Types of job shadowing

The type of job shadowing will depend on the needs of the host and the person doing the shadowing.  It will also depend on the amount of time that is available for the shadowing.  The host, the person doing the shadowing and their line manager should discuss this. 

Observation

• The person doing the shadowing will spend an agreed period of time observing the day-to-day work of the host. 
• It should be a typical representation of what the host does on a daily basis. 
• This works best when the person doing the shadowing wants to understand what a host’s job role is like. 
• The host will answer questions and do a debrief so that both parties gain from the shadowing. 

Regular briefings

• The shadowing is for specific activities over a period of time. 
• This type of shadowing provides short periods of focused activity. 
• This works best when the individuals work near to each other. The host can then provide details of activities which will be useful to understand the role. 
• Both parties need to plan timings to ensure it does not become disruptive. 

Hands on

• This is an extension of the observation model detailed above. 
• The person doing the shadowing starts to carry out some of the tasks they have observed. 
• The person doing the shadowing gets experience of the role and the host supervises. 
• This type of job shadowing is not always possible and departments would need to discuss it on a case-by-case basis.