A Day in Your Shoes

Enabling others to connect and empathize.

This would allow employees from different units (i.e. Faculty, staff, administration, etc) to spend a day working with another employee. This opens up dialog on what each of us contributes to the organization and each other.

Idea Title

A Day in Your Shoes

How the Idea will inspire the experience and expression of gratitude within an organization.

By spending a day with another employee, say a faculty member with a department staff member, they will be able to experience what exactly their work entails. For a staff member, a faculty member can see how many hats they wear, from processing paperwork for over a dozen people, managing other employees, coordinating events, working with students and a variety of other things (building furniture!), they may have a better perspective on just how much work that "simple" request they have really is. Fostering a genuine appreciation for what we all do.

Who are you innovating for?

This is for everyone on campus. I hear the same complaint from every group. Faculty don't appreciate staff, staff don't appreciate faculty, administration doesn't appreciate anyone. I feel if we can connect to individuals in every group, we will find we are more similar then we think, and will be more apt to show our appreciation and gratitude for each other if we really understand what it is we do.

What type of workplaces are you innovating for?

This is for a university setting. But something I feel could be applicable in most organizational structures.

How you envision the Idea being introduced to your selected organization?

Working with our upper administration and campus wellness department, this could be implemented with an initial informational workshop with the day with another employee, then a switch, being the follow up activity. We would need to advertise it by mail outs and sending representatives to department meetings or stopping in offices to briefly talk about it, ensuring as many employees are reached as possible. Surveys would be issued at the workshop and then again after the activity. The support of upper administration and supervisors all over the campus would help this to be a success.

What obstacles, if any, do you foresee in implementing this Idea, and how would they be overcome?

Time. If there is one resource everyone here complains about not having it's this. However, if we can persuade people that this is worth the time, through our advertising plan and expressed support from managers, people will see the need to make the time and participate. There will also be the initial reaction of "well I'm one not appreciated, why should I have to sit through someone else's job?". The switch will allow them that opportunity to receive that acknowledgement.

How will you test and prototype your solution?

This would need to be tested with the upper administration first. Seeing our leaders take the lead and benefit from it will encourage others to take the opportunity.

What immediate next steps will you take if you receive an implementation grant.

I would reach out to my upper administration and wellness center to assist me in implementing this program. I would love input from the GGSC, possibly inviting facilitators specializing in gratitude and empathy to facilitate the workshops.

At what stage of development is your Idea?

• Research & Early Testing: You are exploring an idea, gathering inspiration and information needed to test it with real users.

Please describe from where your Idea emerged

This was an individual idea. But now that I think about it, it is reminiscent of Undercover boss, only this goes both directions. I am fortunate to work in a department where this is already happening. I love my job because I feel respected and appreciated by all of my colleagues and I appreciate them, on an individual basis. I unfortunately don't hear the same from the majority on my campus and I want what I have for everyone.

Tell us about yourself

I am an administrative support coordinator at CSU, Fresno.

Where are you / your team located?

Fresno, Ca USA

Company / Organization Name

CSU, Fresno

Website

https://www.fresnostate.edu/chhs/recreation/

Tell us about your experience

I've worked in retail, food, software, account management and a university. Each place had it's own pros and cons, and I found that if I was unhappy I left, no second thought about it. I would find a new job and life was to short to be unhappy in an environment I spent most of my day in. I realized early on just how important gratitude really is and what it was worth.