In parts one and two of this series we looked at the benefits of job rotation, as well as the potential barriers to success. We've also discussed the all-important employee buy-in.

In this section we explore the key elements of introducing and implementing a job rotation system. They are:

1. Identifying the organisation's aims and objectives in introducing job rotation;
2. Deciding what the job rotation will involve. Addressing how often jobs will be rotated, which jobs will be included within the rotation and how problems will be overcome; and
3. Conducting a pilot trial of job rotation.

1) Identifying the organisation's aims and objectives

A system of job rotation may be introduced because a new supervisor or manager who previously worked with job rotation joins the company. Or, human resources, OHS or return to work management may recognise there are problems because of lack of job rotation and recommend its introduction.

However it comes about, the first step is for the organisation to be clear about why they want to introduce rotation.

Studies have shown that a manager's expectations actually have an important influence on the outcome. Clarifying whether job rotation is to improve productivity, reduce injuries, or a combination of other reasons, influences the organisation’s approach and what is achieved.

2) Job rotation design

Decide on the jobs that will be included in the rotation. For example, in an office environment where staff are doing administrative tasks, there may be four jobs which are considered suitable for rotation. In a call centre, there may be three types of roles that are considered suitable for rotation. In a manufacturing plant, there may be one area of production that is most suitable for rotation, which contains a number of role variations.

Explore the different jobs, noting the various physical and mental demands of each job. Ask:

• Can there be a rotation between machines so that different body actions are being undertaken?
• Can there be a rotation between high demand and low demand jobs?
• Can there be a rotation between different levels of force with the hand is required, or sitting and standing?
• How often will staff rotate between jobs? This could be at each natural work break, such as between clock-on time and the first break of the day, between the first break of the day and lunch, etc. This often works out to be a close to 2 hourly rotation. Is this impractical? Perhaps staff can rotate on a daily basis.
• Do staff have specific requests such as weekly, daily or more frequent rotation? What fits in with the specific role?
• What are the training needs, and how will training be completed? Will there be on-the-job training from a more experienced member of the team? Is more formal training required for a less experienced team member?

Rotation options

There are various ways of rotating jobs. Rotating the physical demands of a job should be included as part of the rotation where possible.

• It can be useful to identify the different types of hand grip in manual jobs. Some jobs may require a power grip; others may require use of the hands but with a pincer grip (using the thumb and index finger). There may be other ways the hand is used repeatedly.
• It is useful to identify whether the job involves standing or sitting, and whether the job involves certain arm movements such as reaching-out in front of the body, or work above shoulder height.
• Where possible, it is preferable to rotate between different body actions. For example, if one job involves power grip with the hand, it is sensible to rotate this with a job that does not involve a power grip. Rotating between sitting and standing positions, or rotating between different arm movements should be included where possible.
• Where a process uses one side of the body more than the other side, it may be possible to alternate between the two sides. For example, a register operator in a supermarket can rotate between having the register on their right and the register on the left. This results in them using their right arm repeatedly for scanning in first position, and their left arm repeatedly for scanning in the second position.
• If a rotation between different body actions is not possible, it may be possible to rotate between machines that run at different operating speeds. An employee might start with a slow running machine and then move to a faster machine. A machine manned by one employee could be rotated with another machine where two staff man the machine together.
• It may be useful to rotate between different job stress levels. For example, in a call centre in-bound calls may be more stressful than out-bound calls. Rotating between the two may reduce the demand on staff. In a factory environment, it may be useful to rotate between machines where there are deadline pressures and other machines where there is no deadline demand.

3) Piloting

Pilot the program with a small team. Ask:

• What problems arose?
• What went well?
• Were supervisors happy?
• What can be improved as the program is extended more generally?

Report back to management and report back to employees. Let people know how it went and let them know about improvements that will be made. Ask teams how they felt it went in their area. The feedback you get will help you extend the program across the organisation.

Lastly, review the situation in a year’s time. How has it gone? What have you learned? Should the program be extended to other areas?