Design a factor plan with compensable factors that capture the real demands of the organisation's roles.
Human Resources & Personal Development
Point-Factor Job Evaluation for Consistent Job Sizing and Grading
Builds the technical skills to run a point-factor job evaluation scheme: defining compensable factors, scoring roles consistently and defending gradings under an equal pay challenge.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
A grading structure that cannot explain why one role sits above another eventually meets an equal pay claim it cannot answer. Point-factor job evaluation exists to make that reasoning explicit and consistent. This course takes participants through building a factor plan around compensable factors such as skill, responsibility, effort and working conditions, weighting those factors so the scheme reflects organisational priorities rather than the loudest manager, and scoring roles against job evaluation questionnaires and benchmark jobs. Sessions cover running a job evaluation panel so scoring stays consistent across assessors and over time, converting points into a grading structure and pay spine, and handling the appeals that follow when a role scores lower than its manager expects. The course pays particular attention to gender bias hidden in factor definitions and weighting, since this is where many schemes fail an equal-value challenge despite being procedurally correct on paper. Practice is based on scoring real job descriptions against a factor plan and defending the resulting grading in a simulated panel and appeal.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Weight factors in a way that reflects organisational priorities without embedding gender bias.
Score a job against a factor plan consistently, using benchmark jobs as a reference point.
Run a job evaluation panel that keeps scoring discipline across multiple assessors and sessions.
Convert job evaluation points into a coherent grading structure and pay spine.
Handle a job evaluation appeal using the evidence and reasoning the original scoring recorded.
Identify factor definitions likely to under-value work associated mainly with one gender.
Who Should Attend
Reward and compensation specialists designing or maintaining a job evaluation scheme.
HR managers responsible for grading structures in a growing or restructuring organisation.
Job evaluation panel members and trained assessors scoring roles regularly.
HR business partners who present grading outcomes and appeals decisions to managers.
Public sector and not-for-profit HR staff operating pay and grading frameworks with equal pay duties.
Reward analysts preparing for or defending an equal pay for equal value review.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Designing the Factor Plan
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Selecting and Defining Compensable Factors
- Select compensable factors such as skill, responsibility, effort and working conditions relevant to the workforce.
- Write factor level definitions that describe observable job demands rather than the person in the role.
- Avoid factor definitions that implicitly reward physical strength or continuous service over other demands.
- Pilot a draft factor plan against a small, diverse sample of roles before wider rollout.
Session 2Weighting Factors Without Embedding Bias
- Set factor weightings that reflect what the organisation genuinely values across its full range of roles.
- Test proposed weightings against roles predominantly held by different genders to check for hidden bias.
- Document the rationale for each factor weighting so it can be explained during an equal pay challenge.
- Distinguish an analytical factor plan from a non-analytical scheme and the equal pay protection each offers.
02Scoring Roles Consistently
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Writing and Using Job Evaluation Questionnaires
- Design a job evaluation questionnaire that captures factor-relevant evidence without inviting inflated claims.
- Select and maintain benchmark jobs that anchor scoring judgement across the organisation.
- Interview a job holder or manager to clarify questionnaire evidence before a role is scored.
- Identify inflated or understated questionnaire responses by checking them against comparable roles.
Session 2Running a Consistent Job Evaluation Panel
- Chair a job evaluation panel so each factor is scored against evidence before moving to the next.
- Manage panel disagreement on a factor score using the factor level definitions, not seniority or instinct.
- Rotate or refresh panel membership periodically to guard against evaluator drift over time.
- Re-score a sample of previously evaluated jobs periodically to check the panel remains consistent.
03From Points to Pay: Grading Structures
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Converting Points into a Grading Structure
- Group job evaluation point scores into grade boundaries that avoid arbitrary cliff edges between roles.
- Map an existing pay structure onto new grade boundaries and identify roles that will move grade.
- Design a pay spine or pay range for each grade consistent with the organisation's reward strategy.
- Model the cost impact of a new grading structure before it is presented for sign-off.
Session 2Managing the Transition to a New Structure
- Communicate grading outcomes to managers and employees in a way that explains the reasoning, not just the result.
- Handle red-circled roles whose current pay sits above their new grade maximum.
- Sequence implementation of a new grading structure to manage budget and change fatigue.
- Align recruitment and promotion practices with the new grading structure from day one.
04Appeals, Equal Pay and Maintaining the Scheme
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Handling Job Evaluation Appeals
- Run an appeals process that re-examines evidence rather than simply revisiting the original panel's opinion.
- Respond to a manager who believes a role is under-graded using the factor plan's own evidence and language.
- Distinguish a legitimate evaluation error from dissatisfaction with the grading outcome itself.
- Record appeal decisions consistently so similar future appeals are treated in the same way.
Session 2Defending the Scheme Under an Equal Pay Challenge
- Assemble the evidence trail a scheme needs to demonstrate work of equal value has been treated equally.
- Identify roles at risk of an equal pay for equal value challenge before a claim is raised.
- Review the scheme periodically for factor or weighting drift as job content changes over time.
- Brief senior stakeholders on the scheme's defensibility using plain, non-technical language.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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