Harnessing time: empowering staff in the workplace

Purpose – This paper aims to describe a staff development activity introduced at a small regional library in Victoria, Australia to assist staff to take more control of their work time. The self‐directed professional activity (SDPA) allows staff to nominate an activity that would benefit them professionally and then provides the support and infrastructure so they can focus on one task for a sustained period of time, free from external distractions.Design/methodology/approach – This single case study describes the experiences of 11 library staff undertaking the SDPA four times over a two year period, 2006‐2008. The perspective of participants was recorded and analysed using a focus group discussion, personal written reflections and written responses to open ended survey questions.Findings – The activity achieved its initial aim of providing staff with greater control over their professional time. Staff appreciated having a dedicated time to plan and complete a specified task, which they nominated as a prio...