What is Job Enrichment?

Job enrichment expands the amount of responsibility built into an employee’s job. By giving the employee more control over his or her work, the intent is to improve the motivation of employees lower down in the organizational structure, who do not normally have much say over their roles. This approach is based on the theory that not having control over your job leads to minimal effort to improve. Job enrichment results in better-trained employees, enhanced morale, and a greater effort to achieve a more effective and efficient workplace.

Disadvantages of Job Enrichment

There are some concerns with job enrichment. First, it can result in a heavier workload, especially when employees do not have the right skills or experience to take on an expanded role within the organization. Second, a side-effect of job enrichment is that the role of managers changes, reducing the amount of direct oversight and increasing the amount of coaching. This can be a concern for those employees who are not self-starters, and need more oversight to get assigned tasks done.