We appreciate the opportunity to assist your organization in the analysis and design of a job evaluation system to evaluate secretarial and administrative support jobs.

Objectives & Scope

The purpose of the study is to address the following questions as they relate to your organization:

• What are the appropriate number of secretarial/administrative support levels for the organization?

• Do multiple career ladders exist? (e.g., standard secretarial vs. administrative support)

• What are the core competencies that differentiate among secretarial levels and between career ladders?

• What are the core competencies as reflected by duties and responsibilities that differentiate among levels within each or either group?

• What type of computerized job evaluation system can be developed to comprehensively measure these levels and allow for quick and easy reevaluation of revised or new jobs?

• What alternative titles, if any, are appropriate for the existing jobs?

• How can the new system align with current market matches?

• Who and how many individuals should be selected to work on the task force to represent this group?

• What are the main objections and/or resistances to evaluating secretarial jobs based on job content?

• What expectations or issues must be managed before proceeding with the project? (e.g., communication strategies; educating secretaries on personal skills vs. job requirements; selecting members of a task force; addressing administrative issues, such as upgrades and downgrades.)

The scope of the assignment will be determined by the number of secretarial and/or administrative support positions, the number of geographic locations, and whether considerations of using a sample vs. the entire population.

Approach

The project will consist of the steps defined below:

1. Business/Job Analysis - Development of Work Plan

We will prepare a data request list in advance of our session to obtain additional business, operational, and staffing background about your organization. We will review these materials and prepare a specific time line for the work plan. Steven Frohman, of ASI Milwaukee, our strategic partner on this project, and I will have an initial meeting with you, key executives, and any others you designate. The purpose of this meeting is to expand our understanding of your interests, concerns, and desires about the project and the proposed work plan. We will discuss:

• Pre- and post-communication strategies and responsibilities
• The format and methodology used to pilot test and validate the job analysis questionnaire
• Proposed time line in view of other conflicting organizational activities
• Selection of secretarial job evaluation project team members (We recommend 10-12 representatives.)
• Data input and analysis responsibilities
• Design considerations of the software system, such as current platform, user specific fields, data importing, "screen appeal," report outputs, etc.

You or an individual you identify will become the designated point person who will coordinate all project details. We very much view this as a partnership arrangement. Therefore, it is desirable for this person to be present in all team meetings to ensure a full knowledge of the project.

2. Questionnaire Testing, Administration, and Analysis and Software Installation

We will meet with the task team for four hours in the morning and review the purpose, scope, and time line for the study. During that meeting, we will distribute the questionnaire and ask for their review. Our specific objective is to measure administration time, and obtain input on coverage and ease of use. The role of the task team is to let us know if any critical duties or tasks that are unique to your organization are missing from the document. The team will also examine the instrument for confusing or unclear items. Since this instrument has been tested on over 300 secretaries, we do not anticipate major changes. We will also ask the team to provide any work examples to clarify items, where appropriate, to help tailor the document to your organization.

That afternoon we will install the Job Dimensional Grading^TM software and train the designated person(s) on data entry screens. This is a straight-forward, menu-driven program. It requires Windows 95 and is designed as a stand-alone system. The installation and training typically runs between two to three hours.

Based on the earlier morning meeting, the task team's input will be considered, and the questionnaire will be revised. Subsequently, all incumbents in positions designated to participate in the study will complete the questionnaire to reflect their current jobs. The questionnaires will be reviewed by each person's manager for accuracy and completeness.

The completed questionnaires will be returned to the human resources area for review. The purpose of this review will be to check for completeness. Human resources will arrange for the data to be input to the Job Dimensional Grading^TM software program we provided by a someone from your organization. The disk will be returned to our offices for preliminary analysis. Here we will identify any need for data clean-up or inconsistencies and make appropriate corrections.

3. Development and Analysis of Internal Job Evaluation System

We will conduct a second meeting with the task team for the purpose of converting the job analysis instrument into one that performs job evaluation. Using a paired comparison methodology, we will engage the team in weighting each item on the questionnaire within a specific sub-dimension. The group will examine a series of tasks to determine the relative value of each item in terms of the appropriate compensable factor. This is a full day meeting, with lunch brought in.

Currently, we have four major dimensions, each with a variety of sub-dimensions that contain from three to nine task items. The four major dimensions and sub-dimensions are as follows:

• Office Administration
  • Mail Processing
  • Preparation and Composition of Documents
  • Records Maintenance and Retention
  • Protection of Sensitive Information
  • Appointments, Meetings, Conferences, Training, or Special Events
  • Travel Arrangements

• Information Gathering and Analysis
  • Information Maintenance, Gathering, and Analysis
  • Report Production
  • Budget Monitoring and/or Coordination

• Communication, Interaction, and Coordination with Others
  • Interaction with Internal Personnel and External Publics
  • Work Coordination
  • Team Participation and/or Facilitation
  • Work Direction, Training, or Review

• Use of Technology
  • General Application
  • Equipment: Hardware
  • Software Packages

The weightings from this exercise will be assessed and incorporated into the software design by assigning point values and creating an automated point factor system. Subsequently, we will run the data through the system for initial analysis. Preliminary reports will be produced. We will be looking for common functions, level differences, etc. We will partner with you on our findings. Since this is an iterative process, it most likely will require several runs in order to appropriately calibrate the system.

4. Market Pricing

Your organization will be responsible for collecting benchmark pay data. We will assist in matching the data to these new classifications and include the information in our final report.

Your organization's human resources area will review the final results for cost implications as a result of projected upgrades or downgrades, based on predetermined salary administration policies. These results will be presented to the appropriate management by your resources staff for approval and will not be included in our final report.

5. Communication and Implementation

Your organization's human resources area will be responsible for developing a communication strategy for management that will include a general overview presentation with accompanying documentation and appeals process. Subsequently, they will also develop a presentation to the secretarial group to explain the general methodology and results. Individual grading discussions will take place between the secretary and the respective manager. The organization's human resources area will be responsible for addressing any specific salary administration issues on a per case basis. If your organization would like our assistance in this aspect of the study, we will price this portion separately upon request.

Project Deliverables

At the close of the assignment you will receive the following:

A job analysis questionnaire designed to gather information specifically for secretarial/administrative support jobs

A licensed, customized job evaluation software system and user's manual designed to classify secretarial/administrative support positions

Timing and Costs

The project will take approximately four to six months to complete from the date you authorize us to proceed, depending on your ability to meet with us and provide data on a timely basis. Typical projects with a pilot of 75-100 support staff jobs run $45,000-$55,000 for full consulting services plus out-of-pocket expenses (estimated at $4,000 - $5,000). 

Thus, if you had 350 secretarial positions, you would probably select a 25 percent to 30 percent sample as a pilot from which to establish your structure.  Once the pilot is complete, you can use the system  and its software to evaluate all remaining jobs that were not included in the original sample.  We will help you established a satisfactory grade structure from benchmark jobs in your sample.  Subsequently you will be able to run all remaining positions through the system to determine individual grades.  You will also be able to use the system to evaluate new jobs as they arise or re-evaluate existing jobs as they change. 

We will not exceed fees of $55,000 (for a pilot of 100 secretaries) unless we mutually agree to an expansion in the project's scope.  These costs include all consulting time; software licensing; analyst, and support staff time. Our practice is to require a retainer of one-third of the project cost to secure the engagement ($15,000 - $18,000). The second third will be due after the meeting with the task team in which we conducted weighting of the questionnaire items. The balance will be due upon delivery of the final report.

Fees for consulting services can be reduced, depending on what technical components you have the expertise and time to perform. Base price for the system, including one day of training is $15,000, plus travel expenses. Additional consulting days are priced at $2,500 per day, plus travel. If you have the technical compensation competence available in-house, it is feasible that you could accomplish this project by limiting our compensation consulting expertise to four to five additional consulting days.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions. A biography of Steven Frohman and me follows.

Biographies

N. Elizabeth Fried, Ph.D.

N. Elizabeth Fried is President of N. E. Fried and Associates, Inc. a Dublin, Ohio-based compensation consulting firm, specializing in salary management, sales compensation and short-term incentives since 1983. The firm serves such diverse client as Chervon Chemical, Coopers and Lybrand, GE Aircraft Engines, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Johnson & Johnson, National Ground Water Association, New York New England Telephone, The State of Ohio's Lottery Commission, Systech Environmental Corporation, Victoria's Secret, Walt Disney World, The World Bank, and Wendy's International.

Ms. Fried received her Ph.D. from The Ohio State University and her Certified Compensation Professional designation from the American Compensation Association (ACA). Additionally, she is listed in Who's Who of American Women and Who's Who of Emerging Leaders in America and is frequently asked to speak before professional and business groups. Prior to opening her consulting practice, she served as compensation manager at Nationwide Insurance Companies.

Elizabeth conducts compensation research on a national scale and has been quoted widely in such publications as The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Ms. Magazine, Business Week, and Fortune Magazine. A prolific writer, she frequently contributes to professional journals and trade publications, which feature her research on secretarial grading practices, on-call pay, and retention bonuses designed to retain key people during acquisitions, mergers, and divestitures. She has published over 30 professional articles, three books, and recently co-authored ACA's "Building Blocks in Total Compensation" titled Developing Statistical Job Evaluation Models: An Approach to Building a Job-Worth Hierarchy. Ms. Fried currently teaches two certification seminars for ACA, one on quantitative analysis and the other on job analysis, job evaluation, and job descriptions.

Steven E. Frohman

Steven E. Frohman is a consultant, speaker, and business owner, specializing in organizational effectiveness. His broad-based experience spans from positions in senior management and marketing for a high-tech Fortune 500 company to owning and operating small service and manufacturing businesses. During his 23-year tenure at IBM Corporation, he had responsibility for managing systems analysis and design staff. He also provided application consulting to customers.

Steve has worked with organizations across multiple industries and currently consults in public and private sectors. His superior group facilitation skills and strong technical background will add significant value to this project.

Project Steps

Dimensional Job Grading^TM

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