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Fluent Thinking

Intelligent Ideas

Practial Solutions

M od e r n Job Eval uati on - A Beam ans Per s pectiv e

 Research Councils

E x e c u t i v e N D P B s

W h i t e h a l l

M u s e u m s
beamans
UNDERSTANDING AND EVALUATING ROLES

About Beamans
For the past 13 years Beamans have been providing But perhaps the most striking thing about all these
JEGS & JESP job evaluation services to Government evaluations is the different contexts and backdrops
Departments, Agencies and Executive Non- against which they have taken place. In this perspective
Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs). During that time weve aimed to outline some of these contexts and
we have evaluated over 3,000 roles in over 200 different share with you some of the issues weve identified
organisations. along the way. We also look to the future and how
the practice of understanding and evaluating roles is
Those evaluations have ranged across traditional changing and developing in the current environment.
Whitehall roles, operational roles in agencies, specialist
roles in museums and research councils and industrial If you would like any further information on how we
roles in the MOD. It has also included roles at different addressed some of the issues outlined or would like to
levels from Cooks to Chief Executives. find out the best way we can help you to understand
and evaluate roles please contact:

Beamans Ltd
Tel: 01622-741560
E-mail: [email protected]
Access our website: www.beamans.co.uk
valuing roles

job analysis

competence
p a y m a n a g e m e n t
The Grading Review
For most organisations across the civil service arena This means drawing comparisons between the job
the requirement to use JEGS or JESP to formally demands of the role and those typically characteristic
evaluate roles is small. However, when the situation of roles at relevant grade or band levels.
does demand a formal JEGS or JESP evaluation it often
makes sense to seek an independent, objective view Over the years we have found that clients value this
on the appropriate grade or band level of the role. explanation of scoring rationales, more so than a simple
JEGS or JESP score which can be difficult for role
Approximately 50% of the evaluations we are asked to holders and managers to understand or contextualise.
undertake relate to roles where there is some doubt or
concern about the grade or band level of the role. In Our approach is to compile a report for all roles we
such circumstances our aim is not simply to produce a evaluate to explain our scoring rationales and highlight
JEGS or JESP score for the role, important though this relevant job size comparisons. By grounding our
is, but to explain the scoring rationale. evaluations and analysis of job size in the context of the
organisation as well as the wider civil service arena we
are able to help role holders and managers understand
better the rationale behind the job evaluation process.
 status

analytical
matching

career fam i l i es

h i e r a r c h y
The Pay & Grading Review
For some organisations circumstances may arise However, while a well managed job evaluation exercise
which require the evaluation of a large number of roles. is an important foundation of pay management
This may be as a result of a machinery of government a wide range of issues beyond job size need to be
change, for example, the merger of departments or the taken into account in developing pay systems.
creation of a new public body. The management and We also look at the issues involved in aligning pay
co-ordination of these larger job evaluation exercises systems and pay management arrangements and
requires a different approach. suggest integrated solutions.

Over the years we have managed or supported a large We also provide the technical skills to develop the right
number of these exercises some of which individually pay management approaches (such as broad-bands,
have involved the evaluation of hundreds of roles. career or job families, competency based systems
Our Evaluation Services team is well versed in project etc) as well as the process skills to ensure successful
managing such exercises and can advise on all aspects implementation.
of the process from selecting benchmark roles to co-
ordinating and quality assuring scores. Put simply: our approach to reviews of this type mean
the job evaluation process is never divorced from
pay systems alignment and implementation because
to set the right job evaluation agenda you need to
understand the wider pay management agenda.
 internal relativities e x t e r n a l r e l a t i v i t i e s

reward

Job Size
The Legal Review
Equal pay challenges are now part of the landscape. We have also dealt with cases of work of equal value
Across the civil service arena JEGS and JESP is often where JEGS or JESP cannot be relied upon as a
relied upon to provide a defence against such claims. defence and an objective assessment has to be made
as to whether the claimants and comparator roles are
Over the past two years we have dealt with a number of equal value.
of cases where the roles subject to evaluation have
formed part of an individual or class action equal pay Our Evaluation Services team is well versed in
claim. undertaking the job analysis and evaluation of roles
which are the subject of Equal Pay claims including
However, to have an equal pay claim dismissed by supporting Counsel on all issues relating to the analysis
relying on JEGS or JESP as an analytical job evaluation and evaluation of roles.
defence you have to meet particular requirements.
Our expertise in this area is also acknowledged.
In practice this has involved the compilation of detailed Members of our team have acted, and are increasingly
reports outlining scoring rationales across the whole called upon to act, as job evaluation experts in
JEGS or JESP question set in order to show that the defending such claims and have provided support to
relative values placed on the work performed have organisations through all stages of the claim process.
been objectively assessed.
market pricing

a ccur acy

classification
e q u a l i t y
The Indicative Review
We havent yet defined the roles so how can we evaluate Of course, work in this area owes more to being able
them? In recent times machinery of government and to define core levels of contribution and articulate
other changes have created new organisations which them than it does to the application of JEGS or JESP.
for all intents and purposes are start-ups. Depending Yet, our evaluation expertise is not limited to the use
on the organisation there may be no inherited grade and application of JEGS or JESP.
structures or job evaluation processes; there may be
no organisational framework. We can, and have, developed classification frameworks
and other evaluation tools to facilitate the evaluation of
Yet, individuals joining or seconded to the organisation roles. We have also helped organisations already using
still have to be paid. job evaluation systems to develop linked classification
frameworks which enable them to quickly and easily
Over the past three years we have worked with a classify roles to a particular grade or band level.
number of new government bodies to help establish
a framework to evaluate roles which will support the Our knowledge and understanding of roles and how
organisation in its initial start-up phase whilst more organisations operate mean that the absence of
fundamental judgements are made about the type of specific role data or a defined grade or band structure
organisational structure and linked pay management need not be a hindrance to the job evaluation process.
arrangements that may be appropriate for the longer By defining a framework which sets out core levels
term. of contribution and competency at each level we
can quickly and easily evaluate existing roles, new
roles and most importantly, roles which evolve as the
organisation grows.
 hierarchy

reward valuing roles

r o l e p r o f i l e s

job analysis
The Pay Review
This may seem like a contradiction in terms because and private sector organisations, these job capsules
job evaluation and pay are perceived as two separate need to accurately define main responsibilities and
issues. Yet, whilst the primary purpose of job the job challenge of the role in a way that external
evaluation will always be the assessment of internal organisations can understand and relate to.
relativities for some roles establishing external or
pay market relativities can be equally important. In Over the past three years we have developed and
recent years a much greater emphasis has been compiled a number of job capsules to support the
placed on the use of specific market rate pay data process of market pricing roles. As well as providing
(not just data from general published surveys) for an accurate base for pricing comparisons (external
different roles. relativities) the capsules can also be used to provide
a measure of job size (internal relativities).
The key to obtaining market rate data is the
matching of roles: inadequate job matching has Our approach ensures that the dimensions and job
been shown to be a major cause of inaccuracies challenge of the role are articulated in a way that
in pay data collected for market pricing purposes. will be easily understood internally and externally.
Comparisons based on job capsules have proven And most importantly, contain the right information
to be far more accurate than comparisons based to be evaluated in a market related as well as a job
on job title matching. Given the job matching evaluation context.
process will typically involve wider public sector
 accuracy

p a y m a n a g e m e n t

analytical matching

classification
The Quality Assurance
(QA) Review
Over the years our QA role has varied from reviewing However, the QA picture is a broad one: we have
and quality assuring individual job descriptions and undertaken a variety of QA reviews in a number of
scores, to reviewing a JEGS database containing different guises including equal pay reviews; reviews
scores for over 200 roles. However, our QA role also of grading standards through the evaluation of roles at
extends beyond the boundaries of reviewing the a particular grade or band level; reviews of particular
outcomes of individual reviews or exercises (important management (grading) hierarchies in specific work
though this is), to the proactive QA or audit of grade or areas; and reviews of work processes which has led to
band levels across the organisation. the realignment of roles both in relation to the process
itself and to appropriate grade levels.
Our research shows that few organisations have
proactive QA processes aimed at maintaining grading Our approach to QA is based on establishing the right
standards. The fact is that most evaluation work tends process for the organisation recognising that no two
to be reactive - that is, responding to requests for posts QA processes have the same emphasis. As a result
to be upgraded. In only responding to requests for we aim to ensure that the QA process is bespoke
re-grading, organisations run the risk of grade drift as and most importantly, focused on the maintenance of
well as other grading anomalies. They also increase organisational & not generic standards.
their risk of gender related grading inequities arising.
Rolling pro-active QA of grading standards can go
a long way in maintaining standards and improving
consistency especially if it is performed in conjunction
with a review of organisational effectiveness.
job families competence

valuing roles
job analysis

p a y m a n a g e m e n t
The JESP Review
On paper at least the differences between JEGS and Our work on JESP also extends to sitting as
JESP appear marginal: both are examples of points- independent members of JESP panels and, in some
factor job evaluation; both were designed to evaluate cases, considering the appropriate salary level for
roles across the civil service arena albeit at different particular roles. In recent times much of our work on
hierarchical levels; and both processes in terms of JESP has centred on senior staff in non-departmental
analysis and evaluation are similar. public bodies and non-ministerial government
departments where establishing an appropriate spot-
In job evaluation terms the differences lie not in the rate salary level in relation to SCS pay-bands is as
methodologies but in the scale and scope of the roles important as determining the appropriate JESP score.
they were designed to evaluate. In our view, evaluating In this latter respect, providing support to remuneration
Senior Civil Servant (SCS) level or equivalent roles or pay committees in establishing appropriate salary
using JESP demands a greater degree of expertise levels for senior staff has been an ever increasing
and more importantly, experience of how SCS level feature of our work.
roles operate. That is why our JESP evaluations are
carried out by those who have operated at senior We are proud of the fact that our JESP expertise
levels: because they understand the context of such is acknowledged. We believe this is because our
roles; they are more familiar with the nuances of such approach to JESP is founded in our understanding of
roles; and most importantly, they can identify and the nuances and context of SCS level roles and also
articulate what the key issues are in evaluation terms. in being able to align internal job size relativities with
external pay market relativities.
 h i e r a r c h y

analytical matching

status

career families
The Competence Review
The format in which job information is expressed for have focused on both! This has been particularly
job evaluation purposes can also be used to support evident in our work in relation to job or career family
the process of competence analysis and competence frameworks where changes in the thresholds between
development. Yet, this simple fact is often overlooked. family levels owe as much to the development of
A lot of time and effort can be spent interviewing competence as they do to step changes in job size.
role holders and compiling job descriptions for job
evaluation purposes when this information could be The other feature of our work in this area has been in
used to support work in other areas - particularly the process of job analysis. Traditionally, job analysis
competence development. is often interpreted as being a structured one-to-one
interview; but where the job analysis process also has
Of course, the process of competence development a focus on competence a workshop approach is likely
requires a lot more than simply obtaining information to produce better results.
through a structured interview. However, the
process of job analysis whether for job evaluation or Yet, whether the emphasis in job analysis is on
competence purposes is essentially complementary. competence or job size, or a combination of both,
Some of our job analysis projects have focused more our Evaluation Services team is skilled in all the
on functional analysis (for example, to determine work- techniques and approaches to job analysis and can
based competences) as much as they have focused provide advice and guidance on selecting and using
on establishing the job size of the role. And some the most appropriate approach.
 internal relativities

e x t e r n a l r e l a t i v i t i e s

Job Size
reward
The Organisational Review
A primary source of organisational analysis and Many of our reviews look at roles holistically not simply
understanding is through the job analysis process. their job size. This means integrating the process of
This is not surprising: jobs are part of an organisation, job analysis with other organisational techniques such
so job analysis must form part of an organisational as process mapping to establish how roles integrate
analysis. Yet, the value of job evaluation as a tool of with processes and how those processes should be
organisational analysis is often overlooked. This is resourced. This is important because organisational
particularly so when considering the major processes, and job design issues must be integrally managed
formal and informal, by which organisations function because improperly designed roles may cause the
and the way in which they are resourced. organisation or business process to fail.

Used appropriately job evaluation can give important Approximately 30% of our work is focused on
perspectives on role relationships (vertically and organisational design and improvement. Very often
horizontally); areas of overlap at an individual and these reviews start off as traditional job evaluation
organisational level; and organisational processes. exercises but end up addressing wider issues of
organisation and process design. This is because
Of course, insights from a job evaluation exercise our expertise stretches beyond the job evaluation of
will not provide a comprehensive approach to roles and encompasses process mapping and other
organisational analysis but used in collaboration with organisational review techniques. This is what enables
other approaches, for example, process mapping, it us look at roles and the organisation holistically and
can provide an important and useful perspective. most importantly, make the right connections between
roles, processes and structures.
 e q u a l i t y
accuracy

market pricing

classification
The Future Review
Looking to the future we are already starting to see job than one level. In recent times we have worked with
evaluation - (and JEGS in particular) used in support of individual departments, agencies and NDPBs as well
a number of different initiatives including: as the owners of such frameworks to help define and
clarify the link between job size and framework levels
Job and Career Families the Professional Skills both at an individual job level and at a more generic
for Government (PSG) agenda has increased the band or grade level.
focus on defining the different levels of competence
or capacity within a particular group. This in turn has Job Flexibility - flatter, more flexible organisations
shifted the emphasis in evaluation terms to defining with less hierachical control and more emphasis on
levels within each family group either within a common project and programme management, require roles to
grade or pay structure a career family approach; be more flexible and responsive to varying demands,
or defining levels within each family group each of not constrained by hierachy or structure. In reality,
which will be graded (and paid) according to their many working relationships are now becoming
relevant family a job family approach. However, horizontal or diagonal across the organisation rather
as the essential characteristic of job or career family than vertical. These changes also carry major
structures is about defining career progression routes, implications for how roles are defined and treated. For
the process of job analysis is as much about defining job evaluation approaches to cope in this environment
levels of competence as it is about defining job size. it is important to adapt the way roles are defined and
Increasingly, our work in this area has focused not so more importantly, ensure that factors which are used
much on defining the job size of roles but on defining to size roles properly interpret and take account of
levels of contribution and the competence steps which these new ways of working. Much of our evaluation
underpin them. work is now focussed on helping organisations tease
out what assumptions and interpretations are actually
Competence & Skills Frameworks increasingly being used to evaluate roles rules of thumb and test
skills framework such as SFIA Skills Framework their validity against new organisational arrangements
for the Information Age (SFIA) and the Government and discard or modify them.
Core IT Skills Framework, are being used to design
roles and support recruitment and development Whilst predicting future initiatives and trends may be
needs. Understanding how these frameworks, and in providing hostages to fortune, one thing is certain:
particular how the levels of organisational contribution the issue of internal relativities between roles in an
described in the frameworks link to grade or band organisation will continue to be an essential component
levels, can be difficult as they often link to more in considering pay.
 h i e r a r c h y

reward

valuing roles

job analysis
The Big Picture Does Job Size
really matter?
What the preceding examples demonstrate is that job a cultural perspective relationships to the way
size does really matter! But job size as established the organisation operates, is as important as
through JEGS, JESP or some other job evaluation understanding the technicalities of producing a score
application can only ever be a means to an end rather for a role.
than an end in itself!
At Beamans we evaluate a lot of roles because we
As weve hinted at throughout this commentary there understand the different contexts in which roles are
is more to job evaluation than simply arriving at a evaluated and why it is important to understand the
score that will enable you to position a role in a grade difference in job size between one role and another.
or band important though that may be. So, whether your evaluation context is linked to
issues of organisational integration, business
Understanding how job evaluation fits into and links process, pay management, legal challenge, wider
to the wider picture from a technical perspective HR developments or is simply a matter of individual
relationships to pay; a structural perspective grading, you know you can rely on us.
relationships to the organisational structure; and
 Isle of Man Government

MOD Industrials

National assembly for wales

Ombudsme n
G a l l e r i e s

Scottish Executive
HE LOGO

Beamans logo is made of symbol and two line

name (figure 1).

symbol and logo name should always appear

ther in their given relationship. However, when
ce is restricted the one line logo can be used alone
re2) at a minimum size 21mm (see page 6 for the
mum size specification).

o name
logo name is set in Helvetica Neue Extended.
Figure 1 two line logo and symbol
nsure quality and consistency, please do not
B e a m a ns L t d PO Box 869 Mai d st one K ent ME15 9Y Q Tel: 01622 741560 www. beamans. co. uk
aw, stretch, squeeze or distort the logo. It must
ys appear in its original proportions. Please
e sure that the logo is clear and legible on all
ications at all times.

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