Training for Part‐time and Temporary Workers

Citation

Morgan, S. (1998), "Training for Part‐time and Temporary Workers", Library Management, Vol. 19 No. 5, pp. 344-345. https://doi.org/10.1108/lm.1998.19.5.344.5

At the tail end of this decade flexibility continues to be a buzzword in many organisations including libraries. In particular, the noun may be applied to library and information services’ ability to adapt to the ubiquitous change that we are all currently experiencing. Consolidation seems to be a thing of the past. Indeed, achieving improved flexibility is one reason why my own university library is conducting a radical staff restructuring process this year. I am sure we are not alone in that regard. Although it may manifest itself in a variety of ways, flexibility can often refer to the increasing army of staff who are not necessarily contracted on a permanent, full‐time basis. These part‐time and temporary workers are growing rapidly in the profession and pose certain challenges ‐ as opposed to problems ‐ for library managers. It is these challenges that the authors address in this, 15 in the Library Association’s excellent series of guides. Goulding and Kerslake are eminently suited to the task having researched the topic thoroughly and written about it elsewhere fairly extensively.

The meat of the guide is contained within six short chapters totalling 29 concisely written pages. This is firmly sandwiched between a brief introduction and half a dozen appendices. The introduction informs the reader about the background to the issue of flexible workers and that, more often than is healthy, they are marginalised in terms of staff development and training. Staff need the same access to training regardless of their employment status. There is also the issue of equal opportunities, especially in a female‐dominated profession like library work.

In Chapter 1 we are introduced to a range of types of flexible workers ‐ a heterogeneous group. Managers’ perceptions of this group can vary considerably. There is, for example, no evidence to suggest that the commitment to their work of these employees is any less than that of their full‐time colleagues. This is sometimes suggested. The planning of a training strategy is discussed in Chapter 2; this includes health and safety, IT, interpersonal skills and customer care. It is important that training is monitored through appraisal and other less formal mechanisms. Managers face a number of obstacles when considering the training of temporary and part‐time staff. The authors discuss these in Chapter 3 in some detail. Barriers perceived by managers include financial constraints, logistical difficulties, managers’ reluctance to train and workers’ reluctance to participate in training. Barriers perceived by workers include access to and timing of training as well as finance. So what types of training are available to staff? Chapter 4 tells us: induction, on‐the‐job, in‐house and external. Useful advice and guidance are offered, particularly on the content and organisation of training events so that flexible workers feel part of rather than peripheral to the service. In some ways the penultimate chapter on career progression is the most interesting. Too often, part‐time and temporary workers are considered to be unambitious, view their work as just a job and have little desire to advance their careers. Again, excellent advice is offered on continuing professional development and pursuing professional and other qualifications such as S/NVQs. The final chapter succeeds in pulling together the threads of the previous 26 pages by giving the reader guidelines for action. These are recommendations which will help to create an employment environment that treats temporary/part‐time and permanent/full‐time staff equally. The appendices include some interesting examples of good practice, based on interviews with UK library and information managers. Examples are taken from government, academic, healthcare, school and public libraries.

Aimed at practising library managers ‐ whether novices or experienced professionals, this training guide provides large amounts of helpful advice. But it does more than work on a purely practical level. It has the potential not only to raise awareness of the challenges facing these sometimes under‐represented workers and their managers but also to exert a proselytising effect on the reader. I would like to think that, as a result of reading this guide, some managers will reassess their views on staff development and training for all their staff, not just the permanent full‐timers. If so, it would be money well spent.