Job Aids are the material assistance and helping hands that make getting the job done easier and more manageable. Memory joggers, instruction cards, to-do lists, sticky notes etc. are good examples of job aid. Technologically enabled performance support systems are modern aids that make jobs easy.
A job aid is a set of instructions, diagrams, or similar methods available at the job site to guide the worker. Job aids work particularly well on complex jobs that require multiple steps, or where it’s dangerous to forget a step.
Types of Job Aids
There are a few types of aids that can make certain jobs easier and the trick is to choose the one that works best for the kind of job at hand. The most common types of aids are listed below -
- Flow Charts
- Step-Action Charts
- Checklists
- Templates or Demos
For example, airline pilots use job aids (such as a checklist of things to do prior to takeoff). GM’s former Electromotive Division gave workers job aids in the form of diagrams. In the case of locomotive wiring, different colored wires act as clues as to which colored wire goes where.
Use of the Term in Sentences
- Jobs that require decision-making may not benefit very much from checklists as a job aid.
- Templates can be a handy job aid for writing business documents.