Editing Job rotation (section)

== Drawbacks ==
Job rotation also presents several challenges for organisations and employees:

=== Organisations ===
* '''Increased training resource costs''': Job rotation incurs both direct and indirect costs. Direct expenses include the financial cost for [[training]] employees across other roles, while indirect costs arise from the time and resources needed for effective role transitions.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last1=Dhanraj |first1=Dayanath |last2=Parumasur |first2=Sanjana Brijball |date=2014 |title=EMPLOYEE PERCEPTIONS OF JOB CHARACTERISTICS AND CHALLENGES OF JOB ROTATION |url=https://virtusinterpress.org/EMPLOYEE-PERCEPTIONS-OF-JOB.html |journal=Corporate Ownership and Control |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Santos |first1=Ronnie E. S. |last2=da Silva |first2=Fabio Q. B. |last3=Baldassarre |first3=Maria Teresa |last4=de Magalhães |first4=Cleyton V. C. |date=2017 |title=Benefits and limitations of project-to-project job rotation in software organizations: A synthesis of evidence |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0950584917303646 |journal=Information and Software Technology |volume=89 |pages=78–96 |doi=10.1016/j.infsof.2017.04.006 |hdl=11586/194262 |issn=0950-5849|hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last1=Thongpapanl |first1=Narongsak |last2=Kaciak |first2=Eugene |last3=Welsh |first3=Dianne H.B. |date=2018 |title=Growing and aging of entrepreneurial firms: Implications for job rotation and joint reward |url=https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJEBR-03-2018-0135/full/html |journal=International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research |volume=24 |issue=6 |pages=1087–1103 |doi=10.1108/IJEBR-03-2018-0135 |issn=1355-2554|url-access=subscription }}</ref> During the learning phase, employees may make more errors, leading to further costs and reduced [[operational efficiency]].<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /> Given that approximately one-third of U.S. employees and one fifth of Europe employees change jobs within a 12-month period, the costs associated with job rotation may not be justified for some organizations.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cooper-Thomas |first1=Helena |last2=Anderson |first2=Neil Robert |last3=Cash |first3=Melanie |date=2011 |title=Investigating organizational socialization: A fresh look at newcomer adjustment strategies |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235267962 |journal=Personnel Review |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=41–55|doi=10.1108/00483481211189938 |hdl=2292/24632 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>
* '''Temporary productivity losses''': Job rotation is often associated with an initial temporary reduction in [[productivity]], as employees undergo a learning curve while transitioning into new roles.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> Loss of productivity occurs as employees learn new roles, transfer skills and familiarize themselves with new team dynamics.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last1=Santos |first1=Ronnie E. S. |last2=Da Silva |first2=Fabio Q. B. |last3=De Magalhães |first3=Cleyton V. C. |last4=Monteiro |first4=Cleviton V. F. |chapter=Building a theory of job rotation in software engineering from an instrumental case study |date=2016 |title=Proceedings of the 38th International Conference on Software Engineering |language=en |pages=971–981 |doi=10.1145/2884781.2884837|isbn=978-1-4503-3900-1 |s2cid=10185202 }}</ref> This productivity loss can affect both the department the employee is leaving and the department receiving the employee.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |last=Casad |first=Scott |date=2012 |title=Implications of job rotation literature for performance improvement practitioners |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/piq.21118 |journal=Performance Improvement Quarterly |language=en |volume=25 |issue=2 |pages=27–41 |doi=10.1002/piq.21118|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Santos |first1=Ronnie E. S. |last2=da Silva |first2=Fabio Q. B. |last3=de Magalhães |first3=Cleyton V. C. |chapter=Benefits and limitations of job rotation in software organizations: A systematic literature review |date=2016 |title=Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Evaluation and Assessment in Software Engineering |chapter-url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2915970.2915988 |series=EASE '16 |location=New York, NY, USA |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery |pages=1–12 |doi=10.1145/2915970.2915988 |isbn=978-1-4503-3691-8}}</ref>  
* '''Employees’ resistance to change''': Employees may resist job rotation due to unfamiliar roles, anxiety or lack of motivation to learn new tasks.<ref name=":9">{{Cite journal |last1=Richardson |first1=Annette |last2=Douglas |first2=Margaret |last3=Shuttler |first3=Rachel |last4=Hagland |first4=Martin R |date=2003 |title=Critical care staff rotation: outcomes of a survey and pilot study |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1478-5153.2003.00011.x |journal=Nursing in Critical Care |language=en |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=84–89 |doi=10.1046/j.1478-5153.2003.00011.x |pmid=12737193 |issn=1362-1017|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite journal |last1=Triggs |first1=Donald. D |last2=King |first2=Phyllis. M |date=2000 |title=Job rotation |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/200413731 |journal=Professional Safety |volume=45 |issue=2 |pages=32|id={{ProQuest|200413731}} }}</ref> Some employees may feel protective of their current role, especially if they have developed expertise and derive personal satisfaction from their position. Additionally, concerns about losing skills, job stability or the perception that increased responsibilities from rotation are not adequately reflected in wages may fuel resistance.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":10" />
* '''Decreased employee accountability''': Frequent job rotations can diminish individual [[accountability]], as employees may feel less responsible for long-term outcomes, reducing efforts and engagement.<ref name=":4" /> This can make it challenging for expectations to be met, leading to increased stress.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":11" />
* '''Organizational resistance to job rotation''': Implementing job rotation may face resistance from both leadership and employees. In larger or more complex organizations, where knowledge-sharing systems and job structures are more [[Bureaucracy|bureaucratic]], the effectiveness of job rotation strategies may diminish. Additionally, resistance may also arise from [[organizational culture]]s that are reluctant to share knowledge or adapt to changes brought by job rotation.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Brunold |first1=Julia |last2=Durst |first2=Susanne |date=2012 |title=Intellectual capital risks and job rotation |url=https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/14691931211225021/full/html |journal=Journal of Intellectual Capital |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=178–195 |doi=10.1108/14691931211225021 |issn=1469-1930|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
* '''Factors limit the implementation of job rotation''': In industries requiring highly specialized skills, such as in law or medicine, job rotation may be impractical.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}} Additionally, the growing prevalence of [[artificial intelligence]] and [[automation]] of repetitive tasks reduces the need for job rotation in certain sectors.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Du |first=Jiaxing |date=2024 |title=AI and Your Job What's Changing and What's Next |url=https://discovery.researcher.life/article/ai-and-your-job-what-s-changing-and-what-s-next/a649f5b0f92a32a187bbdea82677d0f8 |journal=Frontiers in Science and Engineering |volume=4 |issue=7 |pages=116–124 |language=en |doi=10.54691/0dbksd82|doi-access=free }}</ref>

=== Employees ===
* '''Burnout and exhaustion''': Frequent or poorly managed job rotation can lead to employee exhaustion and burnout.<ref name=":11">{{Cite journal |last1=Foroutan |first1=Taraneh |last2=Safavi |first2=Homayoun Pasha |last3=Bouzari |first3=Mona |date=2021 |title=The ugly side of job rotation |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278431921000724 |journal=International Journal of Hospitality Management |volume=95 |pages=102929 |doi=10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.102929 |issn=0278-4319|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Employees might experience mental fatigue or heighten stress from constantly having to adapt to new roles, particularly when there isn’t adequate support.<ref name=":9" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ollo-Lopez |first1=Andrea |last2=Bayo-Moriones |first2=Alberto |last3=Larraza-Kintana |first3=Martin |date=2010 |title=The Relationship between New Work Practices and Employee Effort |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0022185609359446 |journal=Journal of Industrial Relations |language=en |volume=52 |issue=2 |pages=219–235 |doi=10.1177/0022185609359446 |issn=0022-1856|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
* '''Increased workload and underperformance''': Employees may excel in certain roles, but underperform in others, especially when rotations occur too quickly or without adequate training. Furthermore, employees may be rotated into a role they are not well-suited for.<ref name=":6" /> If a previous employee underperforms within a role, it can lead to an increased workload for the next employee, who must compensate for unfinished tasks or mistakes.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}
* '''Increased injury risk''': Job rotation is often used to reduce physical strain from repetitive tasks. However evidence on its effectiveness in preventing [[Human musculoskeletal system|musculoskeletal]] complaints is contradictory and open to interpretation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Leider |first1=Priscilla C. |last2=Boschman |first2=Julitta S. |last3=Frings-Dresen |first3=Monique H. W. |last4=van der Molen |first4=Henk F. |date=2015 |title=Effects of job rotation on musculoskeletal complaints and related work exposures: a systematic literature review |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25267494/ |journal=Ergonomics |volume=58 |issue=1 |pages=18–32 |doi=10.1080/00140139.2014.961566 |issn=1366-5847 |pmid=25267494}}</ref> Rotating employees into jobs with a high risk of injury can increase the overall risk of workplace injuries.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mehdizadeh |first1=Amir |last2=Vinel |first2=Alexander |last3=Hu |first3=Qiong |last4=Schall |first4=Mark C. |last5=Gallagher |first5=Sean |last6=Sesek |first6=Richard F. |date=2020 |title=Job rotation and work-related musculoskeletal disorders: a fatigue-failure perspective |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31951779/ |journal=Ergonomics |volume=63 |issue=4 |pages=461–476 |doi=10.1080/00140139.2020.1717644 |issn=1366-5847 |pmid=31951779}}</ref> Insufficient training or rotating unskilled workers into more physical or mentally demanding roles may further elevate the risk of injury.<ref name=":10" />
* '''Reduced expertise and role clarity''': Frequent job rotation can hinder employees from developing deep expertise in one area, creating confusion about employee’s individual roles and responsibilities.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /> This reduction in task specialization can lower productivity and reduce product quality.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":10" />
* '''Increased job dissatisfaction and slowed career growth''': Job rotation can make it challenging for managers to assess individual’s long-term contributions and skill developments, potentially limiting recognition and slowing career progression. Employees may feel overlooked, leading to increased job dissatisfaction.<ref name=":5" />