Targeted tests screen for ‘job happiness’
Targeted tests screen for job happiness’
A new preventive anti-stress technique?
If we could accurately predict whether a pro spective employee would be happy in a specific job, we might avoid untold emotional and financial pain. According to one expert, we already have the tools to do just that.
"The more employees are matched up with the requirements of the job and vice versa, the more healthy they will be," asserts Robert Edenborough, PhD. Edenborough is a managing consultant with ASE-Consulting Group, part of the occupational division of London-based test publisher NFER-NELSON. He also is author of Using Psychometrics: A Practical Guide to Testing and Assessment. Psychometrics means, quite simply, mental measurement.
"Psychometrics seeks to understand aspects of mental functioning that have an impact on behavior and performance," he explains. "For example, attention to details might show up as accuracy in your work."
A good mental fit is critical to job satisfaction, he notes. "Employees tend to feel stressed if you ask them to do things they can’t do. I personally have poor spatial ability. If I have work that requires me to find my way about, or to assemble things, I find it very hard, which also makes me very impatient."
Exactly how does psychometrics measure mental job suitability? "In effect, by replicating part of the job — like solving a particular problem," says Edenborough. "In other cases, you look at people’s fundamental aptitudes, approaches — their ways of looking at other people. If they are inclined to be sociable, they will tend to describe themselves to you as such, and that would be relevant for teamwork, or working with the public."
A sample question set would begin with a basic one, such as, "I like handling figures," posed as a true/false choice or on a scale of one to five. "This simple response would tell you directly how comfortable the employee would be with anything from keeping petty cash to managing corporate accounts," he says. "It may seem naive on its own, but people do tend to tell the truth."
After that initial response, the testing can become more complex. "You can then ask, Which is most true of you?’ and add any number of variables — visiting with people in the office, whether you like your workplace neat and tidy, and so on," he says. "As you pair and re-pair the responses, you get a much better idea of the individual’s mental aptitudes."
Investment can be modest
Instituting psychometric testing does not have to be expensive, says Edenborough. "If you’re talking about high-volume recruitment using one or two simple ability measures, it may only cost a few dollars per head. If you were conducting an assessment for the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, a consultant could charge up to $4,000." In choosing an individual or company to conduct the testing, consult an industrial psychologist. "There are a number of companies that publish tests and tend to give advice, training or consulting services," he adds. "Be sure to also check references and formal affiliations."
You also should consult with your legal department. "There have been some legal challenges in the United States, mostly centered on the relevance of the content of the tests," he says. "So be sure to check with legal in terms of the design of the test and the relevant norms groups. The acid test has always been, is the content defensible?’"
The bottom line, says Edenborough, is this type of testing can be well worth the time and expense. "With unhappy and inefficient employees — and these go hand in hand — you definitely have increased absence and increased staff turnover. After all, some people may take a job they know they won’t enjoy just because they really need it. Traditional interviewing doesn’t tend to catch that." (CIGNA Corporation developed an interviewing method that falls somewhere between traditional interviewing and formal mental aptitude testing. See box, p. 20.)
[For details, contact: Robert Edenborough, ASE, Hanover House, 2-4 Sheet St., Windsor, Berkshire SL4 1BG, England. Telephone: 011 44 175 3850 333.]
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