Everything about the job classification system

In every organization, sooner or later, questions arise such as: Who exactly does what? How do functions relate to each other? And how do we ensure that remuneration and development are fairly regulated?

A job matrix offers a handle on these questions. It is not just an overview of functions, but a strategic instrument that helps to create structure, transparency and cohesion. In this article we explain what a job center is, its advantages and pitfalls, and how you can ensure that it is actually used and stays in line with practice.

What is a job shop?

A job house is an overview of all functions that exist within an organization, often divided into groups of similar functions (for example, departments such as "HR" and "ICT"). Everywhere it defines, among other things, what the purpose of the job is and what level it is at, what responsibilities go with it, and is also often linked to remuneration structures such as salary scales.

Simply put, a job description ensures that everyone knows who does what, why the positions exist and how they relate to each other. It's worth noting that this is really about the job itself and not the person filling that role.

The purpose of a job house

Creating a job house is not an end in itself, but serves as a basis to serve several other purposes. A job home can:

• Provide transparency and clarity about expectations for different roles; both those already filled and those still open for recruitment.
• Ensure fair compensation policies, by setting salaries consistently and based on severity and responsibility.
• Provide career and development prospects by showing employees how to advance, which supports talent development and personal growth.
• Serve as a starting point in developing a clear vision of where you want to grow as an organization and provide insight into whether all necessary roles are already in place.

The pitfalls of a job center

We can be very brief and to the point about the benefits of a function house, because when deployed effectively it serves exactly the purposes we just discussed. However, there are a number of pitfalls that can get in the way of the optimal use of the job shop.

Too much detail makes it unwieldy and inflexible

A major risk of the job house is making it too detailed, with endless job descriptions, levels and rules. This often happens when the job house has become an end in itself, rather than a means. This makes it unwieldy and rigid; small changes in work or responsibilities can then immediately lead to discussions about job changes or ratings. The system controls the organization, rather than supporting it.

You can avoid this by letting the purpose of the job board be leading and filling it in to the point where the content matches it - and no further. Use broad job families and levels and focus on the outlines of functions. You won't need more detail, and that way you leave room for customization and growth.

'Not my job' phenomenon

If you define functions very tightly, you discourage employees from thinking outside their own "box. As a result, on matters outside their job description, they then think, "not my responsibility." This gets in the way of cooperation and flexibility, and can even be detrimental to engagement. After all, people then feel less connected to the purpose of the team and/or the organization.

Therefore, place less emphasis on job titles and descriptions, and more on collaboration and results. And especially on how all the different functions together contribute to the greater whole, because that is what is important. The job matrix is a guideline, not a straitjacket - so don't tie your employees down to it.

The job board is not sufficiently in line with practice

If the job center is developed by HR, based on an HR vision, without coordination with other disciplines and managers, you run the risk that descriptions become too generic or theoretical and employees cannot identify with them.

Therefore, let different teams collaborate and provide feedback to ensure that the job description actually matches reality. It is also important to keep reviewing the job house as it is implemented, to check that it really matches what people do.

Development and maintenance can be time-consuming

Developing a good job house requires a lot of coordination. Employees must be able to identify with it, input from managers must be gathered, and all functions must be described by HR, including the link to rating. In addition, your organization and functions are always evolving, so keeping them up to date can be a chore. So it's not a matter of developing once and you're done.

Therefore, create your job house in phases, starting for example by first mapping out the largest and most important job families. Plan moments to evaluate the job house to see if it is still up to date and relevant. This also requires clear agreements on management: who is responsible for keeping it up to date?

The function house is not suitable for every organization

If you have an agile organization that works with changing (project) teams, a function house may not be a solution. Functions often change per project and employees hold different roles; there is no single position solely responsible for specific tasks. Therefore, a function house may not be flexible and dynamic enough to support this.

In that case, consider a role- or competency-based system as an alternative, in which someone can hold different roles rather than a fixed position with a fixed set of tasks. Or combine the job house with modern HR practices, such as skills management. This means looking not only at the job, but also at skills, knowledge and potential. It's then more about what someone can do, and not just what someone does.

How do you make sure a job center is used properly?

A job center only works well if it is not only on paper, but also really lived and used in practice. And that does not happen by itself.

Provide clear and recognizable job descriptions

In most cases, the job center does not have to consist of hundreds of different job descriptions. Instead, it often helps to describe roles more generically and functionally, in simple, clear language.

People should recognize themselves in the description; this is more important than, for example, laying down the hierarchical position. Similarly, a job profile helps employees set relevant performance and development goals for themselves.

Use it actively in career and development interviews

As we had mentioned earlier, a job description can be a good basis for providing career and development perspectives. It can be used to discuss opportunities for advancement (both within and outside the team), what the next step would be towards that goal, and which competencies need to be (further) developed. This also brings the job matrix to life in conversations between managers and employees.

Involve the organization from the beginning

If the job center is solely an HR initiative, there is a good chance it will remain so. Whereas you want it to be widely supported and used. It works better to keep employees and managers well informed of the 'how and why' of the development of the job house, and to let them contribute ideas about the filling of the positions. By involving them early on, making clear what they have to gain from it and developing it together, you create more support right from the start.

Make sure the job structure can change easily

We already discussed that it can be a challenge to keep the job matrix up to date. Make sure from the start that the job center can easily move with the organization. For example, if a customer requires slightly different activities to be carried out than usual, you don't want to have to adjust your entire job center first.

However, there is no such thing as an agile job center; it is the organization that must be agile. A function house can contribute to an agile organization, for example by creating a flexible mindset among your employees. Also, look at creating your job home with a forward-looking view: how does it align with current reality, and how does it align with where the organization wants to go?

Link the job house to HR processes.

Make your job house the basis of other HR tools, because it lends itself very well to this. Think for example of job evaluation for salary policy, using the right job profiles for recruitment and selection, creating clear career paths and linking goals to different job levels. In this way, you make the job house practical, rather than just a theoretical document.

Include the job house in your digital systems

Digitizing your job house makes it a lot easier to manage it centrally, update it quickly and make it accessible to colleagues. In addition, data analysis can also help you with insights such as job relationships, pay equity and mobility.

The success of a job center is in its use

A job map is only valuable if it is lived in, and not left in a folder somewhere on the intranet. By describing jobs clearly and recognizably, involving employees and managers, and cleverly linking it to HR processes and digital systems, it can be a powerful tool for transparency, development and collaboration. It requires maintenance and attention, but those who do so lay a solid foundation for an organization that is clear, agile and future-oriented.