Updated June 15, 2023

Introduction to Job Rotation Process

The job rotation process is good for both the company as well as the employees of the company. This trick of the HR team of an organization has several benefits for both the company and the employees. Only if the base of the understanding is clear will we be able to explain its advantages. Let us start with understanding the Job Rotation Process and what it is exactly.

Some people say that it is a way of developing employee skills, that is, developing employee skills in every field; some say it is a recruitment method that is cheap for the HR team and the company, and some people also say that it is a way of giving change to the employee’s routine jobs.

A job rotation program is a technique that the HR team of the company plans to move employees between jobs in a planned manner. It is one of the best cross-training strategies for the HR team and the organization. Exposing employees to different experiences and enhancing their skills are the main reasons behind this operation, aiming to improve their job satisfaction levels.

It is a method used to develop the organization’s employees; various changing jobs allow them to develop their skills in the different types of jobs allocated to them. In a job rotation program, the employees usually make lateral moves; however, this rotation is sometimes due to a promotion.

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Types of Job Rotation Process Used

Below are some of the types that people utilize.

1. To rotate task

Companies typically implement task rotation for employees who are working in mentally stressful or physically demanding jobs. The Human Resources team of organizations then switches from a highly demanding job, either physically or mentally, to a less challenging job where the employees get a break from the routine work.

Let’s take an example here, in production or manufacturing companies, and their workers work in a monotonous for continuous 8 to 10 hours; this is very stressful full for their jobs involve too much physical stress when they are doing the same position on a day to day bases some 8 to 10 hrs it becomes very monotonous and also very irritating. So to get their employees a break, the management shifts them to less stressful jobs. This helps them to keep their employees happy also by retaining them.

2. To Rotate Position

Position rotation is changing the employee’s designation, department, or geographical location to give them more exposure to various skills, knowledge, and other perspectives. Dividing positional rotation into within function rotation and cross-function rotation. Within the function, the rotation is where the employees are rotated amongst two jobs with similar responsibilities in the same areas of function and operation. Cross function rotation usually concerns the position with the increasing level and duties of the job or a promotion.

The example here for within function rotation can be an employee working on a junior designation is rotated to another junior appointment in the same department with similar responsibilities; however, to give him more exposure to learning new things and be used to more used to the processes and jobs in the same department. However, cross-function rotation can promote an experienced senior executive to a manager instead of recruiting someone from the market.

Why Use Job Rotation Process?

Let us know the reason why we use the job rotation process.

A job rotation program sets a career path for an employee when no promotions are available or they do not want one.
The employee gains a lot of knowledge with the help of a job rotation program as he learns a new job and its processes.
The employees develop essential skills to become an all-rounder in any team before getting promoted to senior or manager.
The job rotation program gives the employees different responsibilities with many new learning and duties.
It helps the employees come out of boredom and dissatisfaction with their jobs as they learn something new that will be productive for them and the company.
It gives the employees new opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills. As a result, the employees get recent accomplishments, unique reach, and a better career impact. All this potentially impacts and influences both the employee and different aspects of the organization.
It teaches and shows the employees the working of different departments; this creates a better understanding of the working of an organization.
It is a strategy of managing a company to understand the processes and departments to promote an employee.
Internal job postings and internal promotions keep staff and employees motivated and give them the best they deserve.
It also gives an employee a chance to interact with other employees of the organization; this creates and maintains unity among employees.

Why and how is Job rotation process a useful recruitment method?

Let us understand why the recruitment team should use the job rotation process as one of their key methods for retaining and keeping their employees interested in their jobs.

1. Job rotation process and exploring talents

Of course, if someone does the job, you will have to learn they can do it much better than the employees doing it regularly. To be precise, even the employees have yet to know that they can do a job well, much better than their colleagues. Job rotation is one way of exploring an organization’s employees’ talents. This exercise uncovers the hidden talent of the employees for both the employee and the management.

2. Job rotation process and backup

A well-trained employee in all aspects and departments of the organization serves as one of the company’s assets and can perform any job when required. Job rotations give employees the ability and the opportunity to learn new jobs; it enhances the skills and knowledge of the employee and provides emergency backup to the company. For temporary staff in a department, other employees from another department can also cover up for the shortage. This helps both the company and the employee.

3. It creates motivation

When new challenges surround an employee, he is motivated to accept these challenges and tries his best to improve. A monotonous job does not have challenges to face and win over. Any new job will have many challenges that will motivate the employee to prove himself and serve better. Job rotation gives the employees motivation to prove themselves better than the rest and an employee capable of taking up and learning any task allotted to them. This activity provides and creates a lot of motivation among employees.

4. It increases employee knowledge and skills

Improving employee knowledge that is more than bookish gives the employees a more practical understanding of a job, a task, a designation, etc. It is extremely important to gain as much knowledge as possible to grow. Employees who want to succeed will never say ‘NO’ to learning. Job rotation is one way of giving employees the ability they desire. Knowledge can convert into skills only after practicing it. Regular practice of different jobs is the best way of enhancing your skills and specializing in them.

5. It takes the employees of the routine

A routine job is extremely monotonous, making the employee feel disinterested in his work which could be better for the employee and the company. The employee must be interested in his job to serve the company better. When an employee is removed from the monotonous routine to put into a new and less stressful job, it gives the employee a break. This routine break is useful for employees working in a production or manufacturing company where the same position is repeated repeatedly for days, weeks, months, and years.

6. It helps to understand different departments

This activity of job rotation is a unique exercise to create the required knowledge among departments. An employee working in one department has yet to learn how the other department functions, which is why there are inter-department disputes in an organization. Instead of accusing each department, we need to switch their roles to develop a better understanding between departments.

7. It helps promotions

Once an employee has the know-how and his skills in all departments are fine enough, he is ready for the next level. The management knows and recognizes talent, so they decide to give the deserving employee the knowledge and enhance his skills in all aspects of the organization to promote him to the next level.

8. It increases interactions between teams

Interaction improves connection and bonding between employees, creating unity and teamwork. When all the employees work with almost all the departments, they have different sets of colleagues. They interact with various jobs that they perform. Therefore, it is very important to have good interaction between teams, departments, and company employees. Job rotation makes this task simple.

9. Job rotation process and promotions

Assuring employees of promotions and recognition for their job and efforts when they perform well is a common practice in organizations. A promotion not only adds new challenges to the promoted employee but also motivates other employees to perform better and excel. Therefore, instead of hiring employees from other companies and the market, it is much better and well-advised to promote internal staff as a part of a job rotation program.

10. Job rotation process is happiness

Knowing that the employees are the company’s most important and unpredictable resource, it is extremely important to keep them happy and content. Planning a job rotation carefully and smartly is the best way to keep the employees happy. Learning different tasks, acquiring new skills, and receiving recognition for their efforts can satisfy employees and enhance their productivity, leading to better service for the company. Happy employees are the best way to keep the performance of the company and the organization going well.

How to get Job Rotation right?

The jobs need to be rotated well and very smartly. Lets us look at some simple steps in the notes below to get this rotation task right.

Plan the job rotation program very carefully, as the knowledge and skills need to be passed on to the employees step by step to help them better understand the job rotation process.
The employees should be given an idea about the rotation process and the reason behind it, and also, they should be able to analyze that the process is achieving its goal.
The employees and the organization need to benefit from the job rotation program. Therefore, arrange the rotation so that both benefit from the job rotation.
Have an internal or external trainer in place who can monitor and plan every step of a job rotation program.
Have the job rotation program documented for both the employee and the company. It should involve different aspects of each job and how it works out in favor of the employee.
Take the employee’s consent for a job rotation program task; if the employee does not find the study benefiting him, he will not be seriously interested in taking up the responsibility. Enforcing the job can lose the employee or create disinterest amongst employees in their careers.

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