Internal Investment: The Rewards of a Job Rotation Program

In today’s tight labor market, job rotation programs may help your organization develop talent, diversify skills and strengthen internal mobility.

Compared to alternatives such as job shadowing, which emphasize observational learning methods, job rotations provide hands-on experience as employees are given the chance to shift from their regular role and assume the responsibilities and expectations of an employer-selected position for a defined time period.

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High Potential: The Power of Job Rotation, Shadowing and Stretch Goals

Building and Executing Your Program

According to Grace Ewles, a director of HR research and advisory services at McLean and Co., job rotation programs are often leveraged as part of leadership development efforts for high-potential talent. They can also be utilized to support the wider talent pipeline or to build technical knowledge and expertise across different lines of business as part of product strategy and development efforts, she said.

“The key to success is starting with the strategic need for a job rotation program first before investing resources into the program build,” Ewles said.

To begin that process, Ewles said organizations and their HR and total rewards professionals should identify critical roles, missing skills that could hinder capabilities and growth plans, or departments that would work better if they understood each other’s operations.

She noted job rotation programs do require significant resource investment, stating, “These development opportunities provide the greatest return on investment when integrated with related talent management efforts, including leadership development, succession planning and high-potential programs to address specific strategic needs such as identified skills gaps.”

Searching for the best candidates can also be an arduous task.

Organizations can identify high-potential employees through a systematic talent review process, said Tonushree Mondal, president of global human resources firm Tonushree Mondal Consulting LLC.

Role assignments typically span two to four years, she said. Depending on the size of an organization, three to 10 individuals could be reassigned at a time.

“In business need-driven situations, a mid-senior-level executive may be moved to a new role to drive a new initiative or growth plan,” Mondal said. “It could vary based on the need at the time, but a minimum of three to four years provides sufficient time for the person to deliver.”

HR and TR pros also will need to fill key roles within the program itself, Modal said. She explained an individual or team must be tasked with designing and managing the program, including recruitment, logistical coordination and regular check-ins with participants. This team should identify mentors and individuals who can support the rotating employee as they dive into their new role and function.

At the conclusion of a job rotation, employees may move onto another position, return to their original role or permanently step into the role.

Ewles warned that the costs affiliated with such a program may be a challenge for some organizations.

“In a global or geographically dispersed organization, job rotations can require temporary relocation for employees and must be factored into the program design and cost,” she said. “However, technology can help facilitate learning and mitigate challenges depending on the nature of work and desired learning opportunities.”

Mondal recommended that HR and TR professionals identify and tap an executive sponsor to address this challenge.

“These types of programs have very low probability of success without the solid championship and visibility of an executive sponsor as, often, [functional leaders] are reluctant to let go of their talent for the purpose of a job rotation,” she said.

Measuring Success

Although the success of a job rotation program is measured differently for every organization, Michelle Reisdorf, a district president at talent solutions and business consulting firm Robert Half, said they should consider the following questions:

Did employees gain new skills and competencies?
Was there an increase in employee engagement, satisfaction and retention rates?
Did productivity and performance improve?
Is there now a stronger leadership pipeline?

Given the time and monetary investment, organizations strive for high rates of completion for job rotations, especially if they are designed to support workforce development and leadership training, Reisdorf said.

“Once completed, candidates have hopefully expanded their skill sets, gained institutional knowledge, are able to contribute more effectively to the company’s goal and are excited to continue growing within the organization,” she said.

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