Good Equal Opportunities Practice In Analytical Job Evaluation

Scheme Design

• Do the terms of reference recognise that avoiding sex bias will mean challenging existing relativities?
   

• Is the scheme appropriate to the jobs it covers?
   

• Are any job categories excluded from the scheme and if so what is the rationale for this?
   

• Is there an unbiased use of generic/benchmark jobs?
   

• Is the steering committee representative of the jobs covered by the scheme and trained in job evaluation and avoiding sex bias?
   

• Is the chair likely to be impartial and aware of equality issues?
   

• Are there representatives of recognised trade unions on the steering committee?
   

• How might any equal opportunity specialists in the organisation, contribute?
   

• If a proprietary scheme is used does the firm have equal opportunity guidelines?
   

Factors

• Are the factor definitions and levels precise and unambiguous?
   

• Do the factors omit any important job demands?
   

• Is there any double-counting?
   

• Does any knowledge and skill factor operate unfairly?
   

• Are the number of factor levels realistic?
   

• Do the points gaps reflect real steps in demand?
   

Weighting

• Do factor weights fairly reflect the importance of the job demands to the organisation as a whole?
   

• Is there a rationale for the weightings?
   

• Have the weightings been derived explicitly or implicitly to perpetuate the existing hierarchy?
   

• Do any high or low weights affect predominately men or women?
   
   

SCHEME IMPLEMENTATION

Scheme Awareness

• Are the people to be covered by the scheme aware of its purpose?
   

• Are they informed of the progress of the scheme?
   

Job Descriptions

• Is there too much reliance on generic job descriptions?
   

• Are job descriptions consistent, realistic and objective?
   

• Does the format reflect the factor plan?
   

• Are trained job analysts involved?
   

• What guidance is provided on the completion of job descriptions?
   

• Are job titles gender biased?
   

• Is the sex of jobholders identified?
   

• Is the jobholder involved in writing the description?
   

Appeals

• Is there equal access to any appeals procedure?
   

• Are appeal results monitored?
   

Maintenance

• Is future responsibility for the scheme clearly allocated?
   

• Has a review programme been decided?
   

Scheme Impact

• Is the job evaluated hierarchy the same as the existing one?
   

• Do men's jobs and women's jobs cluster at opposite ends of the hierarchy?
   

Pay and Benefits

• Have the grade boundaries been drawn fairly?
   

• Do any special payments reward demands already built into the scheme?
   

• Is any red-circling free of sex bias?
   

• Are there objectively justifiable reasons for any inconsistency in the relation of pay and benefits to job evaluation results?
   

Equal Opportunities Commission Arndale House, Arndale Centre, Manchester M4 3EQ Telephone: 0161 833 9244; www.eoc.org.uk