Welcome back to the blog! Today, as we head into a nice and long holiday weekend, I wanted to expand on the topic I covered Monday: training new coworkers. It is the reality that as long as you are a part of your work team, people will inevitably come and go. As I head into my next rotation for the upcoming year, I thought it would be a perfect time to discuss what a rotation program is, the expectations, and where I am headed!

Rotation Programs…

• Duration: First and foremost, the duration of rotations changes depending on which company you are working for. Even within the program, I am currently participating in, the rotation timeline has maintained a 2-year consistency, but shifted between 6-month, 9-month, and 1-year rotations depending on the needs of the business! My current structure follows 2, year-long rotations (meaning that I will “graduate” the program in about a year from now!) throughout different areas of the enterprise. Engaging in this long of a rotation has allowed me to feel fully immersed in my team, valuable in the projects I’ve been able to accomplish, and even ready for my next endeavor and transition off!
• Role Selection: Another variable of rotation programs is your ability to contribute to the role that you are placed in. Some companies may completely decide this placement for you and have consistent rotation positions that remain the same and “rotate” through employees, whereas others might change every cycle! It is key to discuss with your hiring manager what this will look like as you are applying and also once you are involved in the program so that you know what to expect. If per se, you will be able to have a voice in the way you rotate through the company, it’s even more beneficial to get ahead and start networking ASAP to build connections and be able to gauge which areas of the organization might need future help (in the form of a rotation) soon!
• Leaving your Team in a Solid Position: What do I mean by this? Well, if we’re being honest, you likely won’t have an exact rotation date where 100% of your work shifts to your new team. If you’ve worked in a corporate setting, you know how easily lines get blurred as timelines shift and responsibilities are adjusted. So, make sure to discuss your transition plan with your manager; do they expect a 50:50 ratio shift when you change positions for the first few weeks? 75:25, 80:20? These are crucial learnings to take into your transition plan to be able to provide your new manager as they craft their first 30-day goals.
  • This being said, you should plan ahead and begin crafting your exit resources approximately 60 days before your departure from the team. Whether this looks like standard work to follow within software programs, project submissions, communications, etc., or other resource guides, use your final weeks to get ahead of these deliverables! Doing so will not only help the person that back-fills your role but will absolutely alleviate the potential of you having to complete more work after you leave as a result of a lack of knowledge on a certain process.

Tune in next week to wrap up on this topic!

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