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.
Why is Job Rotation Important?
Job rotation is seen as a possible solution to two significant challenges faced by business:
(1) Skills shortages and skills gaps, and
(2) Employee motivation
Skills shortages occur when there is a lack of skilled individuals in the workforce.
Skills gaps occur when there is a lack of skills in a company’s existing workforce which may still be found in the labour force as a whole.
According to the Treasury and Department for Education and Skills, both skills shortages and gaps are major problems acting as major barriers to economic growth and the reduction in long-term unemployment in the UK.
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