Have you ever been able to switch positions with someone at work? You really do learn a lot about what your co-workers have to do when you walk in their work shoes.
I have had the opportunity to work in all of the positions at our office. It has been many years since I worked the front reception desk. There have been many changes with technology advancement. I had the opportunity recently to sit in that desk for a morning. It was more difficult than I expected. I gained tremendous respect for what my co-worker needs to accomplish each day.
It is good for management personnel to take the opportunity to work in each position in the business every so often. It will give you a better understanding, first hand, at what your staff does each day.
Often business owners or management staff will wonder why an employee is taking so long with their duties. If they do not know what it takes to do them, they will have to continue to wonder.
When Joseph Vivian was the president of the Hershey Chocolate Company he implemented a program which rotated senior-level employees with line and staff positions. They would switch job duties for a few months so that each could get a better insight into what the other had to do.
Through this program, all parties gained unique insights that they never otherwise would have been able to get. Their respect and understanding for what each other did changed the company culture.
The next time you think that your co-worker’s position is easy, why not ask if you can do it, so you will really know what they are up against?
09/19/14
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