A quick guide to job evaluation

Job evaluation is a simple idea. You look at a job, list what it asks for, and decide how much value it brings compared with other jobs. The focus is the role, not the person doing it. When every role is set out in this way, pay bands, career paths and organisation charts sit on a clear, fair base instead of guesswork.

A structured approach matters because reward questions surface fast. Pay-transparency laws, equal-value claims and tight budgets all push managers to justify why one job is graded higher than another. A factor-based system answers that question. It scores each job against common elements such as knowledge, effort, responsibility and decision making, and stores the reasoning so it can be explained later.

Our own nQX Value framework follows that logic. It uses the same multi-factor model found in established point systems, but supplies ready-made templates, factor definitions and scoring sheets that keep the process consistent and easy to follow. Whether you run the exercise yourself or ask us to facilitate, the method stays transparent: the factors are published, the levels are clear, and the totals convert straight into grades.

Good evaluation pays back quickly. It stops pay drift, spots emerging gaps between roles and highlights where small jobs have grown into larger ones. The same data feeds work-force planning. Because every role is weighted, you can see which skills sit in critical jobs and where succession risk is highest. Employees gain too. When they see how their job is value, and what would lift it to the next level, career talks become concrete and trust improves.

In short, job evaluation is not a box-ticking task. It is the map that links roles, reward and strategy. A sound framework keeps that map accurate. The nQX Value approach delivers the structure without adding noise, leaving you free to focus on the decisions that move the business forward.

A more technical article will be published next week but if you want to learn more about job evaluation or how we can help you feel free to contact us.