JOB ROTATIONS IN THE ORGANIZATION

Job rotation is the lateral movement of personnel between a variety of jobs and tasks, each requiring a unique set of abilities and responsibilities. Job rotation, sometimes called cross training, is one of the many ways to learn on the job and a formal executive development initiative. (Huang.H.J,20).

People acquire a variety of abilities and dedicate time to mastering each one. Rotating job duties enables employees to better comprehend the various phases involved in producing a good or providing a service, how their own efforts affect the caliber and effectiveness of production, as well as how each team member contributes to the process. Therefore, job rotation enables people to gain experience in various business areas and, as a result, broaden their perspective. (Huang.H.J,20).

According to the Bennett (2003) ,job rotation as a planned placement of employees among various duties within a period. This process helps the workers build skills and have job independence that can result to increased motivation and output.

Job rotation is a strategy that a firm adopt to give employees opportunity to learn several things from different tasked performed (Mohan & Gomathi,2015).

Figure 01: Job Rotation (Source: The Human Capital Hub,2023)

Types of Job Rotation

According to the Bennett (2003) There are two types of job rotation:

1.Within-functional rotation

Rotation between positions with equal or comparable degrees of responsibility and within the same operational or functional area is referred to as "within-function rotation."

2.Cross- functional rotation

Cross-functional rotation is defined as "movement between positions in various organizational divisions over time." The person or new employee would rotate through a number of occupations in different departments as opposed to a number of jobs that are in the same group and are closely related to one another. This method offers the person or new employee options for growth, and similar techniques can be utilized by the business to collect information about their abilities, interests, and potential to determine their final placement.

According to the HRHelpBoard(2023),There are two types of job rotation based on the way the job profile of the employee is changed by the organization.

1.Task rotation- A task rotation is typically offered to individuals who have physically or cognitively demanding jobs. In these situations, the employees are moved from a tough job to one that is less demanding in order to give them a respite from the daily grind.

2.Position rotation- When a position is rotated, the employer may alter the employee's title, department, or location. The individual will have the chance to pick up new abilities, information, and viewpoints on the workplace as a result. Additionally, there are two types of this: function rotation and cross functional rotation. The employee's duties and work environment stay the same during a function rotation. While undergoing cross-functional rotation, the employee's level and duties are modified.

 

Benefits of job rotation

 

According to the Tapi.C(2023) following are the benefits of the job rotation

 

Reducing Monotony of the Job

The primary goal of work rotation is to lessen the monotony and repetition that come with a job.  

Succession Planning

'Who will succeed whom' is the central idea of succession planning. Creating a pool of workers who can be promoted to senior positions when someone retires or departs the company is a crucial part of job rotation.  

Creating Right - Employee Job Fit

The productivity of a company's workforce directly affects its performance. They can produce the most if they are positioned properly, which will maximize output. As a result, one of the primary goals of job rotation is to place the right individual in the correct position. 

Exposing Workers to All Verticals of the Company

Multiskilled workers can define and frame quality problems and apply relevant solutions at the moment of occurrence by switching roles and sharing responsibilities. This increases productivity.

Testing Employee Skills and Competencies

Job switching can help to improve both social and individual human capital. 

 

Developing a Wider Range of Work Experience

Managers train employees in advance to have a wider range of work experience and build various skills and competences through job rotation. It is essential for a person's complete growth.

 

Disadvantages of job rotation

 

According to the HRHelpBoard(2023), following are the benefits of the job rotation

 

Costly and time consuming

The employee training programs are expensive and the job rotation takes a lot of time.

Disgruntled employees

Employees may occasionally feel at ease and well-suited in their current position; in this scenario, job rotation can result in job unhappiness.

Not all round solution

Job rotation cannot address other problems including employee alienation and a lack of connection to business culture.

Not applicable to all industries

The practice of rotating jobs is inappropriate in the industry where highly skilled workers are needed to carry out the job.

Can lead to loss

Employees may make mistakes while working since they are learning new skills throughout job rotation. These mistakes could be quite expensive for the company.

 

 Conclusion: The systematic switching of personnel between jobs within a company to meet different human resources goals is known as job rotation. Job rotation is regarded as a powerful instrument for implementing HR strategy successfully. It involves placing people in the ideal environment so they may produce the best results possible. This is the greatest method for locating a high-value employee's immediate successor within the company in the highly competitive world of today.

References:

Huang, H. J. (1999). Job Rotation from the Employees’ Point of View, Research and Practice in Human Resource Management, 7(1), 75-85.

Bennett, B.(2003) Job rotation: its role in promoting learning in organizations. Development and Learning in Organizations. 17 (4), pp. 7-9 [Online] Available at: https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/item/936wq/job-rotation-its-role-in-promoting-learning-in-organizations (Accessed on April 2023)

HRHelpBoard(2023) What is Job Rotation Meaning & Definition in HRM.Help Board. [Online]

Available at: https://www.hrhelpboard.com/hr-policies/job-rotation-policy.htm [Accessed on April 2023].
Human Capital Hub(2023). Job rotation and why every employee needs it.The Human Capital Hub [Online]Available at: https://www.thehumancapitalhub.com/articles/Job-Rotation-And-Why-Every-Employee-Needs-It [Accessed on April 2023].
Tapi,C(2023). Job rotation and why every employee needs it.The Human Capital Hub [Online]Available at: https://www.thehumancapitalhub.com/articles/Job-Rotation-And-Why-Every-Employee-Needs-It [Accessed on April 2023].

Mohan & Gomathi, (2015). High involvement work design and job design. Industrial and labour relations review. Vol 61 No. 3