TRADING PLACES Susan Robinson looks at job swapping, a staff development plan in which employees exchange jobs for a short period. What other advantages of job swapping does Jane Brown mention A. Companies benefit from having an adaptable workforce. B. Staff learn about the overall organization of their company. C. Managers find out which employees are suitable for which job.

According to a recent survey 69% of people would prefer to work for a boss who offers training and learning in the workplace. One increasingly popular project is job swapping, which gives an insight into the daily challenges facing different people in different roles.
B. Jane Brown is a divisional manager with Parker Bridge Ltd, and she recently swapped jobs with salary controller there. Both were then able to appreciate the problems and pressures of each other’s roles far more clearly. Brown says, "I now have better understanding of what the salary controller’s work involves, and I am more aware of my colleague’s deadlines. This type of cross training is important, and having to learn about another person’s role is a useful experience for bosses and employees alike. Job swapping also helps you to understand the way other departments work and give you access to other teams within your firm. So it is of value both to the individual and the company as a whole."
C. George Knight, who works in central London, took his job exchange a lot further -- all the way to Sydney, Australia in fact. "I loved it," said Knight. "Primarily for geographic reasons, but also because of the challenge of being the final decision-maker rather than reporting to a manager. It was my first management experience and I had to improve my skills on some IT specializations. I learnt a lot there, and it was useful too -- I’ve had two promotions since I returned to London."
D. Job swapping is an excellent first step towards improving and bringing variety to training and education in the workplace. Doing something else, even for one day, can highlight your abilities and talents. It can also focus the mind on future career possibilities. And even if you hate your time spent at someone else’s desk, the worst that can happen is that you’ll end up feeling that little bit better about returning to your usual job.