McLean & Co. Presents Guide for Strategic Job Redesign

As the workplace rapidly evolves due to artificial intelligence and geopolitical shifts, HR leaders are increasingly called to redesign jobs to align with changing company needs. McLean & Co.’s Guide to Job Redesign advocates for a strategic approach to job redesign that addresses tasks, structure, environment, and interactions. This method aims to boost productivity, engagement, and well-being by tackling common issues like workload imbalances and employee dissatisfaction.

A study by the New Economics Foundation found that stress-related issues like burnout result in a loss of 12.5 million workdays, costing employers between US$45.4 billion and US$58.4 billion annually. This underscores the critical need to understand the impact of job design on mental health.

Effective job redesign must incorporate employee feedback to ensure that changes are meaningful and reflect the actual job realities, states McLean & Co. “Redesigning jobs without incorporating the employee’s voice risks significant resource investment and limited return, as changes may not reflect the reality of the job.”

Repetitive tasks, while essential, often lead to burnout and inefficiency. Teamhood reports that these “low brain power” activities consume substantial time and contribute little to overall productivity. By leveraging AI to handle redundant tasks, companies can preserve the essential human element. McLean & Co.’s guide notes that organizations reducing task friction are 2.1 times more likely to have a highly productive workforce. Additionally, employees who can fully utilize their talents are 2.4 times more likely to stay with the organization the following year.

McLean & Co.’s guide outlines steps to identify jobs needing redesign, analyze pain points and strengths, and implement solutions. It highlights four key components of jobs: core tasks, structure, environment, and interactions: core tasks involve the fundamental duties of the role, structure refers to how these tasks are linked and organized within the organization, environment describes the setting in which work is performed, while interactions cover how the job connects with others, both internally and externally, including communication channels and collaboration needs. By addressing these areas, companies can streamline redundant tasks, balance workloads, and improve job clarity and autonomy, resulting in reduced turnover and enhanced employee well-being, reports HR Dive.