Flexibility v familiarity – casual and short term working

There are advantages and disadvantages to casual and short term contract working. I’m not sure I would like it at all if it wasn’t for two factors – one, that I am nearer the end of my career/working life than the beginning and the other, that I have some financial security so I don’t need to work full time or a set number of hours a month. The other factor is that this is a means to an end i.e. supporting the ‘master plan’ .

Experience is a help and a hindrance – if the casual work is in a similar field or environment then it is relatively easy to pick up how things work. You already have the knowledge of how it is meant to work e.g. the service and the systems, so you just have to contextualise it for the new place. This has helped me as far as library work is concerned both at Newcastle and at Durham. Of course, the opposite is also true that if you know how things could work to be effective and efficient…but don’t…you have to keep quiet sometimes or make some tactful suggestions. That is the disadvantage of going from a management role to a non management role, you don’t have much power or influence.

Familiarity has advantages too – working at the same place, in the same environment, in the same location can save time and effort. Even the easy things like logging onto the same computer and using the same software saves mental effort so you can get straight on with the tasks. One of the things I’ve found hard about working at different places, doing different roles, is remembering or re-learning the processes each time. Switching between computer systems takes more cognitive effort and although I can remember most things, I do have crib sheets – it just saves that blank moment when you have to pause to think (also it stops you looking a bit slow in front of other people). I do miss being an expert and knowing how everything works.

Experience does help and transferable skills. In most Customer Service roles, you are carrying out a transaction whether it be selling a ticket or an item, or offering a service, or providing information. In most roles you will be using Microsoft O365 so it helps if you’re an advanced user plus using a system for taking cash and card payments. In library roles, you will be using a circulation system and a catalogue.

Familiarity with colleagues and people you work with also has advantages and disadvantages. Most people I have worked with in casual roles, I’ve liked or at least not disliked! It does take some getting used to i.e. not to be a permanent part of a team and share the good and bad days – sometimes I feel it’s like starting a new job every week and making building new relationships which is mentally more tiring. The advantages are that I’m not responsible for anyone – I don’t feel the weight of responsibility to make sure everyone in the team is doing just fine and their wellbeing is a priority.