Harnessing time: empowering staff in the workplace

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to describe a staff development activity introduced at a small regional library in Victoria, Australia to assist staff to take more control of their work time. The self‐directed professional activity (SDPA) allows staff to nominate an activity that would benefit them professionally and then provides the support and infrastructure so they can focus on one task for a sustained period of time, free from external distractions.Design/methodology/approachThis single case study describes the experiences of 11 library staff undertaking the SDPA four times over a two year period, 2006‐2008. The perspective of participants was recorded and analysed using a focus group discussion, personal written reflections and written responses to open ended survey questions.FindingsThe activity achieved its initial aim of providing staff with greater control over their professional time. Staff appreciated having a dedicated time to plan and complete a specified task, which they nominated as a priority, without external interruptions. Difficulties encountered by staff included defining a task or activity that could be completed in one afternoon and resisting the temptation to check e‐mail and answer telephone calls.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample size is very small, focusing on one specific work environment, which makes it difficult to generalise about the applicability of this model to other organisations.Practical implicationsThe experiences described in this case study illustrate that allowing staff to set their own priorities and minimising external interruptions can assist staff to feel more in control of their time at work.Originality/valueThe paper shows that elements of this approach could be incorporated into any workplace, although it appears to be of greater benefit to workers who must multi‐task in open office environments or to those who must juggle competing priorities.