Job rotation is a type of internal mobility in which team members switch between different jobs or divisions for a certain amount of time, allowing them to get unique experiences and a comprehensive grasp of a company’s operations.
Job rotation provides several benefits to innovative firms that embrace it. Among other benefits, it improves a workforce’s professional abilities, knowledge, and flexibility. It also lowers staff turnover. Job rotation is a practice that enhances employee learning and motivation.
After reading this article, you will have a better understanding of job rotation, how it might affect a firm and its people, and many best practices for its implementation.
What do you mean by job rotation?
Job rotation is the process of shifting individuals between positions within a company. These rotations are primarily lateral, which means they occur between occupations of the same level and are not regarded as promotions. They are also frequently transitory, with employees returning to their previous jobs after a set period.
Rotating jobs has a number of key benefits, which we will discuss in greater detail later. For example, starting a new job is exciting and challenging; it reduces boredom, stimulates motivation, aids in determining person-job fit, and is a great way to gain new knowledge and competencies by practicing different jobs.
Job rotation is a widely used organizational development approach. It is a crucial component of work (re)design, alongside job simplicity, enrichment, and expansion.
Is job rotation good or bad?
Rotating jobs provides several benefits for both the company and the individual. Although there is some overlap between the two, let us first look at the benefits of job rotation for employers:
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Learning: Job rotation is a good method for transferring specialized skills, knowledge, and competencies, resulting in human capital buildup. For example, an individual may learn the entire manufacturing process because they have worked in several jobs that have given them a comprehensive perspective. Similarly, managers may need to get experience in many areas before being prepared for a senior leadership role requiring similar experience.
Another example is that many human resource specialists lack business abilities. Rotating HR personnel outside of the HR department, as well as having individuals from the company rotate in the HR department, is an effective strategy to develop these abilities. John Boudreau and Ed Lawler endorse this practice.
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Flexibility: Rotation permits employees to undertake a variety of roles, resulting in a more flexible workforce. If workers can be deployed in two or three jobs, your total available workforce will be larger and more adaptable to fill any of the open positions.
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Replacing employees: When a vital person quits unexpectedly, someone in the firm must step in to fill their function. Job rotation may be useful in this situation. The key job can be filled quickly by temporarily deploying a peer who is both acquainted with the role and familiar with the firm.
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Orientation and placement: Rotation is commonly used in traineeships. During a traineeship, a graduate normally performs four different positions over the course of two years. This allows the graduate to discover hidden abilities and identify roles that they enjoy and are skilled at.
At the same time, it allows the business to determine where the new person may offer the greatest value, often known as job-employee matching. This is an excellent technique to guarantee that new talent is effectively utilized. Similarly, if someone wants to attempt a different position, they might be cycled around the organization. If it doesn’t work, the individual can come back. This may prevent a talented employee from leaving.
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Satisfaction and attrition: When someone is stuck in a job for four or five years, they may be more likely to leave. Job rotation allows for a change of scenery and challenges individuals, resulting in more satisfaction and decreased staff churn.
Similarly, employment rotation offers benefits for employees.
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Motivation: One of the disadvantages of remaining in a job for too long is a lack of desire. Job rotation provides a change of environment and new duties, challenging the individual to learn and adapt. This is an excellent approach to alleviate boredom, inspire colleagues, and improve personal agility.
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Learning: Learning benefits not just the employer but also the employee. People, particularly those who have recently entered the workforce, have a tremendous need for learning and growth. Job rotation, in combination with peer coaching, can provide these possibilities.
Disadvantages of job rotation
We cannot wrap up this post without briefly discussing the downsides of job rotation:
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Inefficiencies: When a person begins a new position, they must learn the ropes before attaining their peak production. As a result, the rotation might generate frequent disruptions in work and, hence, inefficiency.
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Misunderstanding: Another downside is that the individual who rotates out of a post may retain better (tacit) knowledge and relationships. This may result in this individual remaining (partially) active in the position, resulting in role ambiguity. Implementing a peer mentorship program is one method to address this issue.
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A disgruntled employee: Rotating individuals out of jobs they enjoy may weaken their drive. Disgruntled individuals may dislike the new job, lack motivation, and consider quitting the firm.
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Lack of opportunities: Job rotation is frequently horizontal, which means that workers do not receive promotions but rather a different function at the same level. This may feel like a detour rather than a next step, diverting people off their intended professional path. A smart practice in this situation is to assess their degree of desire and frame the rotation as an opportunity to gain more diversified skills that will assist them later in their careers.
Job rotation best practices
As you have now seen, it is very feasible to ‘rotate the incorrect way’. Let’s go over some excellent practices for increasing positive impacts while decreasing negative impacts.
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A means to an aim: Rotation may be utilized for a variety of applications. What is vital to remember is that the purpose of work rotation should be apparent from the start. Employees are mindlessly rotated between different roles, which causes inefficiencies, role confusion, and work interruptions. These inefficiencies can only be justified if the practice of employment rotation serves a clear purpose or benefit.
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Employee buy-in: Another possible downside is that rotation might result in angry personnel. It is consequently critical to generate buy-in. This may be accomplished by properly describing the benefits of work rotation to the employee and convincing them rather than coercing them. Creating staff buy-in may transform a perceived negative circumstance into an opportunity.
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Training: Third, make sure that workers are fully taught before being cycled to a different role. Entering a work without the necessary knowledge and abilities to execute successfully can reduce motivation and increase the time required to achieve peak production. As previously stated, both peer coaching and peer mentoring may be quite beneficial here.
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Monitoring and providing comments: Once someone has been cycled into a job, be sure to watch them and offer plenty of feedback regularly. People will gradually grow more self-sufficient and demand less organization. Additionally, develop and explain clear success criteria for the task. This helps employees understand what is expected of them.
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Planned job rotations: A more structured method of job rotation is known as job pathing or career pathing. Here, a precise sequence of occupations is intended to achieve a professional goal.
Conclusion
As you are aware, rotating roles may be quite beneficial to both the business and the person. However, when done at random, it reduces efficiency, introduces mistakes, and leads to job ambiguity. It is consequently important to clearly indicate why rotation should be utilized. These and (many) other recommendations on job rotation, job design, and organizational growth will be found in our future certificate program in organizational development!
