What is job enlargement?

Job enlargement occurs when an employer expands the total scope of an employee’s job responsibilities and daily tasks to help increase engagement and nurture new skill sets. Job enlargement may occur in specific situations, such as:

• Temporary coverage. When a team member goes on leave, another employee might temporarily take over their responsibilities. For example, a marketing coordinator may assume the tasks of the marketing manager, such as overseeing the development of new campaigns and managing key client accounts, until the manager returns
• Increased workload. An employee ‘s role may be enlarged when the company takes on a significant new project. For example, an administrative assistant might be asked to handle additional project management duties, such as coordinating team meetings and tracking project milestones.
• Company growth. As a company expands, it may require additional support for various tasks but may not yet have the budget or need to hire a new employee . For example, a customer service representative might begin taking on additional responsibilities such as training new hires, managing a small team or handling more complex customer issues.
• Employee seeking growth. An employee who seeks more responsibility or a challenge to stay interested and engaged might be given an enlarged role to keep them engaged. For example, a software developer who has consistently delivered high-quality code might be given the additional responsibility of mentoring junior developers and leading a small development team.

In some cases, “scope creep” may increase an employee’s workload beyond what was initially expected. However, it’s important to distinguish this from job enlargement, which is a structured approach to broadening an employee’s role based on their skills and interests. Job enlargement should aim to enhance the employee’s role within their area of expertise, rather than shifting potentially unrelated tasks, such as assigning payroll duties to someone in marketing.

The benefits of job enlargement

For employees, job enlargement is an opportunity to change things up and learn something new. A worker might see job enlargement as a chance to:

• Prove they can handle more responsibility . This may be in preparation for a promotion or to show their willingness to go above and beyond.
• Develop new skills. Employees experiencing job enlargement may be cross trained to quickly take on those additional tasks. Mentorship, inter-departmental training and continuing education can help boost professional development.
• Rediscover their inner motivation. Some employees may enjoy a new challenge that motivates them to learn and grow their skillset. This can increase employee engagement and satisfaction.

The pros continue for employers:

• Cost savings. It can be costly to onboard a new employee once you’ve accounted for recruitment, onboarding, training and turnover . Giving a current employee the opportunity to take on extra responsibilities for increased compensation can be an efficient way to use their expertise.
• Reduced employee turnover . Because job enlargement can help employees feel more satisfied and engaged, it may help with employee loyalty. Reduced employee turnover is good for morale, saves money on recruitment and onboarding and can positively influence company culture.

What to consider before implementing job enlargement

Whether you’re just considering job enlargement or you’re committed to trying it, you should consider its implications and formulate a plan to counter those challenges.

• Don’t underestimate the additional work. In some cases, the additional responsibilities may be underestimated and result in additional stress on an employee. Job enlargement should be an informed and collaborative process.
• Ensure employees can stay focused. Employees whothat end up with too many varied tasks can spend their days trying to multitask without ever digging into one specific project. Sometimes, being a generalist is helpful, but it can be beneficial for the team if new tasks are within the scope of an employee’s position.
• Avoid scope creep. Scope creep is the act of adding new responsibilities and tasks without consulting the employee. In the context of job enlargement, the employee should be informed and have the opportunity to decline the opportunity.
• Alignment with career goals. Before enlarging an employee’s role, consider how the new responsibilities align with their career goals. Job enlargement can be a powerful tool for career development when the tasks are relevant to the employee’s long-term aspirations.
• Employee readiness. Assess whether the employee is ready to take on additional responsibilities. This includes evaluating their current workload, skill set and interest in expanding their role. Readiness is key to ensuring that job enlargement is successful and beneficial for both the employee and the organization.
• Workload balance. It’s important to maintain a balanced workload when implementing job enlargement. Overloading an employee can lead to burnout and decreased productivity. Consider redistributing tasks among team members to ensure that no one is overwhelmed.
• Impact on team dynamics. Analyze how job enlargement will affect team dynamics. Adding new responsibilities to one employee’s role can shift the balance within the team, potentially affecting collaboration and communication. Ensure that changes are communicated clearly and that the team is prepared for any adjustments.
• Compensation adjustments. When enlarging an employee’s role, consider making appropriate compensation adjustments. Recognizing and rewarding the additional responsibilities can help maintain morale and incentivize the employee to embrace their expanded role.

How to practice ethical job enlargement

The key part of job enlargement is to engage in complete transparency. Plans for job enlargement should be:

• Well thought out
• Planned to incorporate notification, necessary training and check-in periods
• Discussed clearly with the employee and optional
• Anchored by support from colleagues, supervisors and anyone else who can contribute

If you’re thinking about implementing job enlargement, talk to the employee whose job is ready for expansion. By the end of your talk, they should understand why you’re considering enlargement, how it would benefit both them and the company and that they can decline.

As you incorporate changes, stick to best practices that can increase your (and your employee’s) chances of success.

• Add new tasks slowly. Adding many new tasks at once may be overwhelming. Train employees on one new skill at a time, and ensure they’re comfortable before adding more responsibility.
• Build excitement. Trial job enlargement with employees who are excited about the prospect of additional responsibilities and learning opportunities. Employees who are motivated and invigorated by challenges are more likely to have a positive outcome.
• Offer plenty of training and support. Provide resources, like training material or a mentor, to assist an employee as they adapt to their expanded role.
• Know when to increase compensation. While job enlargement isn’t a promotion and may not always include additional compensation, consider how the expanded role affects the employee and the company. To maintain fairness and motivation, it may be preferable to compensate an employee appropriately for their increased responsibilities.
• Spread work around fairly and according to skills/interest. Rather than giving a single employee multiple new responsibilities, you may want to spread the work across multiple employees. Assigning tasks according to interest or existing skill sets can enhance productivity, ensure that each employee is working within their strengths and increase overall job satisfaction.

FAQs about job enlargement

What are some examples of job enlargement?

One example of job enlargement is giving a marketing employee who does graphic design as a hobby a chance to take over the design jobs that were previously outsourced. Other examples include an administrative assistant who also takes on payroll duties or a customer service rep who is asked to run the company’s social media pages.

Are job enlargement and job rotation the same thing?

Job enlargement sees employers expand a worker’s job description and responsibilities to include new tasks. The new expectations are permanent and part of the everyday to-do list. Job rotation involves moving an employee to a new department or having them try out a different position. This is only a temporary move with the goal of cross-training employees, increasing your team’s versatility and fostering a collaborative spirit between departments.