Grading Scheme and Grade Profiles were developed using the results of job evaluation and the benchmark jobs.
The Hay Guide Chart Method
Introduction
Job evaluation involves making judgements about the relative size of jobs. The Hay Guide Chart method provides a common 'language', criteria and an organising framework to ensure that these judgements are applied, and can be tested and defended, in an objective, consistent and equitable way.
Factors
The criteria or factors are based on some simple but powerful principles:
- Any job or role, in whatever organisational context, exists to provide some Contribution to the organisation in which it works - its Accountability
- Delivering this Accountability depends on Input of Knowledge, skills and experience - the Know-How
- Know-How must be applied and used in the Process of addressing the requirements of the job and solving the problems which arise in the job - the Problem Solving.
- Any role can thus be characterised in terms of these three factors of Know-How, Problem Solving and Accountability and the relationship between them. The Hay Guide Chart method is built on these fundamental principles
Component Elements
The three main factors are sub-divided into a number of component elements about which individual judgements must be made in order to arrive at an overall assessment of the job against each of those main factors.
The elements within each of the factors are described as follows:
Know-How -Within this factor there are three elements, namely:
Depth and Range of Know-How
Which measures the depth and range of specialised knowledge required to perform the job. At one extreme this may be very simple, for example a requirement for straightforward clerical or simple manual skills; at the other, it may call for deep authoritative knowledge in an area of considerable significance to the organisation/academic discipline or the more general knowledge required to deal with strategic issues at the most senior level within the organisation.
Planning and Organising Know-How
Which measures the requirement in the job to plan, organise, supervise, co-ordinate and integrate different activities, resources, or parts of the organisation.
Communicating and Influencing
Which measures the requirement in the job to work with and through others in order to achieve necessary results.
Problem Solving -This factor contains two elements as follows:
Thinking Environment
Which assesses the scope within the job to identify and address the problems which typically arise. Thinking environment depends on the absence or presence of policy, procedure, supervision and other guidance.
Thinking Challenge
Which assesses the inherent nature of the problems which typically need to be dealt with, ranging from simple, repetitive problems at one extreme through to complex and novel situations at the other, typically requiring the exercise of substantial judgement.
Accountability -This factor deals with three elements, as follows:
Freedom to Act
Which defines the authority in the job to take decisions without referral to others.
Magnitude
Which indicates the area of the organisation or "magnitude" upon which the job impacts.
Type of Impact
Which establishes the strength or degree of impact the job has in relation to the chosen magnitude.