Research shows that 85% of employees are not content with their jobs and feel like their professional life could be improved. This shows, now more than ever, the necessity of employee enrichment.

Job enrichment is a proven method in improving workforce performance, reputation, companies’ ability to retain employees and their overall job satisfaction. Research studies recognized 5 elements in work organisation that influence staff motivation and satisfaction – namely skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy and feedback.  Each of these elements are interrelated with one another. How can we use these factors to create an employee job enrichment framework?

First, skill variety is perhaps the most critical factor. A significant number of employees’ main grievance is the repetitive nature of their work, and the lack of dynamism. To curb this, assigning tasks to employees who do not conventionally undertake it, or making teams collaborate with other teams for projects can be the solution. This not only helps with diffusing monotony, but also allows employees to gain other skills. It is important to keep in mind that assigning these tasks should not over-burden the employees or make them take on extra work as this will lead to burn-out.

Furthermore, rotating tasks and assigning secondary projects improves employee task identity and task significance as well. This is because employees will have more of a say in the decision-making process and seeing how their work contributes to company advancement.

Employee autonomy and flexibility is another part of improving overall employee work satisfaction. Instead of determining the productivity of the workforce on the amount of time they have been in the office for, it is better to evaluate them based on their performance output. Straying away from the classic 9-5 hours or allowing employees to work from home shows that managers have confidence in their employees and are committed to improving staff satisfaction.

Although giving freedom is important, managers must remember to give guidance, training and feedback to support their employees. Similarly, appreciation and recognition at work help employees find purpose, direction and ultimately improve their output.

All these factors are proven ways that contribute to increased employee enrichment. However, it is important to streamline these techniques based on the individual requirements of the company and workforce. For example, conducting a discussion, survey or questionnaire can help gain a further understanding of the popularity of this process before implementing it.

References:

1. Job Enrichment Pays Off, March 03, 1969, Harvard Business Review.
2. What is Job Enrichment? December 12, 2019, Indeed.com