Double down on employee strengths — and everybody wins

Adapted from What’s New in Benefits & Compensation

If you’ve hired well, then you probably have a lot of employees who are eager to expand their on-the-job skills. Good employees always want to learn more and do more. It’s the quality that made them good in the first place.

So, if your suggestion box is jammed with requests from people wanting more training opportunities, don’t keep them waiting. Cross-training is the ideal way to double your staffing strength without ever having to hire anyone.

The key is to do the training without compromising other pressing needs.

Select a core group

Step one is to identify those people who want to be cross-trained.

Use email, newsletter or other communication channels to let it be known that cross-training opportunities are being developed. Once you get a reliable list of people wanting training, sit them down to make sure they have your best interests in mind, as well as their own.

The win-win is to find out which skills people are most interested in and how those skills can be used to support the organization.

It also helps to identify what people are most passion about, and who are best positioned to take advantage of the training.

Just remember, some people might want to jump ship once they’ve mastered a new skill. Teach a busboy to be a waiter, and you’ll soon need a new busboy.

Build an efficient system

Finding the most efficient way to train people is key to success. The obvious route is to have people work alongside those who already have the skills the employees in the cross-training program are trying to attain.

But that creates another challenge: Who will do the jobs of the employees being cross-trained?

There’s no simple solution, so be sure to spread out the training so it doesn’t put undue stress on any one department. A good rule of thumb in the beginning is that an employee can engage in cross-training only when someone can be found to sub on the regular duties.

Sit back and enjoy the results

Employees who learn new skills and put them to good use are invaluable, two for the price of one. Cross-trained employees are essential because they can fill in for others with little or no notice.

And that’s a real benefit for the bottom line.

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