Using Job Aids

Sometimes, something as simple as a laminated card with short, to-the-point instructions can do more to help an employee complete a task with high assurance of accuracy than hours or days of training. Such job aids are a quick, easy, and often inexpensive way to improve performance fast. Job aids reduce the amount of information that an employee needs to remember for tasks that are infrequently performed or for tasks that must be accomplished to an exact standard every time. Job aids take many forms, including decision trees, checklists, step-by-step instructions, flowcharts and graphic maps, look-up tables, worksheets and forms, and even reference sources, such as training manuals. This Infoline will enable the reader to determine when to use a job aid; select the type of job aid to use; select the right medium; and design, implement, and evaluate the job aid. Sidebars provide examples of different types of job aids, while the job aids included in the issue will help the reader to carry out a needs analysis for a job aid and check off a list of development tasks. Learn to use and create job aids and improve performance fast!