Job rotation policies

In human resource management, job rotation policies are rules in a business that allow, or require, employees to trade roles with other employees. This might mean employees moving from one step in a project to another or moving to entirely different departments within the company. Sometimes, employees may even rotate to new titles or ranks, such as a production worker rotating into a management position. Job rotation policies significantly differ from traditional business systems in which each employee is given one title and one or a few distinct duties on which to focus and specialize.

People who promote job rotation policies believe they can benefit employees as well as entire companies. They may help employees gain a broader perspective of the workings of a department or company and appreciate the cooperative nature of an enterprise. Employees may learn new skills or develop a new understanding of how best to cooperate with others. A perspective gained in one area may translate to positive change in another area. Sometimes, job rotations show that an employee would be better suited to a different job and may lead to a permanent reassignment. In other cases, the job rotation process may continue, with employees moving to former or new roles.

Background

In the past, many company owners considered the resources needed for a business to include land, physical property, money, and equipment. From this perspective, employees were basically tools that carried out the functions of the company, turning raw resources into salable goods and services in return for their pay. In the twentieth century, with changing ideas about the nature of business and the value of individuals, employers began to focus more on workers as a resource, and a critical one at that.

This change of attitude saw the rise of human resource management, the area of modern business that oversees many employee-related decisions and concerns within a company. Human resource managers are often responsible for employee recruitment, hiring, training, payment, and performance management. They may ensure that employees have sufficient benefits, motivation to do their best, and communication with superiors. They may also work to support employee well-being, both personally and professionally. Human resource managers may work with employees to make sure they are content with their jobs, are in the most appropriate positions, and are not facing any problems at work or elsewhere that may be harmful. People in this field may offer various types of coaching, training, advice, and administrative help.

By the twenty-first century, human resource management had become an enormous field of work and study, as well as an integral part of the labor force in many countries. Employers and employees alike have embraced the human resources function because it can help a business run more smoothly and enable business employees to feel happier about their role in the company. This not only contributes to personal well-being and quality of life, but also adds to the company’s health and growth prospects. A successful human resource management team can help a company reach its objectives and prosper in the increasingly competitive global economy.

Overview

As the field of human resource management grew, experts formulated hundreds of theories about how to best employ workers within a company. Some theories sided with traditions, while others took new perspectives. One of the more revolutionary theories was that of the job rotation policy, a workplace structure that defies the centuries-old tradition of each employee being assigned one primary task within a company’s operations—a practice that many forward-thinking experts believe may stifle employees and reduce the company’s likelihood of long-term success.

Job rotation refers to the practice of moving employees between various job roles within an organization or a work-related process. For example, an organization that creates marketing for products may undergo a job rotation process. Subsequently, an employee who formerly worked in public relations may trade jobs with someone who worked in design. Someone who worked in accounting may switch roles with someone who worked in market research. In future job rotations, these people may return to their former jobs or move to other roles. In some cases, job rotation reveals that an employee is better suited to a job other than the one for which they were originally hired; in that case, the employee may be permanently reassigned to that new role.

Practitioners of job rotation believe this plan may help employees in many ways and, in turn, the entire organization. In general, job rotation may enable employees to become aware of their company’s structure and the cooperative web of workers contributing to its success. It lets employees learn about the specialized tasks normally assigned to others and the importance of these tasks. This can help employees appreciate the cooperative nature of the business, build understanding and empathy for coworkers, learn more about other roles, and gain new skills. Sometimes, an employee may learn a new skill or develop a new perspective from a related department that can help the departments work together better in the future.

Proponents of job rotation also point to a wide variety of other potential benefits. For example, rotating to a new role might relieve an employee of stress, boredom, complacency, or fatigue related to performing the same task for long periods. Adding new flexibility and fresh perspectives can expand an employee’s work experience, teach new skills, and reveal formerly hidden talents and interests. It can make employees feel more satisfied with their work, create new possibilities for promotion, reduce absenteeism, and reduce the number of employees who believe their current roles are “dead-end jobs” and leave to seek new opportunities at other companies. It can also foster new and stronger work relationships and cooperation between employees in related areas and separate departments.

Job rotation may take two primary forms. In one form, an employee may be shifted to a new task, meaning they will retain their overall hierarchical level in the company but be responsible for performing some new facet of the business process. For example, a worker in an automobile factory who usually installs brakes may be transferred to the department responsible for painting the cars. In the other form of job rotation, employees may be shifted in position. This is a more extreme version in which an employee may move to another department or location entirely; for example, a person in the human resources department may switch jobs with someone in the technology department. It may also mean that an employee will change their job title, level in the hierarchy, and job responsibilities. This may allow a stressed-out middle manager to temporarily work on a production floor and a tired and bored production worker to experience a management position.

Human resource managers warn that, while job rotation may be a tool for great success in business, it must be used wisely, or it may become a liability. Company leaders must only use job rotation when it makes sense and promises to yield positive results. If job rotation occurs without a solid reason, or leaders or employees do not understand why it is valuable, it may seem more like a game of “musical chairs” that only serves to create confusion in an organization.

Relatedly, job rotations must be efficient. Moving to another role in an organization may require extensive changes, not only in physical location and proximity to needed tools and resources, but also in mindset, skill sets, and social interplay. Such moves could cause chaos in a company if they are not done with care and planning. Offices may need to be repurposed or cleaned out and refilled, computer resources may need to be rewired or transported, and employees may need time to adjust to new surroundings and neighboring workers. Without efficiency, such a job rotation may result in a serious loss of productivity.

Another risk of job rotation is that employees lose the sense of value for their specialized skills. In other words, an employee who trains for five years to master a complex graphical computer program will not have the same level of efficiency if they are reassigned to use a complex mathematical program. Employees should feel that their unique skills are valuable, rather than come to believe that they are replaceable by anyone else in the company. Managers should ensure that employees understand the reasoning for every job rotation and can transfer their existing abilities in some meaningful way. Job rotation policies can harm the workplace if employees are not committed to the concept. To ensure the success of a job rotation, managers must consider all employee feedback and adjust policies. They should carefully create a mission statement and analyze the process when it is complete to check if that mission was accomplished. At every step, they should make their reasoning and expectations clear. If the rotation does not meet its goals, managers should re-evaluate their choices and decide how to correct the problem.

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