Enhancing jobs by giving employees more opportunity to plan and control their work:

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 1:
Job enrichment is a vertical expansion of a job, a crucial motivational strategy designed to give employees greater responsibility, control, and autonomy over the planning and execution of their work. Unlike job enlargement, which only adds more tasks at the same level (horizontal loading), job enrichment incorporates 'vertical loading' by giving managerial functions—like decision-making, setting targets, and trouble-shooting—back to the employee. This enhancement aims to boost motivation and job satisfaction by increasing the worker's sense of personal achievement, personal responsibility, and accountability for the work outcomes, which directly aligns with the question's premise of giving employees more opportunity to plan and control their work.

The incorrect option is 2:
Job evaluation is a systematic process in Human Resource Management used to determine the *relative worth* or value of a job within an organization, not to redesign the work itself to give more control to the employee. Its primary purpose is to establish internal equity and a fair, rational wage and salary structure by comparing jobs based on factors like skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions. The process assesses the requirements and importance of the job position, irrespective of the current employee's performance or motivational level. Therefore, job evaluation focuses on compensation fairness, not on enhancing employee autonomy or planning authority.

The incorrect option is 3:
Job specification is a written statement detailing the *minimum acceptable qualifications* a person must possess to successfully perform a particular job, such as required educational qualifications, specific skills, and relevant experience. It is a key output of job analysis, which is used for recruitment and selection. It describes *who* should do the job, rather than describing *how* the job should be enhanced or giving the job holder greater control over the work process, making it an irrelevant answer.

The incorrect option is 4:
Job fairs are large-scale events organized to bring employers, recruiters, and potential job candidates together for the primary function of *staffing* or *recruitment*. Their purpose is to fill vacant positions and source talent, acting as a platform for initial screening and networking. They have no direct connection to the internal practice of enhancing the design of existing jobs to increase the planning authority and control of current employees.