job shadow
Job shadowing is the corporate rite of passage where a novice dutifully trails a senior employee under the guise of learning on the job. At its core, it is a theatrical performance of observing corner cases and errors in the name of the shadow’s personal growth. Unintentional blunders and clumsy maneuvers are staged for an audience of managers approving the program’s engagement. In reality, it functions as unpaid labor disguised as coffee runs and menial errands.