Do you hold any of these common misconceptions about job rotation? Read this article to learn the most common misconceptions about job rotation and get the facts.

Job rotation is often misunderstood.

Perhaps this is because it is difficult to develop effective and efficient job rotation schedules. Perhaps it’s because leaders often get some pushback when trying to implement job rotation. Or, perhaps there is a lack of good information available to make good decisions about job rotation.

Over the last two decades of providing ergonomics and injury prevention services, we’ve encountered many of the misconceptions out there about job rotation.

Here are five of the most common misconceptions we see out in the marketplace today, along with more information to clarify what can be a difficult subject.

Misconception #1: Job rotation will fix ergonomic risk factors.

Fact: Job rotation is not a substitute for an ergonomics improvement process. It is an administrative control and doesn’t reduce any risk factors relating to the workplace itself.

Engineering controls are preferred because they measurably reduce ergonomic risk factors. Job rotation should be used as an administrative control when engineering controls aren’t feasible or until engineering controls are implemented.

(For more on developing an effective ergonomics improvement process, read Workplace Ergonomics 101 – How to Lower Costs and Improve Productivity.)

Misconception #2: Quality and productivity will suffer with implementation of a job rotation program.

Fact: Quality and productivity gains can be realized through an effective job rotation program. Less fatigue and discomfort on the job often leads to productivity and quality gains. This is not always brought up in the discussion on job rotation, but it’s a major reason to implement it in your workplace. Align job rotation with productivity and quality goals and you’re much more likely to gain support for the program.

Misconception #3: Job rotation is hard to manage.

Fact: Once effective rotations are set, job rotation is no harder to manage than regular work assignments. If fact, managers have much greater flexibility when workers are trained to perform a variety of jobs.

Misconception #4: Job rotation is easy to design.

Fact: Effective design is one of the most important and difficult aspects of a job rotation program. The rotation sequence and frequency should be based on a specialist’s evaluation of various job factors including: muscle groups used, forces, postures, repetition, sustained exertions, tools utilized, and skill / training requirements.

To learn how to develop effective and efficient rotation schedules, read our Step-by-Step Guide to Job Rotation and learn more about our Job Rotation Evaluator tool.

Misconception #5: Job rotation will not be accepted by management or employees.

Fact: While it’s true that this can be a hard sell (especially if the company safety culture is not strong), the benefits of implementing job rotation frequently exceed the costs.

Managers and employees will accept the program provided that they fully understand the benefits of job rotation, and upper management is fully committed to it.

Conclusion

There are many benefits to implementing job rotation in your workplace. If you’re ready to get started, your objective is to provide a consistent and systematic method of developing formal job rotations that are based on the requirements of the jobs being rotated.

To learn how to develop efficient and effective job rotation schedules, see our detailed step-by-step guide to job rotation.

Use the Job Rotation Evaluator to Easily Create Job Rotation Schedules Based on Job Demands

Job rotation is an important control to prevent injuries in the workplace, but it can be difficult to create a schedule that truly reduces risk and meets everyone’s needs.

Without the right tool, creating a schedule that works can be a daunting and time-consuming task. You have to take into account the physical demands of the job, employee availability, and departmental needs. It can be hard to find a solution that works for everyone.

The ErgoPlus Job Rotation Evaluator makes creating job rotation schedules easy. It takes into account the physical demands of the job and makes it easy for you to schedule employees in a way that reduces risk and prevents injuries.