Which practice is recommended for assigning unpleasant routine work to manage morale?

• A. Rotated among all the workers in your department
• B. Assigned permanently to one man who would be given special privileges for compensation
• C. Assigned to a junior person until that worker gains seniority
• D. Assigned to a minor offender as disciplinary action

Answer: (C)

Distributing unpleasant routine work through a structured, temporary assignment to junior staff builds morale by creating a clear path to responsibility. Having the least desirable tasks handled by a junior employee until they gain seniority provides a fair, predictable way to share the burden as people grow in experience. This approach signals that advancement comes with exposure to all aspects of the job, including the less pleasant duties, and it helps prevent long-term resentment among colleagues. It also keeps the workload balanced over time, rather than letting one person carry the burden indefinitely.

Rotating tasks among all workers can still feel unfair if exposure isn’t evenly perceived or if turnover among duties isn’t clearly managed. Assigning the unpleasant work permanently to one person creates inequity and can erode morale. Using it as disciplinary action against a minor offender is punitive and undermines trust and motivation.