Editing Job rotation (section)

{{Short description|Technique used by employers}}
'''Job rotation''' is the lateral transfer of [[employees]] between jobs in an organization without a change in their hierarchical rank or salary grade. Rotated employees usually do not remain in these jobs permanently and may also not return to former jobs. The frequency and duration of intervals in a job rotation can vary widely from daily to periods of years. The practice serves several functions including staffing, employee motivation, managing employee fatigue, employee orientation and placement, and career development.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Campion, Cheraskin, & Stevens |date=1994 |title=Career-related antecedents and outcomes of job rotation. |journal=Academy of Management Journal |volume=37 |issue=6|pages=1518–1542 |jstor=256797 }}</ref>

Job rotation is used systematically by a large number of companies.<ref name=":1" /> This can be through structured job rotation programmes, or informally though the frequent lateral transfers that occur in organizations. Rotations are more common among lower performing staff who don’t generally achieve sizeable performance gains after a rotation. The rotation of higher performing staff is less prevalent, but has been shown to be beneficial for them with sizeable performance increases within two years of a job rotation. Most companies using job rotation have less strict attendance policies due to increased employee engagement and flexibility, while most organizations that implement job rotation focus on productivity and skill development, which can lead to more adaptive workplace policies. Rotation differs from promotion, which refers to an upward movement or rise in rank in an organizational hierarchy, usually indicated by an increase in responsibility and status and change in compensation.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Kampkötter, Harbring, & Sliwka |date=2016 |title=Job rotation and employee performance – evidence from a longitudinal study in the financial services industry. |journal=The International Journal of Human Resource Management |volume=29 |issue=10 |pages=1709–1735|doi=10.1080/09585192.2016.1209227 }}</ref>

Job rotation contradicts the principles of [[Departmentalization|specialization]] and the [[Division of labour|division of labor]], which suggest employees specialize in narrowly defined tasks as a way to increase productivity. It also differs from practices such as traditional craft production, where a [[craftsperson]] may perform all the tasks to produce a final product, and [[job enlargement]] where the scope of a job may be extended.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Cosgel & Miceli |date=1998 |title=On Job Rotation |url=https://opencommons.uconn.edu/econ_wpapers/199802 |journal=Economics Working Papers |issue=199802}}</ref>