Today’s employees increasingly value growth and connection, making interactive and engaging learning opportunities essential for building a thriving workforce and promoting a culture of continuous growth within any organization.
As employees settle into their roles and reach career milestones, they often seek opportunities to take on new responsibilities and explore new career trajectories. To encourage and support internal growth, company leaders can provide hands-on training experiences to deepen employees’ understanding of different job functions and career paths.
Job shadowing is a tried and true workplace learning strategy that provides meaningful short-term opportunities for team members to gain firsthand insights into their colleagues’ everyday responsibilities. This makes for better working relationships and helps them move along their career paths as they contribute to your company’s success.
In this article, we will explain the unique aspects of job shadowing in the workplace and explain how to implement a successful job shadowing program for your business.
What Is Job Shadowing?
Job shadowing is a form of on-the-job training, during which an employee observes and accompanies another employee or manager as they perform daily tasks. It’s an immersive experience that gives shadowers a firsthand look into the inner workings of another employee’s role.
During job shadowing, participants observe everyday activities, attend meetings, tour offices and facilities, and familiarize themselves with project materials. Shadowers also have the chance to ask questions and build professional connections.
Unlike internships or externships, which involve more hands-on tasks, the primary goal of job shadowing is not necessarily to teach the shadower how to do those tasks but to give them a clear and comprehensive understanding of the duties, responsibilities, and expectations associated with a role they may often interact with or may be considering moving into.
Benefits of Job Shadowing
Job shadowing offers a low-stakes and brief, but impactful opportunity for employees to understand the basics of an unfamiliar role. This brings several benefits to employees as well as employers:
For employees
- Accelerates skill development by introducing shadowers to skills and activities associated with different roles as a primer for future professional opportunities.
- Builds confidence by providing risk-free opportunities to engage in new workplace activities and facilitating networking opportunities to springboard upward mobility.
- Fosters collaboration by introducing employees from different departments to the ins and outs of their colleagues’ work.
- Enhances problem-solving abilities by providing new perspectives shadowers can bring back to their primary positions.
- Provides a deeper understanding of the responsibilities of different roles within a company and how they relate to overarching business goals.
For employers
- Reduces training costs by broadening employee skillsets and knowledge so they have a headstart when they move into a role. It also reduces training costs by helping managers identify potential leaders and preparing staffing pipelines.
- Enhances workforce adaptability by exposing employees to different perspectives and responsibilities involved in different roles and facilitating cross-training opportunities for easier mobility between roles.
- Improves knowledge transfer by creating opportunities for employees to share valuable knowledge and pass on institutional memory.]
- Boosts employee engagement by giving employees learning and development (L&D) opportunities, showing them how valuable they are to the larger organization.
- Establishes company culture by improving company-wide communication and promoting empathy across business areas and job roles.
- Increases retention rates by supporting career development and improving employee experience and job satisfaction.
Types of Job Shadowing
Job shadowing programs differ between companies and departments, depending on the organizational goals, the purpose of each program, and the nature of the roles being observed. Here are some common types of job shadowing in the workplace:
1. Observation-focused shadowing
This type of shadowing is common among employees who are interested in taking on a new role at work, but need a more in-depth look at the job requirements before making the jump. During observation-focused shadowing activities, shadowers spend time observing day-to-day activities that represent the typical duties of a particular role. During observation, shadowers have the opportunity to ask the shadowees questions about their experience and start building relationships.
2. Hands-on job shadowing
This next job shadowing category is a bit more intensive than observation-focused shadowing. In hands-on job shadowing activities, the shadower assists in some of the tasks they’ve observed, giving them a more in-depth understanding of the role.
This type of shadowing is ideal for skill-focused learning related to more specialized positions. It can also be a bit riskier if hands-on activities are done using live data. Tools like Whatfix Mirror can eliminate this risk for digital activities with sandbox environments for virtual learning
3. Virtual job shadowing
Virtual job shadowing is becoming more common in hybrid and remote workplaces. Virtual shadowing activities are similar to those in the other categories, but they are carried out completely online using screen sharing and video conferencing.
Virtual shadowing can be done live, allowing for connection and communication, or demonstrations can be captured and recorded for later viewing so interested employees can engage with them on their own time.
Real-World Applications of Job Shadowing
Job shadowing, in its many forms, can be useful in various work contexts. Here are some of the most widely used applications of job shadowing in the workplace:
1. Onboarding new employees
Job shadowing can be incredibly useful to new hires just beginning their journey with an organization. Job shadowing activities can help familiarize employees with workplace culture, build relationships with new colleagues, and jump-start training efforts from day one.
2. Leadership development
Job shadowing activities are also useful for building empathy among organizational leaders. By creating opportunities for managers and other leaders to observe the activities of employees they oversee, job shadowing can help broaden the perspectives of leaders and keep them informed on the everyday inner workings of their companies.
3. Cross-departmental collaboration
Another common use for job shadowing is to promote understanding and collaboration across different departments. In these activities, employees shadow colleagues in different
departments to build awareness of different colleagues’ responsibilities, improve communication, and build relationships ahead of cross-departmental projects and activities.
4. Knowledge sharing across teams
Job shadowing can also be used to distribute information, and exchange knowledge between members of different teams. Cross-departmental job shadowing can help employees learn new methods and strategies that can be used in their own roles to increase agility and increase company-wide productivity.
5. Preparing employees for promotions
As employees are selected to move into new roles at work, job shadowing can facilitate job transitions by giving them first-hand experience before they begin. By allowing employees to observe somebody who is already in the new role, shadowers start with a solid foundation, already understanding the required skills and responsibilities.
Best Practices for Creating a Job Shadowing Program
Implementing an effective job shadowing program requires planning and organization to ensure maximum benefit to your organization. Here are some commonly followed best practices for creating a successful job shadowing program:
1. Set clear objectives and align with organizational goals
Establish the aims of your new job shadowing program within the context of established organizational goals. This might include improved company culture through knowledge sharing or empathy building, or improved employee experience through career development. From there, you can select the type of job shadowing program that aligns best.
2. Select appropriate mentors
With the parameters above in mind, seek out engaged and experienced employees whose skills and behaviors match up with the needs of your program. Mentors are often happy to volunteer their time, but it can help to offer incentives to ensure the shadowing experience benefits both parties.
3. Define job shadowing timelines and schedules
Establish the schedule to fit the needs of participants. It is important that shadowers and shadowees can dedicate enough time to the program without falling behind on their existing responsibilities. Job shadowing activities can take place over a single day, be held in a few shorter sessions, or occur regularly as part of a longer-term program.
4. Focus on role-specific training and development
Encourage employees being shadowed to emphasize knowledge and tasks that are unique to their roles and could not be adequately covered by a different form of training. Before the shadowing program begins, shadowers should know what to ask about and pay attention to, and mentors should have a set plan of topics to cover during each session.
5. Provide hands-on learning opportunities
Make sure shadowing days are filled with engaging activities and hands-on learning opportunities. This increases information retention and leaves both parties with lasting, positive memories of the job shadowing activities.
6. Ensure effective communication and feedback mechanisms for participants
Set expectations and establish channels for communication between mentors and shadowers before, during, and after shadowing activities. This may include pre-shadowing introductory meetings to establish expectations, interactive observation during shadowing, opportunities for peer feedback, or written feedback forms. These tools help boost the productivity of shadowing programs and contribute to the continuous improvement of the program.
7. Monitor and track job shadowing progression
Use feedback tools and metrics tied to shadowing program goals to measure the progress of your program and its participants. You can use the resulting data to guide the future of your shadowing programs with intentional changes.
8. Have a post-shadowing debrief session
Depending on your program’s timeline, set up post-shadowing debriefing sessions with participants after each session or after program completion. Ask participants reflective questions to understand their experience. Some useful questions to ask might be:
- What did you learn from this experience?
- What are some challenges you noticed about this role?
- How can we improve job shadowing activities to be more valuable?
9. Integrate job shadowing with broader training programs
Job shadowing provides unique learning opportunities that can be made more valuable when blended with other workplace learning and development activities. This integration makes for more well-rounded learning experiences, improved engagement, and more successful career development trajectories.
10. Establish cross-departmental involvement
Cross-departmental job shadowing can bolster programs by providing participants with different perspectives and contextual information about their colleagues and the larger organization. This leads to a workplace culture of communication, collaboration, and continual improvement that benefits employees and helps organizations reach long-term goals.
11. Utilize technology and tools for job shadowing
Modern software like virtual job shadowing platforms and video conferencing tools can facilitate job shadowing activities in more flexible formats, like pre-recorded presentations and virtual shadowing sessions. This technology makes shadowing activities more flexible to meet the needs of participants and encourages active engagement for better program outcomes.
How to Implement a Job Shadowing Program
With these best practices in mind, follow these steps to establish an effective job shadowing program for your company:
- Identify roles for shadowing: Create a list of the different roles to be observed in your shadowing program. Include a variety of roles at different career levels and align with the interests and goals of shadowers.
- Develop a program framework: Build the structure of your new job shadowing program bit by bit, starting with goals, intended outcomes, and the types of roles to be shadowed. Based on these details, choose a program type and set benchmarks for analytics tracking. From there, you can lay out the finer details like scheduling, activities, and materials. Create documentation
- Engage stakeholders: Communicate the importance of job shadowing to company leaders, your human resources team, and other impacted employees along the way. Involve them in the planning and rollout of the program by seeking and incorporating their feedback to ensure that your job shadowing initiative brings company-wide benefits.
- Track progress and success: As you implement your program, use benchmarks and key metrics to measure the impact of job shadowing activities on participant success and overarching business goals. Incorporate feedback mechanisms at every level of the program to gain additional insight for continual improvement.
- Provide resources and support: Ensure that job shadowing activities are engaging and beneficial to all parties involved, and distribute resources like program details, participant expectations, and follow-up information to keep shadowers and hosts feeling supported throughout the shadowing process. Other forms of support, like feedback mechanisms and information repositories, can also be helpful. These resources can be easily provided through modern, digital L&D applications like a digital adoption platform.
Challenges in Job Shadowing (+Solutions)
Many of the aspects of job shadowing programs that make them so valuable, can present challenges as well. Here are some common challenges and strategies you can use to mitigate them:
1. Time constraints
Adding new learning activities to employees’ already-packed workdays can make job shadowing feel burdensome. Employees might feel reluctant to make time for job shadowing if they do not understand how their efforts will be repaid through the job shadowing experience.
Make participation more enticing by offering flexibility in planning, setting clear expectations for each shadowing session, and emphasizing the value they will receive from the experience.
2. Unclear objectives
Without a strong foundation or structure, participants might be uncertain about the goals of their shadowing activities. This confusion can distract participants from learning and make shadowing less effective.
Alleviate this problem by providing abundant informational resources throughout your shadowing program. Define and communicate the program objectives to shadowers and mentors so they feel engaged and supported throughout the experience.
3. Engaging remote employees
Designing meaningful job shadowing activities can be more challenging within remote or hybrid workforces. Coordinating schedules and ensuring participants stay engaged can be difficult when shadowing does not happen in person.
Use digital communication and training solutions to streamline these tasks and create shadowing experiences that fit the needs of remote team members. Tools like virtual meetings and screen recording software can build flexibility into your program to keep participants engaged and ensure virtual shadowing experiences are just as valuable as in-person ones.
4. Matching mentors and mentees effectively
Shadowing experiences can fall flat when the shadowers and mentors have incompatible working preferences or when there is too large a knowledge or experience gap between the two.
This issue can be mitigated by foreplanning, using surveys and insights from managers to pair shadowers and mentors with complementary interests, work styles, and career goals.
5. Balancing shadowing with regular duties
While job shadowing provides valuable experience, potential shadowers may be deterred from participating because they see it as an extra project that will put them behind in their primary roles. Similarly, potential mentors may see it as a disruption to their own productivity.
To counteract the risk of productivity interruptions, schedule shadowing activities for less busy periods of business and keep sessions short & focused. Emphasize the benefits of shadowing and assure both parties that activities will be scheduled to accommodate their existing responsibilities.
Job Shadowing Clicks Better with Whatfix
Job shadowing is a powerful component of an organization’s learning and development strategy, helping employees connect with colleagues, understand how different roles contribute to organizational success, and make important decisions about their own career trajectories.
With Whatfix, L&D teams can reinforce the value of job shadowing activities through seamless, contextual guidance as they learn to use new workplace software. Whatfix DAP provides employees with guided learning experiences embedded into the applications they use every day to facilitate learning and promote independent growth.
Whatfix can be seamlessly integrated with shadowing frameworks to provide shadowing participants with easy access to contextual information. Whatfix’s real-time feedback tools enable L&D teams to create feedback loops for continuous program refinement, maximizing learning outcomes and helping organizations reach long-term goals.
To learn more, schedule a free demo with Whatfix today!
