Evidence shows that people struggle when it comes to designing jobs. They design jobs that have little autonomy and task variety.
Well-designed jobs minimise the negatives and hazards and enhance the positive in the work, workplace or worker.
Want to know more about job demands and other work-related factors and how they can cause stress for your workm8tes?
Well-designed jobs generate efficiencies, enable better use of skills, promote learning, confidence, and creativity, and enhance job performance.
​ | The result?
Now, that’s a lot of positives... | ​ |
The most powerful elements of work-design for the manufacturing sector can be categorised under the following framework:
Create good and safe jobs
No two jobs are the same, just like no two workers are the same. Job design or re-design should be undertaken on an individual basis either by looking at an individual job or worker - and exploring how each element of work can be maximised for the benefit of the worker.
Sounds hard, but it really isn't. We've developed a free online evaluation tool to assess how well designed your workm8te's job is. The result? A hot-spot risk matrix highlighting areas needing further attention and a tailored and prioritised action plan to guide you on the changes you can make together to create a safe and rewarding job for your M8.
Want to get straight to the punchline?
Download a word version of the full list of job design framework attribute descriptions, survey questions and actions.
Want to know more about the 10 key framework elements?
The framework has been designed for you and your workm8tes to address the challenges faced working in a highly demanding, male-dominated, hazardous environment with a mix of routine, skilled labour and highly technical roles.
Good job design maximises the positive elements of each job or role and eliminates or minimises the negatives.
But not all elements are equal.
Turns out there are four essential underpinning elements. These need to sorted first and require action across the workplace, worker and work levels.
Without these the benefits you will see from good-job design are limited.
The first step is to prioritise actions under the underpinning elements of:
1. | Strong and visible leadership |
2. | Clear roles and responsibilities |
3. | Realistic job demands |
4. | Social connection and support |
It's important to note that social connection and support from colleagues are often considered a key component of good work-design and has a crucial role in contributing to an overall positive workplace culture. However, our research shows your workm8tes are less likely to say this of value to them or something they actively seek out.
Which doesn't mean it's not important - it means you need to focus your efforts on social connection in areas that are of interest to your workm8tes.
Want to know more about building connected and supported m8tes?
The next most important for manufacturing workplaces are:
5. | Autonomy, job control and accountability |
6. | Feedback |
Improvements in these areas have been most impact in the manufacturing context, and should be prioritised to generate early benefits.
After the Rolls Royce of well-designed jobs?
Tackle the remaining four elements:
7. | Job variety, enlargement & opportunity for mastery |
8. | Task identify & purpose |
9. | Task significance |
10. | Shiftwork |
These four elements improve the overall quality of the job, help to offset any work-related risk factors and amplify the positive and protective factors of work.
Want to know more about good job design in manufacturing?
Take a look at the guide we've made for you, and take our online assessment to get a tailored action plan and create no stress, safe and rewarding jobs for your workm8tes.