What is job design?

Job design refers to the way how tasks within a job or an entire job is organized. It takes into account what tasks are done, how many tasks are done, how they are done and in what order. This is especially relevant for jobs with repetitive tasks that need to happen daily and in jobs where some of your duties are physical. That said, in order to keep your workers safe and happy, it is important to have an effective job design.

Good job design encourages good body positioning, so workers stay safe from accidental injuries. For example, in a regular office space, your employees should have a comfortable sitting position and be able to move relatively freely. Without good body positioning, you and your employees may be at risk of repetitive strain injuries due to muscles becoming strained from the body’s uncomfortable positioning.

Another aspect of good job design is having reasonable requirements regarding the number of tasks or duties each job post has. With added stress, mistakes can happen, which is something you want to avoid. A good job design can help make your workers feel comfortable with the amount of work they have so that their stress levels stay low. 

A good amount of mental activity is also a part of good job design. This is especially important in jobs with monotonous tasks like those you might see in a factory. Providing a good amount of mental activity for your workers will keep them more stimulated and interested in their daily tasks.

Good job design will also foster feelings of achievement and self-esteem in your employees. When people feel confident at work, they are likely to feel more satisfied with their careers and continue working for the same company for a long time.

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We will expand on some of these aspects of good job design further on in the article.

Why is good job design important?

Having good job design is important as it can benefit not only the employees but also the entire company. The following are some of the benefits of good job design:

1. Increased job satisfaction

When workers feel their values are reflected in the company’s values, they report high amounts of job satisfaction. By having an effective job design, you can align your company’s values with that of your employees. This will help you promote better job satisfaction, which is beneficial for both parties.

2. Increased Employee Retention

When companies have effective job designs, employees have higher job satisfaction and want to keep working for the same company. Good retention rates mean your company saves money on recruitment and hiring, while your employees feel secure in their position.

3. High productivity

Effective job design can mean that workers are more physically and mentally comfortable throughout the day, which can positively affect productivity rates. Simply put, when workers feel good, they tend to work harder, which is great for the company’s growth plans.

4. Adjust and Grow as needed

As times change, workers start to expect different things from their employers. With a good job design, you can stay current with your employees’ expectations and adapt to those changing expectations to ensure your employees’ needs are being met.

With these benefits, it is obvious why having an effective job design is vital.

Characteristics of good job design

Here are some examples of characteristics of good job design.

Task Variety

Having a variety of tasks will help workers with issues such as body positioning. When you have a variety of tasks, your workers will be able to move around more frequently. This will lower the likelihood of them having muscle strain from bad body positioning.

Skill Variety

Learning new skills is often linked to job satisfaction, good mental health, and well-being. So, having jobs that have a variety of skills or new skills that need to be learned can help your workers and are an important aspect of effective job design.

Related: 5 Steps to Creating an Effective Training and Development Program

Work Breaks

Providing regular breaks is an essential aspect of effective job design. People who do not take appropriate breaks at work are at risk of having high levels of stress. Stress is not good for the body, and can cause employees to become ill and need time off. Breaks also allow employees to change body position, which as we know is important for employee productivity.

Allowance for an Adjustment Period

You should assume employees will need time to adjust to working schedules after things such as vacation, illness or taking a leave of absence. Being flexible with employees will allow them to readjust to work after time off or allow new employees to get used to their new position. This is an important aspect of job design as it will add to job satisfaction and a positive work environment.

Proper Training

Providing appropriate training for a job is a great way to keep your employees safe and productive. You want to ensure that employees know how to use any equipment safely, so they do not get injured. Also, making sure that employees have thorough training, so they know how to perform each of their duties will mean that they can be productive even when they are new to the job.

Varied Mental Activities

Having a good balance of mental tasks is part of good job design. Not everyone is mentally alert at the same time, so allowing employees flexibility to do their tasks without rigid time restrictions is important. It might be easier for some to do more difficult tasks at the beginning of the day while others will find it easier in the afternoon. Being able to switch up when they do tasks can also be helpful for some as they prefer variety in their day rather than routine. Giving your employees a chance to work in a way that is best for them can help increase productivity and keep your employees happy.

Job design strategies

When evaluating the job design of the different positions in your company, use different strategies to improve efficiency. The following are some commonly used strategies for effective job design:

Job Enlargement

Job enlargement refers to the idea of adding duties or tasks to jobs in order to increase variety. The idea is to give employees more smaller tasks instead of a few tasks that take longer to finish. This can decrease the sense of monotony and allows employees to have a lot of body position changes and a variety of mental tasks during their day.

Job Rotation

Job rotation is when you rotate certain tasks between a number of employees, which provides a bit of variety but also can be helpful for repetitive daily tasks. For example, if one of the repetitive tasks you have is entering the names on a sign-in sheet into a computer, you might want to rotate this task between employees. This means that this monotonous task is not always done by one person, which can increase job satisfaction for those employees.

Job Enrichment

Job enrichment allows employees to have more responsibility, accountability, and independence within their position. This means that employees will have new opportunities within the company, encouraging them to participate in learning new skills. Job enrichment opportunities can also lead to high job satisfaction as employees feel you care about their job growth.

These strategies for improving the job design in your company can help provide employees with higher job satisfaction levels while at the same time increasing your business productivity and employee retention.