Henry Ford is credited with revolutionising the automotive industry by introducing assembly line production techniques, which significantly increased efficiency and reduced the cost of manufacturing. While Ford’s innovations played a crucial role in mass production and making automobiles more affordable, there are differing opinions on the impact of his methods on job satisfaction.

On one hand, Ford’s assembly line drastically increased productivity and allowed the production of more cars at a lower cost. This helped create jobs and contributed to economic growth. On the other hand, the assembly line work was highly specialised, repetitive, and often monotonous, leading to concerns about employee satisfaction.

The type of work being performed led to feelings of alienation, boredom, and dissatisfaction among employees. Moreover, the pace of the assembly line was often fast, and workers were expected to keep up with the production speed, which contributed to stress and fatigue.

While Ford’s methods did contribute to the development of modern manufacturing processes and increased overall productivity, they also sparked debates about the impact on worker well-being and job satisfaction.

 And despite Henry Ford’s first assembly line chugging into action over 100 years ago, the debates about good job design and the impact on employee wellbeing continue today.

At EXwise, we have first-hand experience of this with many of us having worked within the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry where Ford’s approach to breaking tasks down into small chunks for maximum efficiency can be seen today.

 We also understand the business consequences of this type of work – difficulties hiring, high turnover, burnout, low engagement levels and poor customer service. And while we accept that it will never be possible to move away from this model in its entirety, we do believe that there are better ways to achieve the same output and create a positive employee experience.

 It is for this reason that a part of our EX framework focuses on the work that people do. At EXwise, we believe that work should be meaningful and challenging work and we also believe that job design should be a fundamental part of designing and improving an employee experience. The guiding principles we follow when it comes to job design are:

• Task variety with varying levels of complexity
• Good person-job fit wherein skills are being used
• Line of sight to job output
• Freedom to perform tasks in the most appropriate way
• Opportunities to learn and grow on the job

 If you are facing challenges similar to those seen on Henry Ford’s assembly lines or you’re just curious about job design and our EX framework, get in touch today – we’d love to hear from you.