People generally work better if they have some kind of control
over how their jobs are done. Make sure jobs include responsibility
for the work. It is better to describe a bookkeeper’s
job task as keeping accurate books in a timely fashion, than
simply to say that the employee posts ledger entries.
People work better -- and stay in jobs longer -- if their jobs
have some variety. Be careful, though. Jobs can have too much
variety, which can lead to inefficiencies and employee stress.
Someone who is doing the secretarial work for several people
and trying to work on special projects may end up with too much
work at the same time. People won’t have documents ready
when they need them or your projects won’t get done.
People work better if they see that their work matters. Make
sure the job is designed so that the person in the job can see
how it makes the company stronger. A cleaning job matters more
if the person in the job is responsible for cleaning sees the
importance of maintaining the image of the company with customers
and making the workplace safe for co-workers.
Don’t make a job out of all the work that everyone else
hates to do. You will waste time and money hiring for this job
again and again. You will also end up having to go outside to
fill other jobs, instead of having someone ready to step into
a more senior job. Divide all the data entry among several accounting
clerks, and give the junior clerks easier accounts to reconcile
as well. That way, they will be ready to take on more complicated
accounts.
