Cross-Train Employees
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Cross-training employees can be a pretty smart move for your company.
Let's face it, most companies don't cross-train employees (A.K.A. training someone to do someone else’s job). A lot of times, the reason why falls somewhere along the lines of being a waste of time or money to train someone in someone else’s job.
However, I think it’s a smart move to consider, and here are four compelling reasons that might make you change your mind if your company doesn't do this:
1) Cross-training employees covers your ass.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but people are quitting their jobs in droves and jumping around in the job market like a trampoline right now. So if you have an employee who is the only one that knows how to do a specific, important role inside your company, and they leave, you may be screwed. It could cost you a ton of stress, or money, or even additional turnover depending on the circumstances.
Cross-training employees is a way to insulate yourself against getting left high and dry if somebody gets recruited away, is abducted by aliens, up and quits, or decides that they want to become a DJ in Europe. It’s a nice safety blanket to have other people who understand their job and can fill it, at least temporarily.
2) It can alleviate burnout.
Sometimes, not having people that are cross-trained in other roles means that certain people can’t take time off, or have an extremely hard time with it. It helps alleviate some of the burnout and pressure people feel when they know they are the only person who can do their job at the company. It’s a huge weight to put on one person, and adds pressure which can lead to frustration and burnout building up as time goes on.
Everyone needs breaks and downtime to recharge, so make sure all your people can take time off. No one should have to forfeit vacation time because no one else can fill in for them. That sucks. Cross-training employees helps to avoid anyone feeling that the company would go up in flames if they were to get some much needed downtime.
3) Cross-training breaks down team silos.
When you cross-train folks, employees better understand how different areas of the organization function, which breaks down silos and creates better communication between departments. It builds bridges across teams and creates an understanding of how each role impacts others.
Cross-training employees fosters a deeper understanding of the importance of different positions and erodes the “us against them” mentality that can build when teams become isolated. Learning someone else’s job allows individuals and teams to empathize with each other on a deeper level.
4) It provides development opportunities.
Cross-training employees also provides development opportunities for people inside the company who might want to shift their roles and do something different. It creates chances for folks to try out new positions that they might be interested in or curious about. Maybe someone from marketing is actually a brilliant project manager, or someone from shipping is a great salesperson.
Cross-training is great way to move people up and around, and provide opportunities to try new things they might excel in. When people are developing, learning, growing, and being challenged they stay longer. New and different opportunities add energy and boost morale.
If you’ve never tried any kind of cross-training program at your company, dip your toes into the water with a simple pilot program to see who’s interested and test things out to see if it bears fruit. It may end up being one of the best things you’ve ever tried.
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This article was created by Galen Emanuele for the #culturedrop. Free leadership and team culture content in less than 5 minutes a week. Check out the rest of this month's content and subscribe to the Culture Drop at https://bit.ly/culturedrop