Job evaluation: guidance for managers

Many nursing staff have taken on more responsibility in their roles and are no longer paid fairly for the complex and demanding jobs they do. Staffing shortages and the impact of the pandemic have made this worse. For many nursing staff, their job descriptions and pay may be more outdated than ever.

If a member of nursing staff believes they are not being paid fairly for the job they do, they can review and update their job description and ask for it to be evaluated.

As a line manager, it’s important that you work with your line report when they’re considering or applying for job evaluation.

But we know job evaluation can be complex. Here we answer some of your questions about the process.

Job evaluation is the systematic assessment of job roles objectively with the aim of creating a hierarchy of jobs free from discrimination and/or prejudice. The purpose of job evaluation is to ensure that employees are paid fairly for the work they do.

Within the NHS the job evaluation scheme is used to determine the pay bands for all posts on Agenda for Change (AfC) contracts.

Why is my line report requesting a job evaluation?

Nursing staff might consider job evaluation if since they started their role they feel they:

• Have not had their job description in reviewed in the last 12 months as part of your appraisal
• Have taken on additional duties and responsibilities not in their job description
• Have taken courses, study days or self-directed learning opportunities to gain knowledge that are relevant to their current role
• Have achieved additional specialist academic qualifications relevant to their role
• Have developed new skills and competencies through their experience 

As a line manager, you have 5 main responsibilities:

1. To review job descriptions and person specifications annually as part of the appraisal to ensure they are kept up to date.
2. To consult with your line report about changes to their job description. This may include meetings with your line report to review their job description and consider their self-evaluation of the role they do. You will need to agree a date on which their role changed and approve any updated job description. If you refuse to discuss job evaluation with your line report, they could raise a grievance.
3. To submit your line report’s job evaluation submission to the designated management job evaluation lead at your workplace so that matching and evaluating can be made. Submissions comprise:
• your line report’s updated job description
• your line report’s updated person specification the organisation chart at your workplace
• the job evaluation sign off sheet
4. To notify your Payroll Department of banding outcomes when there has been a change to your line report’s banding.
5. To submit details of jobs that have changed significantly for a banding review. 

1. Speak to the designated management job evaluation lead at your workplace
2. If you work within the NHS, read the NHS Job Evaluation Handbook
3. Visit our website
4. Speak with your local RCN rep