If you haven’t implemented job rotation in your workplace, consider these eight compelling reasons to get started today.

In the ErgoPlus Step-by-Step Guide to Job Rotation, we defined job rotation as, “the structured interchange of workers between different jobs, requiring workers to rotate between different workstations or jobs at certain time intervals.”

Job rotation increases the variety of tasks required as the worker takes on more duties, enlarging the physical demands and adding variety to the job. It’s an administrative control you can add to your MSD prevention toolbox to lower fatigue and discomfort and prevent costly injuries.

Here are eight compelling reasons to get started with job rotation today.

(Note: These are all great reasons assuming you’re able to create effective job rotation schedules. To do that, we recommend a tool called the Job Rotation Evaluator. You can learn more and get access to the tool here: Learn more about the Job Rotation Evaluator.)

1. Reduced exposure to focused physical demands of one job.

Job rotation adds variety of tasks required of the workplace athlete, which distributes the physical demands on the worker.

2. Reduced physiological stress, strain, and fatigue to the muscle group used for one job.

The ErgoPlus Job Rotation Evaluator tool considers stress, strain and fatigue to each muscle group to determine job rotation schedules. When rotating jobs, workplace athletes should never rotate between jobs with high exertion levels in the same muscle group.

This helps the workplace athlete’s body (and especially the muscle group that experiences the high exertion level) to recover.

3. Reduced MSD incidents and severity.

Job rotation reduces fatigue and discomfort. The end result is a reduction in MSD incidents and severity. Reduced MSD incidents and severity mean lower worker’s compensation costs/medical costs and a better safety record.

And most importantly, you’re saving people from experiencing a painful injury and recovery process.

4. Increased innovation and improved work process efficiency.

We often find that the more workers that are performing a job, the more innovative workplace improvement ideas are discovered. This leads to more ergonomic improvement projects and thus improved work process efficiency.

5. Improves employee skill base and increases job assignment flexibility over time.

Job rotation will require training workplace athletes on multiple jobs. There is a short term cost to this training, but the long term benefit of having a more highly skilled workforce far outweighs the cost.

6. Reduced boredom and complacency.

Rotating jobs often provides a change of scenery for workers. It reduces the boredom of doing the same task every day. It also forces workplace athletes to reengage their brains when rotating to a new job.

7. Increased productivity & quality.

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.

8. Reduced absenteeism & turnover.

Rotating workplace athletes away from jobs with high exertion levels gives them a higher level of job satisfaction. Job rotation is one way to show your people you care about their health and well-being.

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.