Assessing the Validity of Job Evaluation

While past research concerning the “tools and techniques” of job evaluation has had merit, there has been too little focus upon the purpose of pay as an outcome and job evaluation as a measure related to that outcome. The comparable worth debate has further “muddied the water” with regard to first determining, and then operationalizing, a basis for conducting valid job evaluation. This article asserts that job evaluation is valid to the extent it results in adequate and equitable pay in organizations. This assertion is based upon the premise that pay adequacy and pay equity facilitate employee productivity—a primary purpose for compensating people in the first place.