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How to Make a Job Shadowing Program a Success at Your Organization

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How to Make a Job Shadowing Program a Success at Your Organization

AIHR Technology,

5 min read
4 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

Learn how a job shadowing program can enhance employees’ skills and benefit an organization’s bottom line.

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Editorial Rating

8

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  • Applicable
  • Overview
  • For Beginners

Recommendation

Job shadowing offers a practical approach to employee development within organizations, allowing individuals to learn directly from their colleagues in different roles. In this comprehensive article, the founder and dean of AIHR, Erik van Vulpen, details how companies can structure these programs and why this learning method can serve organizational goals and benefit new employees and existing staff seeking to broaden their skill sets. By implementing job shadowing, companies can also break down silos and help employees understand the challenges of their colleagues across different departments.

Summary

Organizations are turning to job shadowing programs to close skills gaps and break down silos.

Job shadowing programs — where one worker spends time watching another employee performing a role — help young people research careers or learn to perform jobs when they’re just starting out. However, these programs are also becoming popular for organizations to reskill or upskill seasoned employees, facilitate professional development, support cross-functional collaboration, and help workers transition into leadership roles.

The simplest version of job shadowing involves one worker simply observing another — the job shadowing host — performing tasks and asking questions to understand what the host is doing. More in-depth job shadowing consists of regularly scheduled meetings where one employee demonstrates functions according to an agreed-upon schedule...

About the Author

Erik van Vulpen is the founder and dean of the Academy to Innovate HR (AIHR). He is widely recognized as an HR thought leader and regularly gives talks on topics such as people analytics, digital HR, and the future of work.

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