What is job carving?
Job carving, aka job redesign, is when an employer works with potential employees to create a job that suits their strengths. It can take many forms, such as hiring multiple people to fulfil one role over different hours (job sharing) or redesigning tasks in a role to suit an individual’s abilities.
This recruitment strategy is useful for creating accessible opportunities that allow employees to reach their full potential. Many people assume that job carving is just for people with disabilities; it can also help create jobs for people who need flexible working hours or who have health issues.
Further reading: Strength-Based Recruitment: A Complete Overview
Job carving examples
Job carving can take many forms, such as:
- Hiring multiple people to fulfil one role over different hours
- Redesigning tasks in a role to suit an individual’s abilities
- Removing duties that your chosen applicant may not be able to complete
Benefits of job carving
Benefits for employers
- Hire to address your organisation’s needs
- Introduce diverse experiences into your workforce
- Hire skilled individuals who face employment challenges
- Learn how to tailor future job descriptions that match specific skills and reduce barriers
Benefits for employees
- Gain paid employment that suits their strengths and support needs
- Can be involved in the creation of their roles
- Can flourish in their role and be more productive than if they were hired for the original role
- Can help young people new to employment transition into the world of work
Disadvantages of job carving
- Investment of time: it’ll likely take longer than your traditional recruitment process as you’ll need to get to know your potential employee and adapt the role to their strengths
- Investment of resources: depending on the form your job carving takes, you may need more than one person to fulfil all the requirements you need. These employees may both work full time in different roles, or they may share the same job.
- Not all roles can be redesigned: you might find that certain roles cannot be adjusted due to the requirements of the job. Roles in protective services that require field work, such as a paramedic or police officer, are an example. Role carving may not be appropriate for making all of your roles more accessible, but may be used where possible.
Read more about inclusive recruitment
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