It can result in appreciation, respect, and more knowledge.

Introduction

I believe that no matter what your job or role is, it is necessary as every role is important. Too many times, we equate the importance of a role with the level of the position. If you are at the top, you are considered very important and you are at the “bottom” you are considered “insignificant.” Mind you, there are some that believe those at the top are clueless and they don’t know what they are doing. A lot of people believe if they were in other people’s position, they would do a better job. This is why we should practice rotating a job or a role. Job rotation is very valuable in that it can result in appreciation and respect for others. It also helps others to gain more knowledge and skills in perhaps new areas.

Job rotation

Job rotation is a system in which individuals are moved from one role to another role. When I was the CEO of Cable & Wireless, we tried job rotation exercise, but it was only for a day. While it was a great initiative, I think for job rotation to be effective, it should be longer than a day. I think it should be a minimum of one week.

Benefits of job rotation

One of my friends’ employees resigned suddenly from her role and my friend was in a panic state because he did not have anyone else to do the role, so he moved one of his lower-level staff in the role to carry out those duties after learning just one day what to do. While this example is not normally how a job rotation takes place, it shows the benefits of a job rotation. If you can rotate people in different roles, this can help not only the individuals to have diverse knowledge and skills, but it also helps the company to have a back up plan in the event an employee resigns suddenly.

Another benefit of job rotation is the appreciation of others. Sometimes we don’t know how to appreciate others until we are in their position. For example, I have a great appreciation for housekeepers. They do a lot of work but sometimes we look down on housekeepers. Housekeepers are the ones keeping our homes, offices, hotels, and villas clean. Maybe some of need to spend a week or even a day to do the work of a housekeeper and maybe you will appreciate them more and still look down on them. The same can apply to any other role or position. I think of some homes where certain functions are designated to either the husband or wife. Maybe the roles should be reversed from time to time and perhaps there will be a greater appreciation for your spouse. I know being a leader is a lonely area and maybe if we do a job rotation with other employees, it may increase their understanding and appreciation of what leaders must go through. A major thing that leaders must go through is dealing with human resources issues. It consumes a lot of their time and sometimes we take that for granted.

Conclusion

There may be some disadvantages of job rotation, but I think the advantages will far outweigh the disadvantages. I think everybody should rotate a job or role. In fact, it may help you to confirm what you like or what you do not like.

When we did the job rotation exercise at Cable & Wireless, I was in the field. From that day, I respected and appreciated the field staff even more.

Sometimes we underestimate and misjudge others simply because of the role they are in and the amount of money they make. We cannot do everything by ourselves. We need different roles, and they are equally important. However, to appreciate others, we need to start with a job rotation program.