Job Analysis, Work Descriptions, and Work Groups

Key Terms for Laboratory Personnel Management

• Competency-Based Performance Evaluation: An evaluation focused on a limited number of specifically defined tasks that are taught and assessed via direct observation during orientation and periodically thereafter.
• Criteria-Based Performance Evaluation: An evaluation method based on rating an employee's performance against specifically defined criteria, including knowledge, judgment, attendance, reliability, and interpersonal interactions.
• Job Analysis: The systematic evaluation and documentation of the tasks, physical conditions, requirements, and authority arrangements of a specific working situation.
• Job Description: A written document detailing the tasks, expectations, reporting relationships, and other essential information relative to an individual's employment.
• Performance Evaluation: The ongoing process of monitoring and formalizing the assessment of how employees perform assigned tasks to achieve organizational goals.
• Work Groups: Formal or informal collections of employees with diverse skill sets who work together to accomplish laboratory operations.

Case Study: Job Analysis, Work Descriptions, and Work Groups

• Scenario: Katie has recently accepted a position as laboratory supervisor at a large suburban hospital. The laboratory manager indicates a major conflict requires immediate resolution.
• Existing Team Dynamic: The supervisees have functioned as an efficient team for over $5$ years.
• The Problem: In the past few months, turnaround time for laboratory tests has increased. The environment is filled with tension and resentment toward Helen, a medical laboratory scientist who joined the team approximately $6$ months ago.
• Helen’s Profile: She is an experienced scientist with exceptional knowledge and skills, high energy, a hardworking nature, and a positive attitude. She maintains a good relationship with Katie.
• Conflict Specifics: Co-workers complain that Helen "sticks her nose into everyone else's job" and slows the output of other staff members through unwanted involvement.

Issues and Questions for Consideration

• Use of work group development knowledge to analyze the interpersonal dynamics of the supervised team.
• Application of job analysis and existing job descriptions to improve productivity and reduce member tension.
• Strategies to retain Helen's enthusiasm and commitment while curtailing her negative impact on laboratory turnaround time.

The Process of Job Analysis

• Overview: Effective management requires the analysis and measurement of job tasks and the evaluation of employee performance to meet organizational goals.
• Formal vs. Informal Analysis: Most analysis is done informally based on general expectations, but a formal job analysis is superior. It involves the direct observation and measurement of tasks and relationships, followed by thorough documentation.
• Factors Considered in Job Analysis:
  • Working Conditions: Analysis of the physical environment, including temperature, lighting, noise levels, and physical requirements (percentage of time seated vs. standing, lifting requirements, and whether the employee works alone or with others).
  • Task Analysis: Evaluation of actual tasks to determine the time required for performance and specific requirements for space or equipment.
  • Technology: Documentation of instrumentation, computers, and equipment used, including any special operational skills required.
  • Scope of Labor: Evaluation of Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) required. This includes assessing the marketplace availability of qualified persons; KSAs may need adjustment based on available labor.
  • Legal Issues: Inclusion of legal requirements for specific licensures or training.
  • Interaction with Co-Workers: Evaluation of the method and extent of interaction to ensure efficiencies, proper skill mix, and adequate communication.
• Analysis Resources:
  • Department of Human Resources: Usually handles analysis due to specialized skills and experience.
  • Industrial Engineer: Engaged for expertise in ergonomics and motion, particularly when developing positions in new environments.
  • Department of Transportation Coding System: Assigns a $9$-digit code based on occupation type and functional difficulty regarding data, people, and things; however, it is less useful for developing specific job descriptions.
  • Occupational Information Network (O*NET): Developed by the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration. It provides a continually updated content model to identify important information about occupations. (URL: http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco2007.htm).

Developing Job Descriptions

• Purpose: To document job characteristics and candidate requirements, and to act as a measure against which employee performance is assessed.
• Format and Components:
  • Job Title and Classification: Specifies the position name and level (e.g., Medical Laboratory Scientist II).
  • Exempt Status: Indicates whether the position is exempt (salaried) or nonexempt (hourly).
  • Education/Experience: States required or preferred education levels and years of experience. The American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science levels of practice can serve as a guide.
  • Knowledge: Spells out specific skills, which may be broad (medical terminology) or specific (experience with Analyzer X). Generally, broad skill sets are preferred as equipment changes.
  • Duties: Lists specific tasks and responsibilities, which should be quantifiable for performance appraisals.
  • Interactions: Lists departments or personnel the employee interacts with, such as nursing, admitting, or housekeeping.
  • Safety: Classifies the employee as "contact" (likely to encounter hazardous materials) or "noncontact."
  • Reporting Lines: Indicates authority, including who the employee reports to (e.g., Supervisor of the Chemistry Laboratory) and who they oversee.
  • Approvals: Requires signatures from the author, Laboratory Manager, the reporting executive, and the Human Resources Department.
• Maintenance: Descriptions should be reviewed at least annually to ensure they reflect the job in real time.

The Selection and Hiring Process

• Context: With a shrinking pool of qualified personnel, hiring for "fit" and long-term retention is critical to avoid problematic turnover and perceptions of limited advancement.
• Job Application: Format is dictated by regulations.
  • Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (1964): Forbids employers with more than $15$ persons from discriminating based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
  • Expanded Protections: Includes persons with disabilities, Vietnam veterans, and persons between the ages of $40$ and $70$.
• Regulatory and Internal Criteria:
  • Regulatory Criteria: The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment of 1988 (CLIA'88) specifies educational and certification requirements. Local and state requirements may also apply.
  • Internal Criteria: Institution-specific characteristics deemed necessary for a work group's dynamics, provided they do not violate equal rights provisions.
• Interviewing:
  • Structure: Can be conducted by groups or individuals. Consistency in questioning is essential for accurate comparison.
  • Behavioral Interviews: Candidates are asked how they would react in specific situations. This is common for managerial roles, whereas technical roles focus on specific skills.
  • Common Interview Inquiries: Educational background, career path motivation, previous work preparation, significant accomplishments, problem-solving examples, current job challenges, and motivators.
  • Prohibited Interview Questions: Anything regarding race, color, age ($40$ to $70$), sex, religion, handicap, arrest records, lineage, marital status, children, or religious holidays.
• Evaluation and Rating: Use an objective rating tool (scale of $0$ to $5$, where $0$ is unratable, $1$ is lowest, and $5$ is highest) to score candidates on criteria such as educational background, work experience, research/professional activities, laboratory experience, communication skills, and interpersonal skills.

Models of Performance Evaluation

• Timeline: Evaluation begins during orientation and continues through the probationary period to an annual formal appraisal.
• Competency-Based Evaluation:
  • Utilized during orientation.
  • Requires the employee to perform tasks while being observed by a trainer.
  • Provides formative feedback.
  • Documentation (orientation checklist) must include specific tasks, completion dates, and signatures. It is kept indefinitely in the personnel file as proof for inspectors.
• Criteria-Based Evaluation:
  • Based on defined standards like knowledge, judgment, attendance, and reliability.
  • Allows for satisfactory ratings for both entry-level and seasoned scientists.
  • Sample Attendance Standards:
    • Exceeds Expectations: No unexcused absences; maximum $2$ sick frequencies totaling $3$ days.
    • Meets Expectations: $1$ unexcused absence; maximum $4$ sick frequencies totaling $7$ days.
    • Does not Meet Expectations: More than $1$ unexcused absence; more than $4$ sick frequencies or more than $8$ days total sick frequency.
• 360-Degree Evaluations: Involves feedback from both superiors and subordinates. It is vital that subordinate input remains confidential to prevent manager bias.
• Ongoing Communication: Monitoring should be continuous rather than once a year. The goal is to maintain productivity in excellent employees and provide improvement paths for weaker ones.

Work Group Dynamics and Development

• Labor Breakdown: Laboratory work requires diverse skill sets, including phlebotomists, specimen processors, medical laboratory technicians (MLTs), medical laboratory scientists (MLS), and clerical staff.
• Group Types:
  • Formal Work Groups: Defined by staffing, scheduling, and assigned task sets.
  • Informal Work Groups: Develop over time based on personalities and priorities.
• Developmental Stages of Work Groups:
  1. Forming Stage: Tentative period where members get to know one another and hierarchies are established.
  2. Storming Stage: Imbalances and conflicts surface. Managers may need to intervene or rearrange members to find balance.
  3. Norming Stage: Members agree on work processes and roles; a leveling off occurs.
  4. Performing Stage: Members are comfortable, productive, and happy with group dynamics.
• Impact of Turnover: Every time an employee is replaced, the group resets to the Forming Stage. The manager's task is to expedite the progression back to the Performing Stage through open communication and relationship fostering.
• Effective Management: Requires clear guidelines, careful selection, quantifiable evaluation, and open communication across all levels.