UNIT 5. JOB SWAP

I. Read the texts and comment on their contents.

THE JOB SWAP SCHEME

KEY ROLES AND RESPONBILITIES:

1. Application:

Where a member of staff is interested in applying for a Job Swap, they should discuss this, in the first instance, with their manager. When considering the areas of work they are interested in “swapping” into, applicants are encouraged to be as flexible as possible. The Scheme can’t guarantee exact job matches. However, the areas of interest, or particular skills, that applicants are seeking to develop via a Swap may overlap across a number of roles and/or work areas.

If both the individual and their line manager are interested in taking this further, the member of staff should complete the on-line Job Swap Application Forman send it, together with a copy of their job description, to the Scheme Coordinators a.kehoe@imperial.ac.uk and c.lundy@imperial.ac.uk, copying in their line manager to confirm the application has been approved. If either party has any queries in relation to the process, they are encouraged to contact the Scheme Coordinators. A Job Swap may not always be possible due to operational requirements, for example due to an upcoming busy period that requires experienced staff, or where a role requires specialist skills that another member of staff would not be able to “swap” into.

Where a manager has any reservations about the scheme. They are encouraged to speak with the Scheme Coordinators before making a final decision. The success of a Job Swap is dependent on all parties supporting, and being committed to, the process. If a manager is not happy to proceed with a Swap, and does not approve the application form, the Swap will not progress.

2. Finding Opportunities and Exploring Options:

The Coordinators will review all applications received. Where a potential swap is identified, they will contact both applicants to assess their interest in a Swap. Where two applicants confirm their interest in a Swap, the Scheme Coordinators will arrange to meet with each of them, together with their managers, to discuss the process. Where all parties are interested in proceeding with the Swap, the managers will then arrange to meet with the opposite applicant, to discuss the role in more detail. Following these meetings, where all parties are happy for the Swap to proceed, they should confirm this to the Scheme Coordinators who will then prepare Job Swap.

Agreements for each applicant, and their manager, to sign. As at the application stage, the success of a Job Swap is dependent on all parties supporting, and being committed to, the process. If any of the parties involved has any misgivings about the process, the Swap will not progress.

3. Swap Commences:

To ensure the Swap gets off to a strong start, managers should provide a detailed induction for the Job Swapper to:

- introduce them to their role, and their team

- discuss and agree the objectives that are to be achieved during the period of the swap

- identify requirements for training and development

During the induction period, a handover will also be agreed between the Job Swappers and their managers. During the handover, the Swappers will divide their time equally between each of their substantive posts.

4. Ongoing Support:

Support will continue during the period of the Swap:

• Mid-Swap Review:

At the mid-point of the Swap, the Scheme Coordinators will arrange to meet, separately with the Job Swappers and their managers. This will provide an opportunity to review the progress of the Swap, and to discuss any concerns. Job Swappers are also encouraged to meet together regularly in order to keep each other updated on developments within their respective substantive posts.

• Keeping in Touch Days:

“Keeping in touch days” require that each Job Swapper will spend one day per month working in their substantive post so that they remain up to date on any changes or developments in their original work area. The days may be planned, for example, to coincide with team meetings, team training or other events. This regular contact with their managers and teams will also assist the Swappers when they return to their substantive positions at the end of the Swap.

The schedule of “keeping in touch days” should be agreed by the Swappers and their managers at the commencement of the Swap.

• Additional Support:

Throughout the period of the Job Swap, any of the parties involved can contact the Scheme Coordinators to ask any questions or discuss concerns. Swappers and their managers are encouraged to make contact as soon as any problems arise, so that these can be resolved at an early stage.

VOCABULARY ITEMS

in the first instance – в первую очередь

to be encouraged – быть поощренными

flexible – гибкий

exact – конкретный, определенный

particular skills – определенные навыки

to overlap – частично совпадать

to confirm – подтверждать

due to – благодаря

requirements – требования

experienced staff – обученный персонал

to commit – вверять, поручать

to proceed – возобновлять

assess their interest – определять процентную долю

induction – процедура введения нового сотрудника в работу

handover – передача управления

substantive – независимый

commencement – день вступления в силу

concern – задача

to arise – возникать

to resolve – решать

JOB SWAP

Trading places isn’t just for reality shows anymore. Now C-suite executives, seeking fresh ideas, are switching jobs with counterparts, both at other companies and inside their own.

FORTUNE – One morning in May Nadim Hossain drove to work, sat in a weekly sales forecast meeting, met with the marketing team, and gave feedback on ad messaging. Only it wasn’t his office, his job, or even his company.

À la the TV show Wife Swap, Hossain, then vice president of marketing at San Francisco-based Power Reviews, was in the midst of an executive job swap. He traded roles for the day with Jon Miller, VP of marketing and co-founder of San Mateo, Calif., software firm Marketo, hoping to gain some insight into his own role by experiencing someone else’s. It worked. Since Power Reviews – now owned by Bazaar voice – is a Marketo customer, Miller came away better understanding the issues facing chief marketing officers. Hossain, for his part, returned to Power Reviews with pages of notes on ways to motivate his sales team, woo big brands, and identify leads. “A fresh environment is always a good way to generate new ideas,” Hossain says.

A job swap may not yet be commonplace, but it reflects a marked shift in how today’s leaders learn. Executives are increasingly seeking outside help, whether it’s hiring executive coaches, collaborating with peers, or trading jobs for the day. Says Paul McDonald, senior executive director at staffing services firm Robert Half: “Old school was ‘Keep it in-house and keep your secrets to yourself.’ Executives today, the good ones, are going out and getting help.”

Switching roles is most common among rank-and-file employees: An estimated 38% of employers offer cross-training of some kind, according to a 2012 survey by the Society for Human Resources Management. Now the C-suite is looking to build skills in much the same way. That was the case for Dharmesh Shah. The chief technology officer at Boston Internet marketing firm HubSpot.com traded roles with Paul English, the CTO at Boston travel company Kayak.com, one day in April. Shah wanted to learn more about how to recruit top engineers to his fast-growing startup.

He came back to work with a plan to copy much of what he saw at Kayak. Among the ideas: “the couch rule,” which requires every employee to greet and chat with anyone sitting in the lobby, and “the red-phone rule,” which randomly sends customer-support calls to the engineering department; anyone nearby must answer the customer call regardless of what he’s doing. Shah and English both plan to do swaps again elsewhere. “I know I will get mileage out of it for the rest of my life,” Shah says.

But job swapping comes with risks. There’s the grass-is-greener threat that your own team might actually like your replacement better than you. Also, it’s time-consuming: Miller admits that he felt guilty leaving his team when his company was planning projects.

The biggest worry, however, is confidentiality. Concerns about privacy would squelch any external swap for Jay Miletsky, CEO of online video startup MyPod Studios. “Any company has its own little trade secrets,” says Miletsky. Instead, he changed roles with a developer in his own office for a day.

That’s the same approach taken by Sunil Verma, chief business development officer at mobile-ad company Velti. He trades jobs every quarter with fellow C-level executives to boost teamwork and improve communication. He even used it to help solve a dispute between two Velti sales managers, making them switch roles for a day last January. They came away with an understanding of the demands the other person faced; that led to a truce.

Steve Cody, CEO of New York PR firm Peppercom, had the same kind of revelation when he traded places with junior-level employees, including his receptionist, a junior account manager, and an account supervisor. He cleaned conference rooms, hung up coats, answered phones, and wrote press releases. The experience made him understand the stress of entry-level jobs. “It’s like being inside a videogame – there’s an explosion of information and data whipping into your laptop and phone,” says Cody.

As a result, Peppercom is more sensitive to work-life balance. Cody lets employees work an extra day from home each month. “We are much more employee-friendly than we were five years ago,” he says. “If you’re open to a swap, you’ll come out of it a much better leader.”

VOCABULARY ITEMS

C-suite executives –первые лица компании

counterpart – лицо, занимающее аналогичный пост

ad messaging –передача объявлений сообщениями

executive coaches – ответственный инструктор

to collaborate –сотрудничать

peers –предприятия-аналоги

to switch roles – меняться ролями

rank-and-file –заурядный, обычный

employee – сотрудник

to greet – приветствовать

lobby – приёмная

mileage – пройденный путь

guilty –виновный

to squelch – уничтожить

boost – улучшить, помогать подняться

truce – передышка

revelation – откровение

press releases – заявление для печати

to whip –проникнуть, хлестать

a chief technology officer (CTO) – начальник технического отдела

a chief technology officer (CEO) – управляющий проектом

a vice president (VP) – вице-президент

II. Exercises

a. Answer the questions

1. What is Job swap?

2. What are the preconditions of making Job swap?

3. In what way does Swap induct the Job Swapper?

4. Why do the Job Swappers need “Keeping in Touch Days”?

5. What did Hossain need a Job Swap? How many days did this period consist of?

6. Where did Shah go for work on the Job Swap?

7. What does Cody say about his experience in Job Swap?

b. Match C-suite executives with their positions.

1. Nadim Hossain

2. Jon Miller

3. Paul McDonald

4. Dharmesh Shah

5. Paul English

6. Jay Miletsky

7. Sunil Verma

8. Steve Cody

c. CEO of New York PR firm Peppercom;

f. the CTO at Boston travel company Kayak.com;

e. the CTO at Boston Internet marketing firm HubSpot.com;

b. VP of marketing at San Francisco-based Power Reviews;

d. VP of marketing and co-founder of San Mateo, Calif., software firm Marketo;

a. senior executive director at staffing services firm;

g. chief business development officer at mobile-ad company Velti;

h. the CEO (chief technology officer) of

online video startup MyPod

Studios.

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