Gather job information - Tool 2

To carry out a fair and transparent job evaluation and classification, you need accurate, comparable information on all the job roles in scope. This ensures that the job evaluation and classification is based on facts about the job role (skills, responsibility, effort and working conditions), not on assumptions or on the performance of the job holder.

Tool 2 guides you through collecting and organising this information into concise, standardised job profiles.

You will follow three steps:

  1. Compile existing documents – job descriptions, vacancy ads, employment contracts
  2. Generate new insights through worker questionnaires and interviews
  3. Combine the information into concise job profiles, covering the four criteria: skills, responsibility, effort and working conditions

Step 1. Compile existing documents

Why?

Reviewing job documentation is a good starting point for mapping existing information about job demands.

How?

  • Gather job descriptions, vacancy ads, documentation on employment types, organisational charts, payroll records and other available information.
  • Review the information they provide for coverage of the four key criteria: skills, responsibility, efforts and working conditions.
  • Identify any gaps in the information, such as missing duties of ‘invisible’ tasks that are not captured in the documents.
  • Use ‘Tool 5 – Supporting Excel (standard approach)’ to help you select and organise information.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Over-relying on pre-existing information. Keep in mind that it can be incomplete, biased or outdated. Much of this information may omit ‘invisible’ tasks typically carried out in women-dominated roles (e.g. coordinating, emotional labour) or changing technologies. Existing information is only the starting point.
  • Focusing on job titles instead of requirements and demands – this can mislead the assessment.
  • Rushing to fix identified discrepancies between job descriptions and actual responsibilities – you will get to that later in the process.

Checklist for reviewing job descriptions

Use this checklist to review whether a job description is ready for a gender-neutral job evaluation and classification.

  • Does it describe tasks (e.g. preparing reports, coordinating schedules, operating equipment), not personality traits (e.g. ‘caring’, ‘tough’, ‘confident’)?

  • Does it recognise both technical and soft skills (e.g. communication, teamwork)?

  • Are mental and emotional demands described alongside physical demands?

    Does it reflect the actual tasks workers perform (not outdated assumptions)?

Step 2. Generate new insights

Why?

Workers are best placed to explain their jobs in practice. Worker questionnaires and interviews can uncover tasks and responsibilities not captured in formal documents.

How?

  • Distribute a short questionnaire asking about daily tasks, the skills used in the job role, the challenges and the working conditions.
  • Ensure that all groups of workers (including those in women-dominated roles and part-time workers) are represented.
  • Follow up with interviews for clarity.
  • Obtain explicit consent and explain how you will maintain confidentiality to create an environment where workers can express themselves freely.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Treating this process as a performance review. Questions should be about the job role, not how well the person performs it.
  • Failing to include diverse roles. Gender bias can creep in if only management or a subset of workers is consulted.

Step 3. Combine the information into concise job profiles

Why?

Job profiles summarise all the relevant information and insights about a job role by combining pre-existing information and the worker feedback gathered. They provide a standard overview of different jobs so that they can be consistently assessed against the same factors in the next stages.

How?

  • Check all the information collected about each job, one at a time, highlighting the key skills, responsibility, effort and working conditions that emerged from different sources.
  • If different sources provide contradictory pieces of information, conduct a few additional interviews with workers for clarification.
  • Summarise the key requirements and demands of each job using the job profile template. Remember to use gender-neutral, inclusive language. Read more here.
  • Check the job profiles with a group of workers to spot any gaps.
  • Use consistent formatting so jobs can be compared fairly.
  • Store job profiles in a central place, for consistency, transparency and easier management of job information.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Forgetting to cover all jobs in scope (unless your project outline specifies that only new roles will be evaluated).
  • Writing profiles in vague or gender-biased language.
  • Including descriptions of the performance or personality traits of the job holder.

You have now laid the foundations: the job evaluation committee is in place, job information has been gathered and workers understand the process. 

The next stage is to act – apply the job evaluation method to compare jobs fairly and create groups of equal value.

Downloads

Tool 5: Supporting excel (standard approach)

Sample worker questionnaire

Sample interview guide

Job profile template