JOB ROTATIO N

MB 723 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT

SUBMITTED BY MANIKANDAN 215111037

GAURAV ABHISHEK TIGGA 215111038 SHIVA V S KARTHIK BOSCO V I SRINIVASAN 215111039 215111040 215111041

Introduction Origins of Job Rotation Since late 1980s Job Rotation has been developed and mainstreamed as an active labour market tool in Denmark. Job Rotation originated in Denmark as a collaborative development amongst trade unions, employers and training institutes. What is Job Rotation? Job rotation is a management technique that assigns trainees to various jobs and departments over a period of a few years. Surveys show that an increasing number of companies are using job rotation to train employees. There are both positive and negative effects involved with job rotation that need to be taken into consideration when a company makes the decision to utilize this technique. Job rotation involves the movement of employees through a range of jobs in order to increase interest and motivation. Job rotation can improve multi-skilling but also involves the need for greater training. In a sense, job rotation is similar to job enlargement. This approach widens the activities of a worker by switching him or her around a range of work. For example, an administrative employee might spend part of the week looking after the reception area of a business, dealing with customers and enquiries. Some time might then be spent manning the company telephone switchboard and then inputting data onto a database. Job rotation may offer the advantage of making it easier to cover for absent colleagues, but it may also reduce' productivity as workers are initially unfamiliar with a new task. Job Rotation Implementation Stages 1. Formation of the Job Rotation Team 2. Agree outline of Job Rotation Plan 3. Agree contract of co-operation between all parties 4. Identify company employee training needs 5. Identify training specs and agree training plan for unemployed 6. Identify process of information dissemination to employees 7. Identify company personnel who will be trained as mentors

Why is Job Rotation Important? Job rotation is seen as a possible solution to two significant challenges faced by business: (1) Skills shortages and skills gaps, and (2) Employee motivation Skills shortages occur when there is a lack of skilled individuals in the workforce. Skills gaps occur when there is a lack of skills in a companys existing workforce which may still be found in the labour force as a whole. Job Rotation meets the Employment Strategy in the following areas:

As An Active and Preventative Measure As a tool to address change and promote adaptability & mobility in the labour market As a means to promote development of human capital and lifelong learning As a tools to promote integration of and combat discrimination against people at a disadvantage in the labour market As a tool to promote business competitiveness

Why Develop Job Rotation?

a. Meets company training needs b. Improves qualifications/skills of employees c. Further motivates the work force d. Core element of sound staff development e. Helps develop an adaptable and skilled workforce f. Helps companies to avoid loss of production during periods of training
2. Job Rotation as an active labour market tool

a. Provides training and qualifications for unemployed persons b. Brings unemployed persons closer to the labour market

c. Provides training & further qualifications for employees strengthening their position in the labour market d. Can prevent bottlenecks occurring in employment sectors
3. Job Rotation as a Model of Social Partnership in Practice

a. Job Rotation demands close co-operation between employers, trade unions, training institutions, unemployment centres/organisations, local employment services and welfare services b. Job Rotation increases understanding between social partners c. Job Rotation can act as a catalyst to promote further innovative ways of cooperating in partnership What does Job Rotation Offer Employers Job Rotation is a highly flexible concept & can adapted to the individual companies involved The ability to release employees for staff development/further training using Job Rotation means that companies avoid production losses while their employees are under-going training In company Job Rotation employee mentors are trained by the project to support the unemployed substitutes Companies, after completion of Job Rotation have a pool of skills (unemployed) trained relief labour to draw on for replacement workers There is no commitment required by an employer to find a permanent job for the unemployed person at the end of the rotation period.

How Does Job Rotation Benefit Employees Job Rotation provides employees with further training to improve their qualifications through general and/or specialist training. Specialist training reinforces employees links with the labour market and strengthens their position within the company Job Rotation also provides the employee with an opportunity to take part in team building and personal development with a view to returning with enhanced levels of confidence and greater self knowledge

What does Job Rotation Offer the Unemployed?

Provides specific skills training relevant to employer needs Real work experience Recent employer reference point Opportunity of being offered employment upon completion of Job Rotation phase

Positive Effects There are different reasons a company may choose to utilize job rotation such as using job rotation as a learning Mechanism. Research suggests that there are significant benefits that may outweigh the costs involved with training employees for diversified positions. As a learning mechanism, employees are given the opportunity to learn necessary skills which can help them to advance within a company. This employment opportunity also has the effect of boosting morale and self efficacy. The company may benefit from using job rotation by having the ability to staff key positions within a company. This practice may allow a company to run more efficiently, and as a result, become more productive and profitable. Job rotation can also be used to alleviate the physical and mental stresses endured by employees when working the same position, year after year. By allowing employees to rotate to other positions, the risk factors for some types of musculoskeletal disorders may be reduced. Job Rotation is also believed to have the ability to decrease the amount of boredom and monotony experienced by employees who work the same position for extended periods of time. Negative Effects There are some negative attributes associated with job rotation. Firstly, some positions within a company may not be eligible for rotation. There may be positions within a company that may be specialized due to technology or may require highly skilled workers. These positions may not fit the profile for rotation opportunities because of the costs involved to train the workers. Another problem faced by companies is that some employ unionized workers that may be resistant to job rotation due to standard union practices. Furthermore, one other problem faced by companies is the possibility of having to pay incentives to workers for cooperation with the job rotation implementation which can lead to wage inequality. Finally, the utilization of Job Rotation may have the effect of reducing a workforce because of the cross-training involved; a company may not need to hire additional staff to cover positions and may possibly layoff current employees no longer considered necessary.

Benefits of Job Rotation Some of the major benefits of job rotation are:

It provides the employees with opportunities to broaden the horizon of knowledge, skills, and abilities by working in different departments, business units, functions, and countries. Identification of Knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) required It determines the areas where improvement is required Assessment of the employees who have the potential and caliber for filling the position

Practical Implications of Job Rotation Job rotation alone does not change the risk factors present in a facility. It only distributes the risk factors more evenly across a larger group of people. Thus, the risk for some individuals will be reduced, while the risk for others will be increased. However, there will be no net change in risk factors present. This can be thought of as described in the following example. When employees rotate between two jobs the risk exposure can be thought of as being "averaged". Job rotation may drop the average to within a safe level, or raise the whole group in excess of safe limits. Unfortunately, it is not possible with current knowledge to determine what the safe limit is. For this reason it is critical to select job rotations which minimize the exposure level. In this example, the two jobs being rotated have very different total risks; if the jobs had similar risk then the benefit of CTD risk reduction would be lost. Thus, rotation among jobs that are similar is not appropriate. Jobs best able to benefit from job rotation are those of a dynamic character, which require more real variation in muscular load. Caution must be taken in the design of job rotation programs since poorly designed job rotation may increase worker stress levels. It is possible that rotating employees through a stressful position

may, given enough time, produce disorders in the entire group. Thus, the choice of jobs to be rotated between is extremely important. Job rotation does not improve the job itself. Thus, it is vital to continue efforts at changing the physical make-up of the jobs. Although job rotation may have beneficial effects of stress reduction and muscle/tendon group variation, engineering changes should remain the goal of the ergonomics program.

OSHA Guidelines (Occupational Safety & Health Administration (US).) The following is excerpted from the OSHA Ergonomics Program Management Guidelines for Meatpacking Plants: Job rotation should be used with caution and as a preventive measure, not as a response to symptoms. The principle of job rotation is to alleviate physical fatigue and stress of a particular set of muscles and tendons by rotating employees among other jobs that use different muscle-tendon groups. If rotation is utilized, the job analyses must be reviewed by a qualified person to ensure that the same muscle-tendon groups are not used. A "qualified person" is one who has thorough training and experience sufficient to identify ergonomic hazards in the workplace and recommend an effective means of correction; for example, a plant engineer fully trained in ergonomics - not necessarily an ergonomist. In analyzing jobs for rotation, the qualified person must have sufficient expertise to identify the ergonomic stresses each job presents and which muscles and tendons are used. Job rotation can mean that a worker performs two or more different tasks in different parts of the day (i.e.. switching between task "A" and task "B" at 2-hour or 4-hour intervals). The important consideration is to ensure that the different tasks do not present the same ergonomic stressors to the same parts of the body (muscle-tendon groups). There is no single work-rest regimen that OSHA recommends; it must be determined by the nature of the task. These excerpts indicate the importance of establishing a formal, documented job rotation system which carefully matches jobs. This matching system should ensure that different muscle-tendon groups are emphasized.

This graph depicts the "averaging" effect of job rotation. Note that the resulting rotation job, which is the average of the light and demanding job, may be safe or it may be dangerous depending on where the actual safe limit is. At this point, science does not know this answer.

Steps of Rotation To ensure that all of the following steps of the process are completed and documented on a Job Rotation Checklist. Step 1: Hold an employee meeting to determine interest and gain involvement and input. During this meeting it would be appropriate to have a short presentation on ergonomics and job rotation. The purpose here is to build upon the ergonomics training already received and further it by discussing the relationship between it and job rotation. At this time it would be appropriate to issue a Base Line Questionnaire such as found in Appendix 2. Step 2: Insure that the Physical Job Requirement worksheets (PJAs) are accurate and up-to-date for all jobs being considered for rotation. After this is complete, enter the PJAs into the Job Rotation Spread Sheet and generate the appropriate risk factor rankings. Match the jobs for rotation using the method described in the detailed guidance section. Step 3: Verification by the entire employee group within each department affected. For job rotations determined in step 2, apply a common sense review of logistics and compatibility to ensure that: That the logistics of the proposed rotation are suitable That the job rotation seems reasonable The list of job rotations determined to this point should reviewed by affected employees. The employee concerns and insights should be taken into account. If necessary, changes to the list should be made, and final approval for the list obtained.

Step 4: Provide employees with any training that is required for any new tasks performed or equipment handled. For instance, employees that have not used a straight knife or whizard before would need specific training. Step 5: Provide employees with adequate break-in time to ensure that they are fully qualified and physically conditioned to perform their new tasks. Step 6: Begin job rotation. Step 7: Monitor the new rotation to ensure flexibility and consideration for individuals that are having difficulty performing new tasks. Assess if further training, break-in, and/or accommodations can be made for these individuals. Step 8: Hold follow-up meetings with employees to evaluate the job rotation. Again, survey employees using the job rotation questionnaire. Compare results to the initial survey. If results are favorable than continue rotation. If results indicate a problem then decide if corrective action is needed or if rotation should be discontinued. Step 9: Track other measures such as injury rates, turnover, employee satisfaction, or workers compensation to determine effects of the job rotation. Detailed Guidance The objective is to provide the ergonomics committee with a consistent and systematic method of developing formal job rotations that are based on the requirements of the jobs being rotated. Since, job requirements have already been documented on Physical Job Requirement worksheets (PJAs), these will be used in the systematic analysis. In order to facilitate the smoothest possible transition into a job rotation system the following issues must be addressed. Items listed should be viewed as options and starting points for further discussion by the site ergonomics team and other interested personnel. Who Decides Job Rotations Anyone should be able to suggest job rotations, including supervisors, management, ergonomics monitors, production employees, union officials. However, job rotations should be approved by the ergonomics committee and the employees affected before being implemented. How Jobs are matched for Rotation First, the PJAs for each job should be reviewed to ensure that they are accurate and up to date. If they are not, then the appropriate corrections should be made. Second, the PJAs should be entered into the Job Rotation Spread Sheet. Doing this automatically calculates job rotation scores for each individual entry, section averages (for backs, arms, hands/wrists), and the overall job difficulty.

From the section and total scores the spread sheet generates a ranking (Red, Yellow, or Green). These rankings will be used in matching job rotation candidates and are determined by: Green if score is 0 to 30 Yellow if score is 31 to 45 Red if score is 46 to 100 These cut-offs were determined through experience with sample jobs from the site and are based on the judgment of the author (they may be updated as our experience dictates). These cut-offs might not be appropriate in all industries and are based on information from pork slaughter. After the PJAs have been entered and the appropriate scores and rankings computed then the job rotation worksheets should be manually compared and discussed by the ergonomics committee. In general, decisions about the appropriateness of a particular job rotation should be based on the following: Job A Rank & Job B Rank = Decision Red & Red = Unacceptable Red & Yellow = Unacceptable Red & Green = Acceptable Yellow & Yellow = Acceptable* Yellow & Green = Acceptable Green & Green = Acceptable *not recommended - try to avoid if possible How Often Jobs are Rotated? In general, job rotations should consist of two jobs: an A job that the employee starts at the beginning of the shift, and a B job that the employee rotates to after the first break. The employee returns to the A job after lunch, and then back to the B job after the second break. Jobs would then be posted for bidding by the A job, with the B job defined as part of the process.

This figure depicts one possible organization of two job rotations. For flexibility reasons it may be necessary to use other arrangements or have three job rotations. These questions can be answered as we gain experience with the system.

In some cases, depending on the logistics, rotations may occur more frequently or contain more than two jobs. However, that may complicate the job matching process. Implementation It is recommended that a generic list of all acceptable rotations for each department be generated to allow flexibility in making job assignments without violating ergonomic standards. What Training is Needed? The same training requirements and documentation that a new hire must have before starting in a position should be met by experienced line employees going to a new job. Thus, the training requirements are probably spelled out in existing human resources guidelines. What Break-In Period is Needed? Similar to above the same guidelines for new hires starting out should apply to experienced employees starting in a new job. Flexibility and Considerations Needed? Determined at each site. What Follow-up is Required? Determined at each site. What Information is Needed to Track the Program? In order to determine if the results experienced meet the goals set forth there should be a system of tracking results in place before starting any further rotations. The system should allow for the comparison of the number of CTDs, restricted duty days, and lost time by man hours worked. Job Rotation Checklist The following must occur for each job rotation set-up. Jobs proposed to be rotated are: ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Has an employee meeting been held to determine interest and gain involvement and input? Has each task involved in the proposed rotation been reviewed with the Physical Job Analysis checklist to determine precise requirements and has a Job Rotation Worksheet been generated? Has common sense been used in evaluating job rotation possibilities? Have all employees involved in the rotation schedule been trained to do all tasks? Have all employees been provided an adequate break-in priod to insure they are:

fully qualified to do all tasks?

Physically conditioned and acustomed to do the job? Has flexibility and consideration bee given for individuals in the rotation schedule? Are there any employees who would have physical difficulty in performing all the tasks? Can accommodations be made for these individuals? Have formal follow-up evaluations using TeamErgo and supervisors been conducted? Are benefits or problems being tracked (increased or decreased injury rates, turnover, employee satisfaction, workers compensation costs, etc.)? Keep the above documentation on permanent file.

Base Line Rotation Questionnaire Name: ___________________________ Date: ___________________ Department: _____________________________ Job Title: ____________________________ 1. Are you currently rotating jobs?............................ Yes No If no, go to the next question. If yes: a. Do you like it?........................................ Yes No b. If no, why not? _________________________________________ c. To what jobs do you rotate? ______________________________________________________________________________ d. How often do you rotate? 1/2 hour hourly two hours Other ____________ e. Have you received appropriate training for the jobs that you rotate to?. Yes No 2. If you answered no to question 1: a. Would you like to rotate? Yes No b. If no, why not? ________________________________________ c. If yes, to what jobs would you like to rotate? ______________________________________________________________________________ 3. Please stop and fill out the Discomfort Survey form!

______________________________________________________________________________ [Link] you indicated on the form that you were having discomfort, have you seen the nurse? ______________________________________________________________________________ 5. Are there any other comments that you would like to make? ______________________________________________________________________________

Job Rotation in Indian Companies: A closer look at some Indian companies shows that job rotation is becoming an increasingly accepted practice. Consider LG Electronics India. In the past five years, close to half the Korean electronics major's 2,800 employees have switched functions within the organisation at least twice. And what is an India-specific HR policy for LG is the norm worldwide for IBM. In fact, the IT giant has some high-profile job swaps to its credit. Just last year, then chief financial officer John Joyce switched functions and designation with Mark Loughridge, the senior vice president, global services. And last year, two senior professionals, Somnath Sinha, the erstwhile head of global operations, and Ashish Kumar, erstwhile head, sales, moved to India. At McDonald's too, cross-functional job rotations are encouraged, globally and in India. "It is a win-win situation -- win for the organisation, the team and the employee," says Amit Jatia, joint venture partner and managing director, McDonald's, western India. No room for gut feel Job rotation is not an instinctive process. "There has to be a clear justification why you're hand picking certain employees to be transferred," states Yasho Vardhan Verma, director, human resources, LG Electronics India. "It works, provided it's done objectively."

Companies should base all inter-functional transfers on a structured performance assessment, and pick the best performers to change jobs. The parameters of judging performance need to include not only functional skills but also core and leadership competencies. LG's appraisal forms, for instance, sport eight performance parameters, each of which is quantified. The higher the percentage scored in core skills and leadership parameters, the more likely the candidate is to be considered for rotation. Get your sales spiel ready "People move -- but only for the right reasons," points out Martin Appel, vice president, human resources IBM India. "The company needs to show them a proper and realistic career map." IBM, for instance, conducts annual interviews where it examines a potential next role for each employee after mapping his preferences. Most companies agree that employees are more willing to accept job switches if there's a safety net below them -- training programmes, for instance, that help bridge the gap between unrelated functions such as HR and marketing. "If the rotation is not planned well and not linked to career and succession plans, the company may end up losing a good employee," warns Jatia. Have heirs handy Picking the best performer from a team means that team is less one asset. So a succession plan that identifies and develops worthy substitutes, from within the same team, is critical. In 2003, when LG carried out a large-scale job rotation exercise in its manufacturing and research and development division, the planning began a year earlier. The trigger was LG's need to decentralise the R&D and manufacturing function to the five business units. "We didn't want to hire from outside," says Verma. Instead, LG shortlisted the best performers among product heads and trained in aspects such as costing and finance for over a year. "Simultaneously, we also identified the No.2 performers to replace the product manufacturing heads," says Verma. Prepare for opposition Not all employees are eager for change. That's especially true of younger, less experienced officers. "Job rotation did not work well when we tried moving newer employees," shares Jatia of McDonald's. LG officials, too, admit that job rotation didn't work with fresh management recruits, who were uncomfortable with the idea of being planted in various functions.

Also, unlike globally, Indians value vertical growth (moving designations in the same function) more than lateral growth. Timing is critical in such cases. Companies need to identify potential job swaps at the right time when the employee has matured in a particular function and is mentally ready for a move. Going by the experiences of Indian companies, that means giving employees three years in a job before suggesting a switch. Handled well, job rotation brings several benefits. At LG, it has worked as an effective retention tool for top talent. "It's a great way to meet the aspirations of employees," points out Verma. While attrition level at LG is around 8 per cent, Verma claims there have been negligible drop-outs among the 1,200 employees who've switched functions. McDonald's, too, claims longer tenures (five to six years) among employees who rotate jobs.

Conclusion: In conclusion, when a company decides to utilize job rotation, it is a decision which needs to be thoroughly evaluated based on the positive and negative aspects a company may face during the utilization process. The firms typically offer workers various combinations of attributes, along with job rotation, such as egalitarian sharing, lifetime tenure, and participation in decision making. Various complementarities between job rotation and other attributes exist to provide workers with additional utility gains and firms with distinct productivity gains. For example, job rotation facilitates mutual monitoring in profit sharing firms, provides insurance against labor shortages in firms that offer lifetime employment, and increases the quality of worker input in participatory firms. Because workers probably differ in terms of their preference for these attributes, a process of self selection allocates them between specialized and rotating firms according to their preferences for all attributes. Consequently, firms that possess these attributes become more likely than others to offer job rotation and attract workers. A stylized fact is that job rotating firms have been noted as innovative. We argue that, as workers rotate among tasks, they are able to initiate innovations by applying ideas from one task toward improving the tools or methods of other tasks as an unintended consequence. An important result of the analysis is that not all benefits of job rotation necessarily accrue to all types of firms. Similarly, not all workers will receive the same utility benefits from rotation,

making them less willing to accept it in return for a possible wage cut. The emergence of rotation in equilibrium, therefore, requires a matching of firms and workers such that they enjoy mutual benefits from the practice.