Learn how a job enrichment strategy can help slow down your turnover rate.
The modern workplace is rapidly evolving, and more than ever, employees seek personal value and purpose at work. But the rise of employee turnover rates shows that the employee value proposition needs an update.
Gartner outlines three core things to remember when looking to improve your employee value proposition[1]:
Employees are people, as well as workers.
Work is a part of real life—it's not separate from it.
Value hinges on emotion, not features and add-ons.
Moving forward, you must take a human-centric approach, including implementing a job enrichment strategy.
What is job enrichment?
Job enrichment strategies give employees greater control over their work and work environment and are key to motivating and engaging employees.
By providing variety in their jobs, increased responsibility, and more stimulating work, employee satisfaction can significantly improve—and in today's workforce, that's a huge advantage. After all, only 13% of employees are fully satisfied with their experience within an organization.[2] This dissatisfaction contributes to costly employee turnover, which experts predict will reach as high as 24% in the coming years—making it imperative to invest in your people to retain top talent and grow as an organization.[3]
Job enrichment is one way to do so. Research shows that employees are seeking purpose in their lives. Employees want acknowledgment and growth opportunities. They want to feel trusted, valued, and empowered. If you can tick these boxes, you could build a powerful, highly skilled team that contributes to growth instead of financial loss.
Job enrichment vs. job enlargement
Job enlargement and job enrichment are not the same. Job enlargement is a form of job enrichment, but not all job enrichment activities are considered job enlargement. Here's why:
Job enrichment primarily focuses on adding various motivators to existing jobs.
Job enlargement focuses on broadening responsibilities for a role, while keeping it at the same level.
How does job enrichment work?
Job enrichment isn't an overnight process. It is characterized by adding dimensions to existing roles to make them more engaging and motivating. Something as simple as providing regular feedback to help employees strengthen their skills and add meaning to their jobs can make all the difference.
At the root of it all, job enrichment is about improving a high-ROI employee experience. You can maximize ROI by altering and shaping how your team experience feels. Gartners finds that two-thirds of the drivers of customer satisfaction are based on "feel factors" driven by psychological, motivational, and social principles. HR leaders should take a similar approach to employee experience.[2]
What are the benefits of job enrichment?
By actively making your workplace more stimulating and purposeful for your employees, the greater the ROI. Focus on the needs of your team, and you could experience the following effects:
Boost in motivation: A collaborative environment where people feel valued can lead to more motivated, harder-working employees willing to take on more challenging tasks. The entire team can end up more cohesive and productive.
A better employee experience: This advantage creates a trickle-down effect, as happier, challenged employees are less likely to disengage or quit. High turnover rates and absent employees are costly.
More efficient training: Job enrichment provides opportunities to sharpen skills that could be part of an employee's career progression. This reduces training costs while encouraging employees to stay engaged with the organization's goals.
Unlock employee potential: When you encourage your employees to try new things, you can bring out hidden talents, skills, and tasks they are passionate about. Accessing their true potential benefits all parties, as the organization will benefit from their contribution, and the employee can grow beyond their role, bringing them a sense of purpose.
Tips for implementing job enrichment in your workplace
Identify the moments that matter to employees and create your job enrichment strategy based around those. Only 29% of employees feel understood by HR, so take the time to understand what piques their interest, and meet them there.[4]
Prioritize a sense of personal value, focusing on employee happiness, satisfaction, and worth. Data shows that 82% of employees feel it's important that an organization sees them as a person—not just an employee. Yet only 45% of employees believe their organization views them this way.[1]
Build internal partnerships that focus on improving the employee experience. A mentorship program is a great way to build up relationships.
Invest in greater digitalization to improve the employee experience while driving optimal performance. If you're unsure which tools would benefit your employees the most, ask them. Survey tools can help.
Invest in employee enrichment
A job enrichment program is ongoing—not all changes will happen overnight. So, now is the time to start. Create a strategy that makes sense for your organization and team. Be open to feedback and adapt accordingly. To keep you in the know, here are some resources to guide you along the way: