A 2011 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 43 percent of employers offer cross-training of some kind to help workers become more proficient in tasks not related to their current jobs. Job rotation for executives is not new, but programs are now being designed for lower-level employees to help them sharpen their skills, stay motivated, and identify new jobs they may be interested in. At Intel Corp., employees can seek temporary assignments by searching an internal database with hundreds of listings. Employees apply for positions with the approval of their current manager and the hiring manager. Some positions last one year, while others last a few weeks or until a special project is completed.
1. What are some advantages (other than those stated) for developing a program that introduces employees to different jobs in your organization?
What are some disadvantages?
2. Think about your current job or a job you have had in the past. If you had the opportunity to swap jobs within the organization, what KSAOCs would you have liked to learn?