Learning, Sharing Skills through Gigs Initiative

Under our Gigs initiative, employees can apply for short-term assignments outside their normal routine to expand their existing skills and develop new ones in different areas of the business. Peta Taylor, Global Process Owner, Customer Service at our Booragoon Office in Australia, shares her experience as both a Gigs host and participant.

My motivation to be involved in Gigs is to have the opportunity to connect with different people in our organization that I wouldn’t normally cross paths with. I can learn about their skills and strengths and also share mine with the intent that one day what we learned could be drawn upon for wider collaboration and partnerships. 

As a Gigs host, I’ve been engaged with talented and skilled colleagues who share their knowledge and perspective with me, resulting in an improved overall result and a faster completion timeframe. Hosting a participant has allowed me to seek out help from others who can complement my working style as well as my limitations, all the while broadening my knowledge by teaching me new things along the way.

I was keen to be a Gigs participant so that I could give back and offer my skills and perspective to a host. I was exposed to work that I wouldn't normally understand or know about, which was a little nerve wracking. What I found was that, yes, I did have knowledge and skills to offer. However, I also learned new skills that will benefit me in my current role.

The saying “many hands make light work” resonates when I think of Gigs. Often, we’re faced with a large project, a task that has a short deadline or a task that you simply don't know where to start from. We often wish that we had certain skills that would make the task easier. The Gigs experience has shown me that we have people in our organization that have “that” skill and are seeking to collaborate and work with new people.

Engaging in a Gig, whether as a host or participant, is personally rewarding. The experience increases your knowledge and expertise, widens your help chain and allows you to learn about other areas of the organization, ultimately helping you navigate your own professional path moving forward.