WorkSTEPS’ Job Task Analysis and Functional Job Descriptions combine to create a sturdy foundation for employers to consistently make informed and legally-compliant decisions about hiring new employees, moving existing employees into new jobs, and returning injured employees safely back to work.

Making such decisions based on functional job descriptions that accurately reflect the actual requirements of a job gives you a competitive edge, because you can:

• Attract employees more likely to be a good fit for the job
• Reduce turnover
• Decrease work-related injuries
• Lower workers’ compensation costs
• Quickly return injured workers back to the job
• Avoid disruptions to production that occur when skilled employees become disabled

Job Task Analysis and Job Description services can be as comprehensive or as narrowly-focused as you need them. WorkSTEPS can analyze all your positions, or only certain ones; within a given position, we can analyze only the most physically demanding and essential functions of the job, or we can analyze all the essential and marginal functions. Employers interested in the most comprehensive, validated, and legally defensible job analysis process on the market can opt for WorkSTEPS‘ proprietary Physical Abilities Validity Evaluator (PAVE™).

Accurate and Reliable Job Task Analysis

Job analysis requires precision to accurately quantify the various demands of a given job. Our Job Analysis team collects, analyzes, and interprets data on various factors of the job including ergonomic, physical, environmental, and more. Our rigorous and scientific process ensures the demands of your positions are accurately identified and quantified so you can find the right employee for the position. Additionally, WorkSTEPS data can be accessed through our proprietary software service, WorkSTEPS EHS DataHub™, where you can retrieve job analysis data at any time, from anywhere.

Job analysis usually requires the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data surrounding the role in question.
This may require:

• Identifying the duties of an employee in the position
• Monitoring the duration of each task
• Observing the employee at work
• Interviewing the employee and managers about the requirements of the position
• Comparing the position to other jobs within the same job classification

Once the data has been analyzed, we can help work with you to develop a clear picture of the physical demands of the job. This will help you determine what qualifications are required of your candidates.

Functional Job Descriptions

Job descriptions are the foundation for recruiting, hiring, performance evaluation, and promotion tracking. Accurate, validated job descriptions are critical if you need to defend disparate impact in hiring due to physically-demanding jobs, or if you need to defend an employee’s pay grade or classification. Having the accurate job demands and functions available within a job description will help employers attract the right candidate.

Before creating a job description, it is recommended that you perform a thorough job analysis to understand the requirements of the position. Once this has been completed and assessed, you can create a strong description of the duties.

A functional job description will include:

• A summary of the position
• Supervision or direction received (including whom the employee will report to and the level of independent decision-making required)
• Essential duties of the position
• Equipment, machines, and software used
• Minimum job requirements for the position, including education, qualifications, certifications, physical requirements, and work hours and days

While some of this may seem standard, many employers fail to create tailored descriptions for their jobs and may have descriptions that are vague or unclear. Another mistake that many make is failing to update their descriptions as requirements or technology change over time. It is essential to make sure that your descriptions are accurate and match the real-life demands of the position to ensure that you get the candidates you need.