Job Rotation Program:

A Job rotation is the systematic movement of employees from job to job or project to project within an organization, as a way to achieve many different human resources objectives such as:

*simply staffing jobs
*an attraction or retention tool
*orienting new employees
*preventing job boredom or burnout
*training employees
*Involving managers in the training process
*rewarding employees
*enhancing career development
*exposing employees to diverse/ international environments

The theory of "why" job rotation programs work:

*By being in the actual work environment, as opposed to the classroom, JRP'S increase the employees interest in learning.

*A side by side comparison of normal classroom/"book" learning with on the job learning will show that job rotations learnings last longer and have a bigger impact on productivity then if we give you a book or put you in a classroom.

*Because "rotations" see the immediately results of their learning they are more likely to develop a passion for learning more.

*If managers are involved in the training process (as they are in JRP'S) they will be "forced" to come up with multiple approaches for teaching a diverse group of employees. It will also teach them more about how people learn and help managers understand and communicate to others the "why" of what they do. "Rotations", as outsiders, are more likely to ask managers why you do things a certain way, where often insiders are often reluctant to challenge the status quo.

*Having to explain work processes to others (rotations) often forces managers to analyze their own processes and this can make these processes more effective.

*By developing rotations, managers will themselves develop a passion for learning and teaching others. The increased quality be of our managers could help us to improve faster and make the company more successful.

*In addition, rotations (and their managers) have worked with so many diverse people during their rotation program they may become more flexible and agile. This would increase their ability to be redeployed or to backfill to other areas.

Job Rotation

What is Job Rotation?

Job rotation involves the movement of employees through a range of jobs in order to increase interest and motivation. Job rotation can improve “multi-skilling” but also involves the need for greater training. In a sense, job rotation is similar to job enlargement. This approach widens the activities of a worker by switching him or her around a range of work. For example, an administrative employee might spend part of the week looking after the reception area of a business, dealing with customers and enquiries. Some time might then be spent manning the company telephone switchboard and then inputting data onto a database. Job rotation may offer the advantage of making it easier to cover for absent colleagues, but it may also reduce' productivity as workers are initially unfamiliar with a new Task.

When asked what they want out of their job, a majority of Canadians say they want work that is challenging and interesting. One way that employers can meet these aspirations is through more flexible forms of work organization that provide more opportunities for workers to use their skills, do a variety of tasks, and have more influence over their work. An example of this flexible approach is job rotation or cross-training, that is, training employees in a range of tasks and rotating them through different positions

Job rotation and cross-training can benefit both employees and employers. Workers learn new skills and face less boredom from performing similar tasks over and over. Greater variety and a wide range of tasks make work more interesting and challenging. Job rotation and cross-training can also benefit employers. Job rotation is believed to boost innovation by enabling workers to apply knowledge of one task to others. Moreover, exposing employees to other types of jobs within the firm promotes a better understanding of what others in the firm do and how each job contributes to the whole. Finally, a multi-skilled workforce can more readily adapt to changing markets.

Method of Job Design

Job design is the specification of the content, methods and relationship of jobs to satisfy technological and organizational requirements as well and personal needs of employees. Employees must be properly motivated if they are to do their best work. Different individuals often have different motivators. However, many individuals share certain motivators. The employer should recognize these differences and commonalities, and attempt to tap into them.

1) Job Rotation
2) Job Enlargement
3)Job Enrichment