Three different changes

Job enlargement combines tasks of a similar nature to increase variety. Job enrichment adds qualitatively different functions, such as planning part of the work or checking its results, with greater autonomy. Job rotation periodically changes the activity or workstation and does not necessarily make job content richer.

These options may address monotony, fragmentation or limited discretion. Their value depends on the actual problem. Adding duties while retaining impossible deadlines is not a preventive improvement, even if the redesigned role receives a more appealing title.

Design with the people doing the work

Before changing a job, describe its tasks, demands, interruptions and decisions that workers can genuinely make. Asking which activities lack meaning or which authorisations obstruct progress can reveal better improvements than an improvised redistribution of duties.

INSST emphasises participation and preparation. HSE guidance on control also connects discretion with skills, initiative, pace and consultation about work patterns. Assigning responsibility without sufficient information, time or authority can increase strain rather than improve the role.

A redesign example

In an administrative team, recording several types of request may enlarge a job. Also allowing staff to organise a queue within agreed criteria, resolve routine exceptions and see the outcome of a case may enrich it. These proposals should be tested with the team against actual service demands.

Before a pilot, clarify which decisions still need approval, what training is required and how workload will be adjusted. When technical activities with specific hazards are added, broader duties do not replace the competence or authorisation needed to perform them safely.

Check whether the change helps

Compare workload, errors, interruptions and perceived control before and after implementation to identify unwanted effects. Check whether opportunities are distributed fairly or whether the hardest work consistently falls to the same people.

There is no universal combination of tasks. Preserve breaks, support and clear boundaries, and review the arrangement if overload develops. The aim is better job content and working conditions, rather than transferring organisational problems to individual employees under the label of empowerment.