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Program allows workers to swap jobs

About 20 city employees have taken advantage of the new Work a Mile in Another Department program.

By LORRI HELFAND
Published July 24, 2005

LARGO - Diana Wysong spun a knob on the computer console, guiding the night-vision camera through 221 feet of clay sewer pipe.

In the back of a sewer inspection truck, Wysong scanned the monitor as she pivoted the camera, searching for cracks and leaks in an 8-inch sewer line.

Most days, Wysong, 52, works as an office specialist for the city of Largo, where she keeps track of workers compensation payments and claims against the city.

But for four hours on Tuesday, she hung out with a crew from the city's environmental services department. They eagerly showed her how they keep the sewer system running smoothly.

She also watched the crew scour the sewer pipes with a nozzle they nicknamed "Big Pete." And she saw them suck a load of debris from a lift station using a Vactor 2100, a huge truck with an industrial-sized vacuum system.

"I think it's fascinating. I had no idea how technical it was," Wysong said.

She's one of about 20 employees who have tried out different jobs through the city's Work a Mile in Another Department's Shoes program. The voluntary program lets employees choose another job that interests them.

Wysong selected environmental services because she has fielded complaints from residents about backed-up plumbing. She wanted to better understand how the sewer system worked.

The Work-a-Mile idea came from employee suggestions in the small groups the city assembled to discuss diversity issues, Human Resources Director Susan Sinz said.

The program promotes communication and cooperation.

"It provides an increased understanding of what different operations do," Sinz said. "And I think people understand ways they can help one another."

Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, associate dean at Yale University's School of Management, said such job rotation programs are beneficial.

"They're a fabulous thing, both for career exploration and building morale around a total enterprise and getting to know one another," Sonnenfeld said. "They can sound gimmicky or superficial, but you really need to walk a mile someone else's shoes to understand them."

Evelyn Williams, faculty chair of the Leadership Effectiveness and Development Program at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, said she's familiar with the advantages of long-term job trials used by larger companies, and thinks employees can still reap benefits from short-term programs.

"It fosters transference of new ideas and allows for the sharing of different perspectives," Williams said.

Several of the employees who tried out Largo's program said Work-a-Mile made them respect workers in other positions even more.

Linda Smith, executive secretary for the city's management services department, spent a few hours with staff from McGough Nature Park and said she was surprised how much trimming and grooming goes into maintaining the park.

"There's a lot of work involved to keep something looking that natural," said Smith, 48.

Rhonda Poole, a senior clerk in the accounts payable department, has tried on two different hats: code enforcement and law enforcement.

Poole, 36, chose code enforcement because her husband works in that department. She joined police officers on a ride-a-long for an adventure.

She got it.

"I saw prostitution and I saw a dead body," Poole said.

The body was that of a homeless man who fell asleep in the grass and didn't wake up, she said.

Poole was so excited about the program she applied to try out eight different jobs.

But Sinz said that, regretably, three is the max.

"I think more people should take advantage of it. Everybody says they are too busy, but I think more people should do it because it's an eye opener," Poole said.

Lorri Helfand can be reached at 445-4155 or at lorri@sptimes.com

[Last modified July 24, 2005, 00:22:18]