Cross-training Methods and Metrics for Your Organization
Cross-training involves teaching an employee who was hired to perform one job function the skills required to perform other job functions. In the world of sports, the benefits of cross training are clear. By mixing different activities into a regular workout routine one can avoid overuse injuries, balance the development between muscle groups, and prevent boredom. The same may be said of cross-training in the workplace. Employees involved in cross-training programs become skilled at tasks outside the usual parameters of their jobs and thus become greater assets for the company while gaining knowledge and skills that benefit them personally.
Many small businesses use cross-training practices regularly, although in a less formal manner than is usually written about in business journals. When an entrepreneur starts a business and makes those first hiring decisions, he or she will naturally look for candidates who appear to possess the flexibility to handle multiple and often unrelated jobs. A welder, for example, who has taken college courses in engineering or a bookkeeper with people skills who is willing to help with human resource tasks. In a small business it is often the norm to wear more than one hat.
Cross-training programs are a way to more formally organize the process of getting employees prepared to be able to do more than a single job. These programs offer a wide variety of benefits for businesses. For example, a well-designed program can help reduce costs, improve employee morale, reduce turnover, and increase productivity. It can also give a company greater scheduling flexibility, and may even lead to operational improvements. Perhaps the most important benefit that accrues to companies that implement cross-training programs, however, is greater job satisfaction among employees. Cross-training demonstrates that the company has faith in employees' abilities and wants to provide them with opportunities for career growth. In an age when companies are always trying to accomplish more work with fewer workers, anything that helps to motivate and retain employees can be worthwhile. Cross-trained employees often feel that their jobs have been enriched, and they are often able to contribute more to a firm by coming up with creative solutions based on drawing upon their knowledge of different company systems.
If you’re interested in cross-training your employees in 2021, keep reading to uncover what you need to know—including various methods to consider and metrics you’ll want to pay attention to as you develop your programs.
What are the Benefits of Cross-Training?
Cross-training programs have many benefits for both employers and employees.
Benefits for Employers
Benefits for Employees
Methods
There are different ways you can cross-train your employees which are listed below.
Cross-Training Skills
While official cross-training programs typically prepare employees for specific and different job roles, you can also develop cross-training courses and programs that allow your employees to acquire new skill sets. For instance, you can develop a program that teaches employees the basics of computer coding, regardless of their job function or career trajectory. Or you could have employees from across your organization learn the ins and outs of business writing. Upskilling employees is an underutilized form of cross-training, and is also a great way to promote a culture of learning across your organization while allowing employees to satiate their own curiosity and discover hidden talents or interests.???
Cross-Training Across Departments
One of the best ways to build a real sense of teamwork and better relationships across your organization, is to allow employees to literally walk in someone else’s shoes for a while. Have your sales associates learn and understand what billing specialists do, and have your marketing team learn more about the products your organization develops and makes, etc. Cross-training employees across departments builds a better sense of understanding across departments which will improve communications. It also helps employees better understand their current roles in relation to the entire organization, while giving them opportunities to learn more about other teams and departments.
Here’s another cross-training method and some useful metrics for evaluating cross-=training results.
Cross-Training Across Functions
Develop programs that allow employees to see what leadership within their own department is like. Or develop a program that allows employees to discover whether they’d rather be a general billing specialist, a budget analyst, or a specialist who handles billing disputes within the finance department.
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Sometimes, employees like the department they work in, but they want to explore different functions within that department that may be a better fit for their career interests or growing skill-sets.
Metrics for Cross-Training
Measuring your cross-training programs is critical if you want to ensure they’re effective. Here are some metrics you’ll want to keep an eye on as you administer your cross-training programs.
Decrease in Employee Absenteeism and Turnover
If your employees are participating and engaged in your cross-training programs, over the course of a few months you’ll notice that the number of employees who quit working for your organization will lessen. You’ll also notice that the number of people who call out each week and the number of sick days they take will start to decrease. If you don’t see a decline in these numbers, you’ll want to consider revamping your cross-training programs.
Increase in Employee Productivity
Employees will start to produce more in less time if they’re benefiting from your cross-training programs. Since employees are boosting their skill-sets, calling out less, further motivated, and are cooperating with one another more, you’ll see that projects and daily workloads get done faster and more efficiently.
Boost in Individual Employee Performance
When cross-training programs are effective, you should also start to see individual employees’ performance measures increase. For instance, you’ll see higher individual sales numbers, more products being manufactured per person, fewer customer complaints per associate, etc.
Improved Departmental Performance
Departments should have higher rates of performance, too. For instance, sales numbers will increase, IT will make less errors, operations will run more efficiently, etc.
Better Internal Communication and Collaboration
You should start to see fewer complaints filed with HR regarding internal disputes and work differences. You’ll see more employees cheering one another on and leaving positive feedback on message boards, as well as working together to develop more products or perfect their services.
Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction rates and the number of positive customer reviews you receive will increase as employees are better prepared to deliver the products and services they need, as well as to handle customer concerns.
Employee Satisfaction
If you solicit feedback from employees as they participate in your cross-training programs, you should see their levels of job satisfaction increase. They’ll also express more loyalty to do good work for your organization.
Keep the above information, methods, and metrics in mind as you develop your cross-training programs in 2021, and your organization will surely experience all the benefits they offer.
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