Arbeitswissenschaftliche Untersuchung von Job Rotation in der Fahrzeugfertigung im Rahmen des demografischen Wandels

Um dem demografischen Wandel und dem damit ansteigenden Altersdurchschnitt in deutschen Unternehmen zu begegnen, werden Maßnahmen zur Gestaltung alternsgerechter Arbeitsplätze umgesetzt. Eine dieser Maßnahmen ist die Job Rotation, unter der ein systematischer Arbeitsplatzwechsel verstanden wird. Durch den infolgedessen hervorgerufenen kontinuierlichen Belastungswechsel werden langfristige einseitige Fehlbelastungen vermieden, wodurch Muskel-Skeletterkrankungen vorgebeugt wird. In der Literatur wird darauf hinge-wiesen, dass eine von den Mitarbeitern schlecht empfundene Rotation zu einer erhöhten Beanspruchung führen kann. Die subjektive Meinung der Mitarbeiter gegenüber der Gestaltung der Job Rotation bleibt jedoch weitestgehend unberücksichtigt. Weiterhin wurde bisher eine Unterscheidung zwischen Arbeitspersonen verschiedener Altersklassen hinsichtlich der Wirkung der Job Rotation vernachlässigt. Um diese Forschungslücken zu schließen, findet in einem deutschen Automobilunternehmen eine arbeitswissenschaftliche Untersuchung der Job Rotation statt.

The present dissertation explores which importance the design of a regular job rotation for the employees in the automotive industry has. With a sales revenue of 367.9 billion euros in 2014 the sector has a high importance for the German economy. About 700,000 persons are work-ing in the automotive sector in Germany. Thus the human resources are of great importance for the car manufactures. Because of demographic changes the enterprises see themselves opposed to two challenges. The average age of the employees rises further and further. In ad-dition there is a notably lack of skilled labor. Due to these developments the companies see both their innovative capacity and their competitiveness threatened. An increasing number of employees with activity restrictions and performance losses due to their higher age, cause a decrease in productivity. In order to encounter the demographic change enterprises create age-appropriate jobs. One of the measures taken is the Job Rotation. A systematic change of jobs is meant by job rotation. By changing a job to allow for diversity in physical and mental load, both health and productivity of employees are promoted. A literature research shows different approaches for an optimal load alternation during a shift. In those researches the subjective opinions of the employees on job rotation, the rotation time, and rotation frequency for exam-ple are not considered as part of the design process. However, they refer to the fact that if the employees feel harder stress with a changed rotation it can lead to a higher load on them. The following study therefore focuses on the employees’ opinion on the process of designing their own rotation in the team. For this study, a questionnaire will be administered to workers asking for their job rotation frequency, job satisfaction, and intrinsic motivation. In addition, the preferences for the job rotation design are compared within three different age groups.