Job profiling and why it matters to you and your staff
Christine Janse Van Rensburg, Executive Consultant and Head of 21st Century People and Talent at Remuneration and HR consultancy, 21st Century, discusses some of the finer points about job profiling and why it should never be overlooked.
Christine says, “Job profiles benefit both the organisation and the employees. They contribute to organisational efficiency in that the roles are clearly defined, the right people are selected, development is geared towards the requirements of the job and performance expectations are clearly defined. From an employee perspective, it creates clarity on what is expected and how the role fits into the organisation’s plan. A job interview is a two-way conversation structured around the content of a well-defined job profile.
“This is where the job profile protects both the employee and the employer simultaneously. But it’s also important to remember that organisations change. They evolve. This is why job profiles should be updated on a regular basis”.
Profiling in COVID
The COVID pandemic has brought around massive changes in the workplace across the board – so, are the current job profile standards still relevant?
Christine answers, “Hybrid working has changed our context significantly and this needs to be reflected in our job profiles. It’s about more than simply outlining the role, employers should be clearly outlining what is needed and expected for the employee to execute the role. This includes covering the tools needed for the employee to fulfil their role in a hybrid working environment”.
People take centre stage
Christine continues, “Changes in the work environment and the introduction of hybrid working models not only present organisations with the opportunity to review their operating models and job profiles but also to embed the successful integration of the job profiling framework with different components of the HR value chain as depicted below.
Figure 1: Integrated HR value chain
“Hybrid models and the digital transformation have not only led to changes in work location and possible changes in job content, workflow, the manner in which tasks are performed, plus the tools and technology required, but also the competencies required to effectively operate in the changing environment. [i]
The ongoing process
“COVID has changed the playing field. There are new competencies associated with hybrid working and the digital transformation of organisations. These include communication skills, the ability to work independently and to take initiative, the ability to collaborate with remote colleagues, build relationships, empathy, learning agility, digital readiness, flexibility and adaptability to cope with ambiguity to name a few. [ii] [iii]
Christine concludes, “Effective, transparent and fair performance management, career development and succession planning practices can only be achieved if based on the inherent requirements of the job. Job profiling can no longer be seen as a once-off process. It must align with the ongoing changes in business, operational and legislative requirements and consistently inform and integrate the HR processes along the entire Human Capital value chain”.
[i] https://hbr.org/2021/05/how-to-do-hybrid-right
[ii] https://hbr.org/2021/02/making-the-hybrid-workplace-fair
[iii] https://www.forbes.com/sites/shaheenajanjuhajivrajeurope/2020/10/05/the-new-hybrid-model-of-working-requires-three-key-elements-to-succeed/?sh=597846d77123
About 21st Century:
21st Century, a level 2 BBBEE company, is one of the largest Remuneration and HR consultancies in Africa, with a team of more than 60 skilled specialists, servicing over 1700 clients – including non-profit organisations, unlisted companies, government, parastatals and over two-thirds of the companies listed on the JSE. 21st Century offers bespoke business and strategy planning services, operating model and organisational design, creative reward practice modelling, change, stakeholder and culture management, training courses and comprehensive human capital and talent plans. These are all underpinned by our analytic and survey capability tailored to the African environment. 21st Century continues to offer solutions via a combination of virtual channels and on-site presence.
21st Century has expanded its services to offer a full turnkey sustainable business and remuneration service. Beyond remuneration and reward consulting, 21st Century offers local analytics for business advantage; remuneration and HR training; change management services; talent and people solutions; and end-to-end organisational design and development.
