How can job enrichment impact employee motivation?

Job enrichment is a management strategy intended to improve employee motivation and satisfaction by enhancing the complexity and variety of their roles. When organizations implement job enrichment, they aim to add variety and increase autonomy in an employee's work. This can involve redesigning jobs to incorporate a wider range of tasks, allowing employees to take on new responsibilities, and providing them with more control over how they complete their work.

By increasing the scope of a job, employees are likely to find their work more engaging, which can lead to higher motivation levels. Autonomy, in particular, is crucial as it allows employees to make decisions and exercise creativity, leading to a greater sense of ownership over their work. This empowerment often translates into increased job satisfaction and productivity.

In contrast, limiting job variety and autonomy, offering minimal growth opportunities, or simplifying roles tends to have the opposite effect, often leading to decreased motivation and engagement among employees.