Job enlargement is adding tasks to an employee’s duties with the same level of responsibility and expertise. It can save employers money, motivate workers, and increase productivity. Job rotation and cross-training are related tactics. Job enrichment increases personal responsibility and is evaluated for productivity. Disadvantages include training costs and technical limitations.
Job enlargement refers to an HR management term defined as adding tasks to an employee’s duties that represent work with the same level of responsibility and expertise. It is often called horizontal expansion by personnel management departments. Another way to describe this concept could be multitasking, when a person takes responsibility for several jobs previously outside of his job description. Job enlargement usually saves the employer money because no additional employees are needed. It is also used as a tool to motivate workers.
The practice of job enlargement emerged after studies showed the number one employee complaint focused on boredom connected to the type of work performed. By assigning workers additional tasks, HR managers hope to make jobs more interesting, which could increase productivity and job satisfaction. It may include salary increases and employee benefits.
This management tool could be used during economic hardships when companies are downsizing. An employee may see job expansion as an alternative to being fired. He or she may not have a say in the decision or any control over the added duties. A worker facing job expansion may be concerned about keeping up with additional tasks and his or her job security.
HR departments commonly use two related tactics to motivate employees. Job rotation trains workers to perform other jobs and acquire new skills. Typically, the tasks you add don’t increase levels of responsibility, but they do broaden employees’ knowledge of business operations. Job rotation could help workers understand how their functions contribute to the overall success of the company. Cross-training can also get employees lined up for promotions when they become available.
Job enrichment is often confused with job enlargement. The two concepts share similarities because both techniques increase an employee’s workload. Job enrichment, however, increases personal responsibility and is often called vertical expansion. Assign tasks performed by a manager to a lower-level employee to foster personal growth and spark interest in a supervisor’s work.
This HR term is all about motivating the employee to come up with ideas that benefit the company and make decisions based on their capabilities. Job enrichment programs are typically evaluated, which might motivate an employee to increase productivity. Sometimes, job enrichment improves morale and results in less absenteeism than job enlargement.
The disadvantages of this concept include the cost of training employees to take on management duties. The cost could be offset by a reduction in turnover and increased productivity. In some companies, especially those with technical positions, it may not be possible to transfer management decisions to other employees.
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