Advantages of Job Enrichment
Job enrichment, as defined, aims to foster motivation, enhance satisfaction, and improve the quality of work for employees.
1. Impact: The impact of job enrichment can be divided into psychological states and personal and work outcomes. Psychological states may include a sense of meaningfulness, responsibility for work outcomes, and awareness of the actual results and influence of the work. Work outcomes might encompass motivation, superior work performance, increased job satisfaction, improved employee experience, and reduced absenteeism and employee turnover (Hackman & Oldham, 1980; Orpen, 1979).
2. Perception: One might assume that job enrichment could lead to decreased satisfaction due to the increased intensity and breadth of the work. Instead, the increased intensity and breadth are perceived as motivational factors. The exception is for workers with low growth needs or limited knowledge and skills. For these individuals, job enrichment is more likely to cause frustration than satisfaction (Cummings & Worley, 2009).
3. Loyalty: Additional benefits include employees perceiving their jobs as more enriched, exhibiting higher job involvement, intrinsic motivation, and increased loyalty. A study by Niehoff and colleagues (2001) demonstrated that job enrichment led to higher loyalty in the high-stress environment of a downsizing company. In this context, job enrichment was effectively used as a strategy to retain employees.
4. Productivity: Interestingly, job enrichment does not necessarily result in increased productivity. While employees may find the work more meaningful, it does not necessarily translate into higher output.