What is Job Enlargement?

Job Enlargement involves expanding the scope of an employee’s job by adding more tasks or activities of a similar nature. It aims to reduce monotony and boredom by providing a greater variety of tasks to perform within the same job role. For example, in a manufacturing setup, an employee might be assigned additional responsibilities such as quality control or maintenance tasks along with their primary production duties.

Features of Job Enlargement:

• Additional Tasks: Job Enlargement involves adding more tasks or activities to an employee’s job description. These tasks are typically similar in nature to the existing responsibilities, providing a broader range of activities for the employee to perform.
• Horizontal Expansion: Rather than deepening the job vertically (as in job enrichment), job enlargement expands the job horizontally. It aims to increase the variety of tasks within the same level of skill and responsibility.
• Variety: One of the primary objectives of job enlargement is to reduce monotony and boredom by providing employees with a greater variety of tasks to perform. This variety can make the job more interesting and engaging for employees.
• Minimal Skill Upgradation: Job Enlargement may require minimal additional training or skill development, as the tasks are often within the employee’s existing skill set.

Job Enlargement and Job Enrichment are both strategies used by organizations to enhance job satisfaction and employee motivation, but they differ in their approach and focus. Job Enlargement refers to adding more tasks of a similar nature; whereas, Job Enrichment refers to enhancing the quality of work experience by adding tasks that require higher-level skills and offer greater autonomy and responsibility.