Job Design & Job Grading

Robust models

Companies are implementing new organisational formats at a fast pace, incorporating concepts such as agility and self-management. Furthermore, many organisations are preparing themselves for in-depth transformation processes, in which responsibilities change quickly and they expect more flexibility from their employees. In these new ways of working in organisations, there is often a need for a clear framework of generic jobs and job families at each level.

In order to meet this requirement, Hudson has developed custom job models for your organisation. In addition to being robust, these models must also be flexible enough to be able to cope with changes in the way your company operates. In other words, the model must be resistant to both growth and contraction of the organisation.

Win-win for employer and employee

The design and implementation of job descriptions is an investment which delivers. It is not only your employees who receive a clear view of what you expect from them, you can also benefit by using these job descriptions within your various HR processes: from recruitment and selection to career management and performance management to training, development, job evaluation and grading, etc. 

Our consultants help you to map the jobs within your organisation. We support you in selecting the correct concept and always take the organisational model, growth ambitions and expectations of all stakeholders into account.

Follow the compass

Research indicates that employees find a salary policy fair and motivating, if it is based on the responsibilities included within the organisation. Responsibilities may be different for two jobs, but at the same time also be very similar. 

To be able to evaluate the various jobs objectively (blue & white collar, management jobs etc.), Hudson uses its own analytical job evaluation system, 5+1 Compas. This recognised Belgian model is also accepted by the trade unions.

5 criteria for Job Grading

The job evaluation system analyses each job via five sets of criteria and provides an answer to a number of very precise questions.

• What is the required level of technical expertise to do the job at cruising speed?
• With what type of problems will someone in this job be confronted and what is the level of innovation that is expected?
• How autonomous is the job?
• What is the impact of the job on the organisational objectives?
• Is it rather a manager position or an expert role?

The evaluation results in a final score for each job. Based on their added value for the organisation, we then list all the jobs from high to low. At this stage, Hudson adds an extra dimension to this, as in addition to these classic criteria, we also screen the competencies which are necessary to make a difference to your organisation. We can then link the 5+1 Compas score to a competency profile for each job, which forms a basis for your competency and career management.

From narrow to broader gradings

Job evaluation is not an end, but a tool to arrive at an organisation-specific grading. We can group jobs with a similar added value in a specific class. At this stage, in consultation with your board, Hudson will determine the optimum number of grades that we will use. In doing so, we take into account the desired salary structure, the salary progression system and the organisational and career model.

We are now seeing an evolution in the market towards broader job grades. This creates a salary model in which the employees’ competencies are central, even more so than the difference in responsibilities. A narrower grading on the other hand allows employees to plot their career development path by progressing from job to job. This approach however requires intensive maintenance of the descriptions. 

Multilateral and strategic

From our experience of more than 20 years in this sector, Hudson exerts its own strong influences in the fields of Job Design and Job Grading. When defining the concept and the process of a Job Design and job grading, we always take your board’s strategic salary choices into account. This ensures that the job design, the grading, the salary model and the governance process forms an integrated unit that helps to achieve the organisation’s ambitions.