Given Covid 19 conditions, should managers strive for job enlargement or job enrichment

. 3 min read

Job enrichment and job enlargement have been relevant terms for quite some time. Job enrichment refers to the level of satisfaction an employee has with their position. Job enlargement refers to increasing responsibilities and adding skills to their job description. But with the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic, which of these should managers strive for – if any?

 

We know Covid has changed everything. Here’s what McKinsey has to say:

 

“With tens of millions of jobs lost, and more to come, the workforce is absorbing the brunt of the economic blow. A new McKinsey Global Institute study finds that up to one-third of US jobs may be vulnerable to furloughs, pay cuts, and layoffs. Low-income workers hold 80 percent of those jobs. The single biggest challenge facing employers may be deciding how and when to add workers to the payroll. Strangely, with so many sidelined, some industries are experiencing shortages. Many people cannot return to their jobs because of health-related issues, including workers who are ill, quarantined, caregivers, or vulnerable to infection. But employers are also finding that newly needed skill sets are in short supply, such as digital sales skills in B2B field sales forces, productivity-based management techniques at a time when productivity is tougher to measure, and many others.”

 

Job enrichment is a valid goal to strive for – in normal times. But right now, while everything is still upended, many employees would likely be best served by aiming for job enlargement. Taking on additional tasks and responsibilities will lead to a more well-rounded workforce that can absorb some of the restructuring that companies may inevitably face to help the economy stabilize.