Doing something different – Staff Development and Workplace Learning at Cardiff University

Sally EarneyLouise Harrington

ULS Staff Development & Engagement Group (Chair - Sally Earney)Staff Development Policy, oversees training budget, Action Plan, Training Programmes, staff development newsletter, communication

Workplace Learning Working Group (Chair - Louise Harrington)Job rotation, Job shadowing, “Do Something Different” Days

Workplace Learning @ Cardiff University

• How it all started• How it evolved • What it looks like

today• Where it is

going…

Sally Earney

MSc Human Resource Management

University of Glamorgan 05/06

Dissertation topic:

Piloting Job Rotation in Cardiff University Library Service

1. Whether job rotation improved motivation and job satisfaction 2. Whether technical and ‘soft’ skills increased

Background in 2005

• 18 site libraries • Large service (approx 250 staff)• Number and variety of roles being performed

by clerical staff• 2005 Merger – different cultures• More opportunity for promotion since

restructuring

Library Environment

• Administrative repetition• Increasing technological

change• Restricted financial resources• Diverse staff – range of

expectations from their employment

• Lack of promotion opportunities

What the literature says - benefits

• “High Performance Work Practice” (HPWP) • Fosters employee learning / skills• Career development and promotion• Career ‘plateaued’ employees• Creates innovation • Aids assessment of employees interests• Increases ‘social capital’ – quality of relationships

improved

And the list goes on…

• Reduces turnover• Grows in-house talent• Speeds employee development• Creates agile and flexible employees• See ‘big picture’• Increases job satisfaction

Costs

• Learning curve – errors • “Non-participant” jealousy (additional

workload)• Non-participating Managers jealousy!• Financial cost of running scheme• Zero reward / promotion at end – employee

leaves• Decrease in output during rotation

3 pairs “rotatees”, 6 week rotation

Matt RobinsonLego 6301 - Town Mini-Figures (1986)Reproduced under cc licence

Who were they?No of hours swapped

Pair 1 Senior Library AssistantAberconway Library (Business)

Senior Library AssistantNursing & Healthcare Studies Library

29 hours /week

Pair 2 Senior Library Assistant Arts & Social Studies Library

Archives AssistantSpecial Collections and Archives

15 hours /week

Pair 3 Senior Library AssistantBiosciences Library

Acquisitions Assistant Collection Management Services

30 hours/week

New “Soft” Skills

• People skills• Creativity in

approach to tasks

• Confidence

U.S. Embassy Pakistan 2012U.S. Embassy Officers playing soccer with Pakistani athletes Reproduced under cc licence

Technical Skills

• ILLs (2)• Database searching (4)• Advanced word

processing (3)• Voyager circulation (3)• Report writing• Athens passwords• Using photocopiers

• IT troubleshooting• Voyager cataloguing• S:\ drive• SIMS• Microsoft Access• Orientation• Classification systems• Microsoft Excel• Internet searching

Building Relationships

You can’t put a price on getting to know other people

in those situations…and I think that facilitates any sort

of cross-departmental working which I think is very

important

Enjoyed it from start to finishA brilliant experience

We are in little pockets and we tend to stay in little

pockets…most people have not got a clue as to what is

going on in other pockets of it

• New friends• Perceived improved career prospects• Learning – soft and technical skills• Increased confidence• Learned about preferred working

environment / roles• Comparison of workplace practices,

questioning, revised practices• ‘Ripple effect’ - interest of other

staff

Outcomes

Successful BUT lack of volunteers!

Reproduced under cc licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/Rudecactus.com 2005

Terrigal Headland: chilly rock pool Nadia308 under cc licence

Same aims• Making

friends/building relationships

• We do that differently• Less daunting• Learning new tricks• One library service• Building confidence

Shorter rotation?

Formalisation• Started as a project – pilot of the Job Rotation

to become a formal annual scheme• Workplace Learning Working Group formed

2008• Reports to the ULS Staff Development &

Engagement Group• Range of schemes organised and monitored

by the Group

Do Something Different Day

• Run twice a year in May and November

• Usually on a Wednesday• Very popular – 20 took

part in last DSD Day out of 31 applicants.

• 134 participants have taken part since it started

QuotesI learned about services to Distance Learners which I

can apply to my workplace

The team were really helpful and made the experience

worthwhile and enjoyable.

I feel as though I know individual members of the team and their areas of expertise well enough to consult them in

the future.

DSD could be extended beyond Information Services - we could visit

other Divisions and Schools.

"I found DSD day to be a really interesting and stimulating experience. I visited the Welsh Government Library and Archives, and it was fascinating to see their facilities and find out about what services they provided and what the day-to-day work of the library staff involved - especially as it was so different to that of academic library staff. Even though it is such a different working environment, it was still very useful to share ideas and compare experiences & best practice."

Job Shadowing – ‘Don’t be afraid of your own shadow!’

• Pilot in spring 2010• Spend a few hours per

week for 6-8 weeks shadowing a person in ULS in a different role.

• Gain insight into specific tasks and skills involved.

• Very flexible – the schedule and timings bespoke

Job shadowing2010 Pilot - Library Ops manager shadowed a

subject librarian and a Senior Library Assistant

shadowed a LOM

2011 – Subject Librarian shadowed a

Site Librarian

2012 - An IT assistant shadowed a team of

Subject Librarians from Aberconway Library

2013- The PA to the University Librarian

shadowed the Senghennydd Library

team

Job shadowing

2014 – 6 participants!1 courier shadowing a

Subject Librarian

1 Senior Library Assistant shadowing a Subject

Librarian

2 SLAs shadowing Library Operations

Managers

1 Library Attendant shadowing staff in Aberconway, Bute, Music

and Senghennydd Libraries

1 Library Assistant shadowing the

Acquisitions and Cataloguing team

Feedback

“I gained more than I was expecting from job shadowing. I expected to passively watch a standard ‘day in the life’ of a single subject librarian. Instead, the team of subject librarians met with me for an initial chat, and we discussed the specific gaps in my personal experience. They suggested activities that were coming up in the next few months, and invited me to sessions which I would not normally have the opportunity to experience… I really appreciated how much time the subject librarians were willing to give to me, and their focus in making sure I had a broad, high quality experience.”

Quotes“Being shadowed is an excellent opportunity to reflect on routine actions & choices. It also provides a fresh perspective on ambiguous or

difficult situations. “

“I felt it was an opportunity to think about what I do & how I explain myself

to others.”

“I found it rewarding to provide an opportunity for job shadowing as it helped the shadower gain

knowledge and experience

What next?• Work placement

programme with IT?• Expand partnership

with CLIC?

• Earney, S. 2011. Do Something Different Days at Cardiff University Library Service. Sconul Focus 51 pp.70-72

• Earney, S. and Martins, A. 2009. Job rotation at Cardiff University Library Service: a pilot study. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 41 (4), pp. 213–26.

Articles

Which workplace learning initiatives do you have in your organisation?

How would you encourage staff to participate in workplace learning?