Should Buyers volunteer to learn commodities other than those assigned to them and should they volunteer to take on special projects?
You're probably thinking that you have a million things to do every day and that you can't get to all those, much less have time to volunteer to do anything, right? I understand, but consider the benefits of getting involved in some other tasks.
1) Special projects might be interesting. You can often learn things about your company or department you would otherwise never know when you get involved with the project of the day.
2) You will meet people from throughout the organization if you work on a special project. Meeting new people will make your day more interesting. It will also give you the opportunity to meet from other departments who would not ordinarily interact with Purchasing. These contacts could prove invaluable later on.
3) Cross training within your own department will allow you to get to know different co-workers. You can be a resource for each other when solving problems within your commodities.
4) Cross training will make you more valuable to the department as a whole, which may serve you well at review time.
5) Should you decide to seek employment elsewhere, cross training will give you experience in many more commodities making you a more valuable candidate in the job market.
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