Cross-Training Employees to Maximize Business Success

Many situations can leave a company short-staffed, but cross-training employees can help. Get a clear definition of the term "cross-training" as it applies to the workplace. Find out what it can do for you, learn what challenges you might face, and discover how to start an effective cross-training program. Then, learn more about cross-training success in the real world.

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What is cross-training in the workplace?

Cross-training in the workplace refers to the process of training one or more employees to perform tasks outside of those in their job description. When companies develop cross-training programs, they can rely on their workers to handle situations that demand extra skills, like peak business cycles or absent employees.

Understanding the benefits of cross-training employees

Cross-training offers companies a variety of benefits. For instance, when employees gain skills beyond their original job description, they can fill in during tough economic times or temporary staff shortages. It helps companies save money on recruiting, hiring, and onboarding. Employees might also benefit from gaining new skills, such as a new sense of purpose and more enthusiasm for the job, which can help make them more productive and more likely to stay with your company. 

Additional benefits of cross-training employees can include:

• Better communication

• Increased collaboration

• Enhanced operations

• Greater employee loyalty

• Improved problem-solving  

• A more positive work culture

• Higher profits

Read more: 5 E-Learning Trends That Benefit the Workplace

Overcoming the challenges of cross-training employees

Although cross-training offers many upsides for companies, it can also present some challenges. Examples of challenges you might face when starting a cross-training program include:

Employee resistance to change: Employees may resist cross-training for legitimate reasons, such as fear of replacement or worry about an excessive workload. You can help dispel resistance by explaining the program carefully, stating expectations clearly, and making the program optional. 

Concerns about compensation: If you plan to train employees to gain more skills and take on more work, you should also plan to pay them accordingly. Implement a new pay-for-knowledge program or a higher cross-training pay grade, and explain these changes up front to get employees on board. 

Establishing a balance between expectations and workload: When starting a cross-training program, it's essential to balance what you expect from your employees and their new workload. Employees who feel overwhelmed when taking on new duties may grow dissatisfied with the company. Remember to balance their work and training hours to help employees ensure they put in the right amount of time on both.  

Too little specialization: If all your employees participate in a cross-training program, you may end up with too many generalists (employees with a broad spectrum of knowledge) and not enough specialists (employees with skills in specific areas). You can help prevent this problem by choosing the employees you cross-train wisely. 

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How to design an effective cross-training program

Effective cross-training depends on a well-designed program. Consider the following tips to help you create a cross-training program that works for your company:

1. Demonstrate and encourage good leadership.

Organizational change demands a good leader. As you begin creating your cross-training program, a few key strategies can help you demonstrate exemplary leadership and encourage it in others.

• Establish clear objectives and goals.

• Adopt a flexible leadership style that supports cross-training.

• Encourage open communication.

• Involve managers in implementing and sustaining a cross-training program.

• Boost enthusiasm for your program by recognizing and rewarding participants.

2. Create a learning culture.

Cross-training makes up just one aspect of employee learning and development. Consider these strategies to create a broader learning culture at your company:

• Map employee skill sets and identify training gaps.

• Create tailored training plans for individuals, teams, or departments.

• Gamify training to make it more enjoyable.

• Leverage mentoring and coaching in your cross-training program.

• Enhance employee skills with job rotation. 

Read more: Fostering a Learning Culture within Your Company: Your 2024 Guide

3. Use ethical cross-training practices.

To make sure your cross-training program meets the needs of all your employees, use practices that emphasize fairness and accessibility. These tips can help:

• Use different training methods to address your employees' various learning styles (auditory, visual, and kinesthetic).

• Review the images of people in your training content and make sure they include individuals of different genders, ethnicities, and abilities.

• Create guidelines for offering cross-training assignments to avoid bias when choosing staff for your program. 

• Make sure all employees have access to your guidelines to ensure transparency.

4. Incorporate technology into your cross-training program.

Bringing technology into a corporate training program can make it more convenient, efficient, and interactive. Consider these ideas:

• Utilize a learning management system (LMS) that generates and delivers virtual training sessions and tracks employee progress.

• Use simulators to make on-the-job training available for remote learners.

• Make training more interactive with electronic clickers that allow learners to respond immediately to the trainer's questions.

• Incorporate video conferencing to train employees spread out across various facilities.

5. Measure the effectiveness of cross-training.

To determine whether your cross-training program works, measure its effectiveness. Consider collecting quantitative (number-based) and qualitative (subjective) data.

• Define and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) of your cross-training program (such as attendance rates, test scores, and engagement) to measure its effectiveness.

• Ask for feedback from employees by distributing post-training surveys.

• Conduct interviews of individual employees and managers to get feedback on training.

Start cross-training your employees with Coursera

Now that you've explored cross-training in more detail, you can take what you've learned and start setting up your own program. 

Attract frontline talent, support internal mobility, and prepare workers for in-demand, digital jobs with Career Academy from Coursera. Featuring a curated catalog of guided tutorials and projects focused on high-value digital skills and tools, Career Academy offers competitive career development opportunities with training programs from industry leaders like Google, Salesforce, Intuit, Meta, and Ashok Leyland, among many others. Explore Coursera for Business to learn how to provide the technology training your business needs to be competitive.