Job Enrichment Meaning and Principles

What motivates employees is fairly intrinsic. The job has to be interesting or challenging, and it should lead to self-fulfilling professional growth through more ownership. 

According to Frederick Herzberg, the psychologist behind the Two-Factor Theory of Motivation, it is not a guarantee that the employee will work harder if only their salary is increased. That is an extrinsic factor that does not necessarily predict job satisfaction. Succeeding researchers after Herzberg, most notably A.L Kalleberg, have also empirically proven that job satisfaction comes more from intrinsic factors. 

Based on this argument, designing a job that engages and retains employees could emphasise making their role more meaningful beyond the mundane tasks and also a bump in the take-home pay. The strategy that is formally used in HR management is called job enrichment. 

Job Enrichment Meaning

Job enrichment is a strategy to empower employees psychologically by adding more responsibilities that interest them. These tasks are add-ons, but they provide more autonomy, a higher sense of accountability and boost overall productivity.  

One context to note here is that job enrichment is often considered as ‘vertical job loading’ as the responsibilities are added above the employee's responsibilities. 

You may as well check out the job enrichment vs job enlargement debate. 

7 Principles of Job Enrichment

Herzberg in One More Time: How Do You Motivate Employees? (1968) defines seven principles of job enrichment, back in the time when motivation theories were just starting to come up. 

Principle A - Removing some controls while retaining accountability 

Motivators: Responsibility and personal achievement.

Explanation: By reducing unnecessary controls and micromanagement, employees are given more autonomy and trust to make decisions in their work. This increased responsibility fosters a sense of ownership over their tasks. There is greater personal achievement when they successfully complete their responsibilities.

Principle B - Increasing the accountability of individuals for their own work 

Motivators: Responsibility and recognition.

Explanation: Holding employees accountable for their work outcomes encourages them to take ownership of their tasks and results. When individuals are recognised for their contributions and achievements, it reinforces their sense of responsibility and motivates them to perform at their best.

Principle C - Giving a person a complete natural unit of work 

Motivators: Responsibility, achievement, and recognition.

Explanation: Assigning employees a complete task or project from start to finish gives them a sense of ownership and accomplishment. Completing a meaningful unit of work allows individuals to see the impact of their efforts.

Principle D - Granting additional authority to employees in their activity; job freedom 

Motivators: Responsibility, achievement, and recognition.

Explanation: Empowering employees with more authority and decision-making power in their roles gives them a greater sense of responsibility for their actions. Having the freedom to make choices and influence outcomes enhances their feelings of achievement and recognition for their contributions to the organisation.

Principle E - Making periodic reports directly available to the workers themselves rather than to supervisors 

Motivators: Internal recognition.

Explanation: Providing employees with direct access to performance feedback and progress reports allows them to monitor their own performance. This direct feedback loop enables individuals to recognise their achievements and improvement areas. 

Principle F: Introducing new and more difficult tasks not previously handled 

Motivators: Growth and learning.

Explanation: Challenging employees with new and complex tasks encourages personal and professional growth. Engaging in tasks requiring learning and skill development provides individuals with opportunities to expand their capabilities continuously.

Principle G: Assigning individuals specific or specialised tasks, enabling them to become experts 

Motivators: Responsibility, growth, and advancement.

Explanation: Allowing employees to specialise in specific tasks or areas enables them to develop expertise and become recognised as experts in their field. This specialisation introduces a sense of responsibility, promotes continuous growth through mastery, and opens up opportunities for organisational advancement.

Conclusion

Job enrichment, synonymous with vertical job loading, prioritises intrinsic motivators like autonomy and responsibility to foster employee engagement and satisfaction. As highlighted by Herzberg's principles, empowering employees with meaningful tasks and recognition leads to enhanced productivity and organisational success.