How Do HR Professionals Handle Job Analysis and Performance Appraisal Across Different Fields?

Here, I would like to know one thing: how can an HR person handle Manpower Mapping, Job Analysis, Description, Setting of KPI, KRA, and Performance Appraisal for candidates from fields such as Finance, Electronics, Mechanical, Costing, and Computer, rather than from the HR field? It cannot always be assumed that HR professionals have detailed knowledge of each of these fields.

So, how does HR manage this? Do HR professionals actually perform these tasks, or do they seek input, suggestions, and advice from department heads who are experts in their respective fields and then document the information provided? For instance, when preparing a job description, HR might rely on the qualifications provided by the department head, as they may have a better understanding of whether a Diploma, Degree, or PG candidate would be suitable for the role. HR would then gather, organize, and document this data.

What are your thoughts on this? I need a prompt response; it's urgent.

Hi,

The primary responsibility of Human Resources is to integrate all business processes and weave the organization together. This can only be achieved when you interact and develop a common business objective. Therefore, the best approach is to coordinate with all department experts to create a competency map and conduct a detailed job analysis. Following this, you need to consistently maintain the bridge to incorporate any updates.

All other views are welcome.

Regards,
Partha.

Hi,

I would like to ask you a question. Please be kind enough to answer me. Do you need to be a beggar if you are required to act as a beggar in a play?

Some things are learned by observing, some by listening. I hope I have been able to do justice to your question.

Take care,
HR

Thank you,
Octavious

Hi,

Let me try to answer your question. Well, HR is a department that deals with all the aspects you have specified. HR is not a person; it is a department. The activity is a teamwork, so if one person in HR is not familiar with a department, that task will be taken on by someone who is familiar with the work.

Well, as I told you, HR is a teamwork. It considers the views and opinions from the concerned department heads, who are very familiar with the tasks (in the case of appraisals).

I hope I could answer your question, at least partially. As HR handles multiple tasks, they have a special place in organizations. What do you say, friend?

Please explain in a practical way. Give examples. If a non-technical HR wants to perform tasks typically done by a highly technical person (IT Expert), how can they achieve this when they have zero technical knowledge? Alternatively, if all expert HR professionals must come from the same field, does the HR individual need to have a technical background along with an MBA in HR? If the HR professional is not a technically inclined MBA HR, how can they be competent in performing these tasks? No shortcuts, quotes, or sayings.

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I have corrected the spelling and grammar errors in your text and ensured proper paragraph formatting. Let me know if you need any further assistance.

Hi Ravi,

The recruitment of HR will always depend on the requirements of the organization. If it is an IT firm, the company will look for an HR professional who has IT knowledge along with HR capabilities. This applies to all other types of firms as well.

Am I able to answer your question, Ravi?

Hello Ravi,

I read your query and all the answers too. I would like to talk about this matter as well. As you say, how can we HR people map out recruitments, job analysis, etc.? So, all members suggested correctly that we can gather perfect information about the concerned person. After obtaining all the necessary details, you can easily proceed with your work. Most companies have multiple rounds of interviews, so the Technical round can be conducted by department experts, and the rest can be handled by HR. Regarding appraisals, the same approach can be applied because Performance Appraisal depends on various factors. Thus, I don't think that every HR professional needs to come from a technical background. With time and experience, you can also manage technical aspects effectively.

Always remember, HR is everybody's friend. :)

Hope you are satisfied now. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. :D

Regards,
Shreya

I have observed that the performance appraisal of any employee depends on his supervisor, and not HR. I have also seen cases wherein the candidate has been rejected by HR, but selected by the concerned Dept. head. In these situations, we, HR, can't say anything but to listen to the Dept. heads. As we are not experts, if the Dept. head terms the employee as important, we can't technically prove that the employee is not competent. The above is a true incident I have experienced. So, in short, HR is the smooth agent used to deliver the judgment.

Hi,

HR professionals are honed over time in our practice and approach towards our tasks. That's why we prefer HR professionals from the same industries in most cases.

Key Areas of Expertise:

- Manpower Mapping
- Job Analysis and Description
- Setting of KPIs and KRAs
- Performance Appraisal

I agree with the responses provided by other members. However, I would like to add that Manpower Mapping, Job Analysis, KPIs, and KRAs are interconnected and cannot be evaluated separately.

When recruiting for a specific department, especially for technical roles, we always consult the Department Head to validate a new requirement and obtain the job description. The duties to be carried out by the new recruit are defined in this process. Through several stages of interviews, these responsibilities are assessed. If the candidate meets the criteria, they are hired. I believe it all originates from this point. Based on these initial duties and any additional tasks assigned, we outline the individual's KRAs and KPIs, which are crucial for performance appraisal and subsequent HR operations. Developing these processes in alignment with company policies and procedures is vital.

Regards,

Benance

Hi there,

First thing first, nothing is impossible.

Well, when u knows the profile very well, then I don't think so it's very difficult for you to do these things. You are very right to certain extend that, how can HR do all these things alone. HR is lonely sole in the office but HR person is one man army for all. Irrespective of him to be in team, he is moderator of all the departments. All these function required the Decision making skills, which HR have to do all the way.

For all this, you definitely need the help of the head of the respective departments. Like for the recruitment HR person don't take the Technical round, it just take the HR round of evaluation. Same as this.

• Manpower Mapping

Like for Man Power Mapping, you must have the MIS report ready for all the months. Your Organization structure should be so strong that Team Leader, should have Task base week and they should know where they are lacking in the resources. But you are the end responsible in organizing everything and tracing it for the present requirement and future. And then to take further action on it like allocation of resources, recruitments and all.

• Job Analysis, Description

• Setting of KPI, KRA,

• Performance Appraisal

These all tasks are Team Task, that u have to play with all other members.

And more when u added” For eg. For preparing job description, it just takes the qualifications, from DEPT HEAD,, because a dept head knows more than HR whether a Diploma candidate would be suitable or a Degree or PG .... then so it collects the data compiles it and documents it... “

You are the end responsible for the entire task, but its doesn't mean that u are only piling the papers on the desk. Sometime it is this piling paper and sometime is more then any profile.

Creating leader in the organization, making future planning on the base on that pile of papers, insuring the middle level management is strong enough to take lead, right induction and training to new joining.

I hope, I have done justice to your question. :?:

Regards,

Hetal Shah

Hi Ravi,

I must say that you have put forward a very interesting topic. I would like to add my comments on the same. I would just like to add that an HR person usually specializes in a particular field before he gets into core HR functions like recruitment, performance appraisal, job analysis, etc. For example, to find a Java designer, you need not know how to do coding in Java, but you must be aware that they work on technologies like Swing, core Java, etc., to design projects. Seniors in the IT field, please correct me if I am wrong. Now let's come to the job description part. Once you know what technologies the incumbent should be aware of, you can simply put his roles and responsibilities as:

1. Should be able to design a project in Java single-handedly.
2. Should be able to deliver a project on time.
3. Should be able to answer the queries of the junior members of the team, etc.

Job specification:

- Should have 5-7 yrs of experience.
- Should have experience working with core Java and Swing for at least 2-3 yrs.
- Should have knowledge about the MVC framework.
- Should be a BE/B.Tech/MCA, etc.

Above I have cited just a small example; it is not an exhaustive one though.

With the passage of time, you will get to know which technologies are required for which job role. Like in case you are looking for a web developer, you will look for someone who has worked on PHP, .NET, or Java. This is one way of learning the technical aspects. Another way of learning the technical aspects is to sit with the senior technical members for some time and try to get inputs from them. The techies are usually very busy the whole day, so if you really wish to learn, then you have to be very polite with them.

Now let's come to the performance appraisal part. As one of the members of this site has rightly pointed out, competency mapping is the best way to find out the technical as well as behavioral attributes against which you can rate a particular employee. I have done an entire project on the same but I am unable to give you all the details right now. I did the project in an engineering industry and faced a similar problem like yours as I was not aware of the technical aspects of the job. If you want, I will send a copy of that project report to your personal id.

I hope this post helps in clearing your doubts. You can also write to me at [Login to view].

Thanks and Regards,

Indrani Chakraborty

Hi,

I understand your situation. I have completed my B.Com and then MBA (HR) from a business school. To tell you frankly, I don't even know the basics of computers. However, I was recruited by a company where LabVIEW was used for their business (LabVIEW is the most advanced software). I learned everything from the department heads. I used to learn from them during my lunch hours and sit with them in late hours. Now, I am very comfortable.

So, this is how we have to manage. Everything can be learned. So, you need to talk with the experts in that domain. HR can't be an expert, but they are the only person in the company to coordinate all the experts. There lies the difference and advantages that other managers don't have.

I hope this will help you out.

Thanks,
Gayathiri

Dear Ravi,

It is an interesting question, and I think you have got the answer by now. I would like to relate your question to recruitment as well. When you interview any candidate, you will definitely ask him at least one or two technical questions. So, I believe whichever company we work for, I mean the field we work in, we will have some knowledge that will help us analyze certain things. However, without the help of technical people, we won't be able to make decisions. As mentioned by some of our other friends, it is true that we can learn certain things through experience, which will enable us to grasp certain technical aspects.

Similarly, when it comes to Key Result Areas (KRA), Key Risk Indicators (KRI), manpower planning, and various other aspects, we will be the ones to initiate and conclude the process, but we won't make any decisions without the assistance of technical experts. I hope I am correct, and it is clearer to you.

Regards,
Amith R.

Hello dear Ravi….

If some of our friends believe that they will have to hire technical person with MBA then for every technical area you will have to hire separate HR person. For example if you talk about engineering field then here you require engineer + MBA(HR), for finance you need finance person with MBA(HR) and so on…..

So this is not the way to HR. I believe that HR is a part of establishment who knows all the workings of the organization, its business and its requirements whereas the knowledge of all these areas and understanding of all these processes will come to you gradually with the passage of time. You can't master all these areas at once. People have passed whole of their live while designing and giving you and me all these concepts of HR.

At least 1-2 years are required to understand and get somewhat command on these areas so work hard and try to learn and develop these in coordination with departments and your seniors.

Even you get command on all these areas; still you can't implement these yourself. HR's job is to integrate and bring all other departments at a single platform of HR. so do anything with their acceptance and will otherwise after putting so much efforts, you will again face difficulties.

So Coordination and working together with departments is the best way to design newer systems and implement them as well it will open you way towards learning all these concepts and technical knowledge.

Regards

Khalid

Here are the things that an HR person can do to solve your problem:

Strategic Analysis of Business

Building rapport is most important.

Then, make the findings (plans, policies, procedures, resources, etc.) from which you will know what needs to be done.

Once you have all the details and a relationship with necessary personnel, you can conduct manpower mapping with the help of other key members in your organization.

For Job Analysis and Description: If it is an old job, observe what the person in that job is doing, ask their supervisors for comments, and find out how it can be done in a better way. Then, you can create a good job analysis and description that is strategically aligned with the business plan.

For Performance Appraisal: I suggest dividing the appraisal into three parts. The job-specific part can be filled by the respective line manager, behavioral aspects like attitude and communication can be evaluated by yourself, and the employee can conduct a self-appraisal. This way, you can understand both the employee's perspective and the supervisor's perspective and provide suggestions and comments.

I hope this will help solve your problem. However, I recommend posting a separate question for each section. Asking multiple questions at once can lead to confusion among respondents. Please be more specific.

Thank you.

Samir

Hi,

Considering all the viewpoints mentioned above, I will provide my opinion in simple terms.

First step: Collect a checklist of all the tasks and functions carried out by each department individually.

Second step: Once the checklist is prepared, divide the tasks and assign them to the relevant personnel based on their qualifications, experience, and competencies.

Third step: Proceed to outline their skills, responsibilities, and duties according to the criteria established in the second step.

Fourth step: Following the delineation of responsibilities, etc., incorporate performance indicators for analysis and conduct frequent reviews.

Before commencing with these steps, it is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of all department functions before initiating HR operations. Be proficient in one area but maintain a broad knowledge base.

By adopting this approach, neither employees nor staff at the operational level can deceive you.

Cheers,
Srikanth

Hi Ravi,

Your query is absolutely valid. One thing you must note about HR is that HR cannot work in isolation like other departments. It has to work in coordination with all departments of the organization. An HR person is expected to know the HR processes like Manpower planning, Job Analysis, Job Description, Setting of KPI, KRA, Performance Appraisal, etc., which are not expected from professionals in other departments.

For all HR processes, an HR person requires data. This data is collected from various departments. It is the HR person's responsibility to use that data in a meaningful way. The data provided by various experts would be very raw data. It is HR's duty to analyze it and make use of it, which is not possible for even those people from whom you have received it!

In this way, HR can view the organization from a focal point, which other departments cannot.

Regards,
Archana

Hi, Mr. Ravi,

I am an MBA (HR, fresher) patiently read all the lengthy solutions, justifications, and all.

In a line to answer you, the HR person's role in these activities is mainly to map the person's competencies he has, comp reqd. For instance, manpower planning, HR here is not to give the numbers, but in cooperation with line managers, state the required competencies. He/she is also the one to keep the attrition in mind. To add to this, people don't leave organizations; they leave managers. So HR is the one to take care of this too.

I don't like writing long emails, but if you like my comments, do write me at rashmi_savlani@yahoo.co.in, and we can then discuss PA, JD, JA, etc.

Here I would like to know one thing, how does an HR person handle:
- Manpower Mapping
- Job Analysis, Description
- Setting of KPI, KRA
- Performance Appraisal

...of candidates who are from finance, electronics, mechanical, costing, computer fields, in short, candidates not from the HR field. Here, it cannot always be assumed that HR knows each of the above-mentioned fields in detail or in-depth.

Then how does HR do this? Does HR really do the above, or does it take comments, suggestions, and advice from the concerned field Dept Head (who is usually an expert in the concerned field) and just document it? For example, for preparing a job description, it just takes the qualifications from the Dept Head because a Dept Head knows more than HR whether a Diploma candidate would be suitable or a Degree or PG. It collects the data, compiles it, and documents it.

What are your comments on this? I need a reply; it's urgent.

Hi,

Have meetings with concerned department heads regarding their plans to hire people and prepare a Manpower Planning. Also, obtain job descriptions from the concerned department in a specific format that is used to identify prospects for employment.

Simultaneously, conduct groundwork with external sources to gather information about the specific positions that need to be filled.

All the best!

Best regards,
Vamsee