Sustaining employee interest in a single role is not easy, which is why retaining them becomes a big challenge for businesses – particularly those that work on repetitive or cyclical work. Employees outgrow their jobs quickly and it may not be possible for employers to provide enough diversity within a career path to maintain employee interest in the job. That is where job rotation can help.
A job rotation programme run by employers can offer opportunities to employees to be deployed across various roles, develop newer skills, be more agile and adaptable. Employees are likely to find these opportunities exciting and are more engaged and satisfied with their jobs and tend to stay longer within the organisation.
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Apart from expanding skill sets, a job rotation opportunities also helps employees understand other facets or departments of the business and thereby facilitate inter-departmental transfers as well. From an employer’s standpoint, it enables them to fill critical roles quickly and efficiently without having to hire externally.
In the post-pandemic era, upskilling, cross-skilling, or re-skilling, has become the norm. According to a recent survey TeamLease EdTech, over 80 per cent of employees feel the need to upskill themselves in order to perform better at their roles or receive promotions. Hence, the need to provide upskilling, reskilling or new skilling opportunities to employees becomes extremely important for employers. On-the-job training programmes including job rotation programmes offer greater value as they provide first-hand experience to employees.
Moreover, job rotations help in testing employees on their skills set across different areas, creating new strengths, and identifying new areas of interest. For example, if an employee from the marketing department rotates to a sales position, they will understand small nuances and insights regarding the customers that they might otherwise not be privy to.
Apart from learning new skills, employees also gain a better understanding and appreciation for other departments as well. This in turn fosters a sense of singularity in the organization and enables multiple stakeholders to work towards one common goal. Cross-skilling through job rotation also provides employees the opportunity to move up the corporate ladder.
Job rotation also prepares employees for leadership roles in other departments by broadening their networks. This, in turn, reduces hiring costs that organisations will otherwise incur. Studies have shown that inter-departmental rotation fosters a greater sense of innovation by preventing stagnation. Job rotation also reduces psychological stress on the part of the employee by reducing boredom and monotony.
By constantly engaging employees, employers are more likely to get the best out of them. In the long-term, reducing these stressors is likely to lead to improved group performance, reduced absenteeism, and turnover as well. Inter-departmental skilling also helps organizations create bench strength in case of emergencies. In essence, employees that can fill in for others become the troubleshooters of the organisation.
The “Great Resignation” or the “Great Movement” that India Inc is currently witnessing is partly due to the fact employees feel that opportunities for skill development and growth are limited in their current organisations. Most recent studies have shown that employers who offer skilling programmes are more likely to retain their employees. In fact, more than 90 per cent of employees are likely to stay with their current organization if they are offered opportunities to upskill themselves.
While specialised skills are mandatory in certain departments, increasingly, employers are beginning to understand the need for multi-faceted teams. Indeed, job rotation may not necessarily work for all roles, however, it could be critical in marketing, sales, research and development, etc.
The Indian workforce is one of the youngest in the world and as such requires differential motivation techniques. Millennials and Gen Z employees are looking for more than just monetary perks from their employees and job rotation is the perfect way to keep employees engaged, motivated, and adaptable. Increasingly, employers are willing to absorb the short-term costs associated with job rotation as they understand the long-term benefits far outweigh the costs. Job rotation is a key factor in not just employee retention but also in long-term employee and employer success.
— By Neeti Sharma, president & co-founder, TeamLease Edtech
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