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:
- Compile existing documents – job descriptions, vacancy ads, employment contracts;
- Generate new insights through worker questionnaires or informal interviews;
- 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 to cover the key skills, responsibilities, efforts and working conditions of each job role.
- Identify gaps where important work (often ‘invisible’ or informal tasks) is missing.
- Use ‘Tool 4 – Supporting Excel (small and medium-sized organisations)’ 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 Keep in mind that it can be incomplete, biased or outdated.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 tasks 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.
Step 2. Generate new insights
Why?
Workers are best placed to explain their jobs in practice. Worker questionnaires, interviews or informal conversations can uncover tasks and responsibilities not captured in formal documents.
How?
- Talk to workers about their jobs or ask them to fill out a short form.
- Focus on what the role requires – the skills, responsibility, effort and working conditions.
- Aim to gather insights from workers who may offer different perspectives (e.g. workers in different units and different job roles).
- Obtain consent and explain how you will maintain confidentiality to create an environment where workers can express themselves freely.
Conversation guide
Purpose
I’d like to understand your job better, so we can compare roles in the organisation fairly. These questions are about the job itself, not about how well you do it.
About your job
- What’s your job title?
- How would you describe the main purpose of your job in one or two sentences?
Tasks and responsibilities
- Can you walk me through the main things you do in a normal day or week?
- What kinds of decisions do you usually make in your job?
- Are there things you’re responsible for, like equipment, money, information or other people?
Skills and effort
- What skills or knowledge do you use most often in your work?
- Thinking about your job, what kind of effort does it take?
- Is it physically demanding (lifting, standing, manual tasks)?
- Does it require a lot of concentration or problem-solving?
- Do you need to manage emotions or deal with people in difficult situations?
Working conditions
- What’s your work environment like?
- Do you work shifts, irregular hours or flexible schedules?
- Are there things like noise, heat or risks that affect your job?
Other comments
- Is there anything important you do in your job that isn’t written down anywhere, but should be?
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 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 related to the job positions concerned 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.
- Store job profiles in a central place, for consistency, transparency and easier management of job information.
Mistakes to avoid
- Writing profiles in vague language or including descriptions of the performance or desired personality traits (e.g. a ‘competitive marketing officer’ or ‘charismatic team leader’) of the job holder. This undermines the objectivity of the job evaluation and classification, and this can result in the undervaluation of some jobs.
Checklist for reviewing job descriptions
Use this checklist to review whether a job description is ready for gender-neutral job evaluation and classification.
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Does it describe tasks (e.g. preparing reports, coordinating schedules, operating equipment), not personality traits (e.g. caring, tough, confident)?
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Does it recognise both technical and soft skills (e.g. communication, teamwork)?
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Are mental and emotional demands described alongside physical demands?
Does it reflect the actual tasks workers perform (not outdated assumptions)?
You are now prepared!
The job evaluation committee (even if very small) 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
For more detailed guidance, download the step-by-step toolkit and check Tool 2.
EU-wide guidelines on gender-neutral job evaluation and classification: Step-by-step toolkit
Tool 4: Supporting excel (small and medium-sized organisations)