2. Job analysis and planning

Having a factory and operating in almost all countries, Nestle is on continuous look out for competent and talented employees. To create a professional team is a hard challenge, but the company is sure that “their business can only grow if their people do.” Human resources management process starts with an adequate job analysis. A job analysis is used to collect information about the duties, responsibilities, necessary skills, outcomes, and work environment of a particular job. An employer needs as much data as possible to put together a job description, which is a frequent outcome of the job analysis. Additional outcomes include recruiting plans, position postings and advertisements, and performance development planning within your performance management system¹⁷.

Each company, especially an international one, develops and alters day by day. Being a multinational organization, Nestle needs to permanently and carefully revise its needs and opportunities. As, for example, a set of operations, number of subsidiaries, strategy and vision, a product, a demand and requirements for employees also changes. It is necessary to make a job analysis in order to check, whether the list of existing posts is valuable or not; whether there is a need for a new post.

A job analysis implies 3 aspects. Firstly, a company should work out a job description that will explain all the task requirements (duties working conditions, etc. of a job). Below there is an example of a brief Nestle marketing associate job description.

Nestle Marketing Associate Job Description Working with the Marketing Manager the Marketing Associate is involved in formulating market plans and the implementation of these plans. Furthermore, the Associate puts effort in analyzing the current market trends, consumer habits, sales and advertising techniques, and pricing impact. He/ she assists the Marketing manager in day to day operations. Nestle Marketing Associate Salary: $88, 07218

Secondly, there is a job specification with a list of personal requirements. A job specification cuts to the quick with your requirements whereas the job description defines the duties and requirements of an employee’s job in detail. This document should precise, what a job demands of the incumbent (knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs) and other characteristics required to perform job, with an overview of the specific job requirements.). Nestle introduced 16 job areas which form the basis of business and explained how the huge variety of skills and specialisms fits into them. That way, a potential employee will be able to see where she/he wants to go and what can expect from her/his Nestlé career¹⁹.

While drawing up components of a job specification, Nestle remembers several tips. Firstly, they state the skills, knowledge, and personal characteristics only of individuals who have successfully performed this job. A group of people, who anyhow interact with a person, standing for this post, consider a list of requirements, because it provides an adequate and rational result²⁰. Nestle managed to outline the procedure of recruitment. The company actively uses job specifications for screening resumes, and for interviewers. They put in a claim all the requirements for each position.

The last step is performance standards definition that helps workers clearly understand what is expected of them. However, an important disadvantage is that a job analysis may provide performance standards for job where performance is readily quantified and measurable. It is necessary to work out a balanced scorecard to be able to evaluate all employees. And, what is vital to highlight, these standards need to be augmented. Several years ago, for example, the Nestle company faced a global problem concerning Baby Milk Action group and other activists remonstrating against the product quality. On a labor market the company gained disrepute, so the only solution was to support and retain employees. The emphases were basically put on creating a friendly atmosphere within a company. The company not only reviewed the job responsibilities of current employees, but started to develop them, improving the appraisal system and performance standards with a help of employees. The most important goal was to make personnel get satisfied with their job and retain loyalty to the company despite the outer flows of negative information.

A job analysis and planning is vital for further development of the company, because it help to understand, what to demand from employees, how to attract and retain them. If a company can not organize work and explain its employees their responsibilities, it will never succeed. A detailed updated analysis of the work duties, tasks, and responsibilities that need to be accomplished by the employee filling the position will definitely help company to be ready to sudden unexpected situations.