Cross-training provides benefits to both the employer and the employee.

Houston’s strives to provide growth opportunities for our employees and flexibility to internal departments through a process known as cross-training. The benefits of a cross-training program provide a win-win scenario for both employers and their employees:

Top 5 Employee Benefits

1. Learning new professional, technical, and soft skills makes employees feel more confident in their role and helps them understand their value within the organization. Employees are more confident when they understand how the work they do affects other departments and the organization as a whole.
2. With these newfound skills and versatility comes increased employee satisfaction as they experience less boredom or stagnation and more variety within their daily routines.
3. Through the process of cross-training, employees who wouldn’t normally interact are introduced and have the opportunity to build relationships that help with teamwork and give employees a better understanding of “the bigger picture” as they learn about the roles and responsibilities of other employees.
4. Cross-training is a form of employee recognition that goes a long way in increasing employee morale and motivation because its proof that the company is investing time and resources in teaching employees new skills.
5. Through the development of new skills, confidence, employee relations, and increased motivation, cross-training is a growth opportunity that prepares employees for advancement within the organization.

Top 5 Employer Benefits

1. Organizations that cross-train are better prepared to recover or transition quickly and gracefully in the event of an employee absence or departure as other employees can easily step into abandoned roles.
2. Through the cross-training process teams are able to uncover inefficiencies and refine necessary processes to increase productivity. This is also a chance for organizations to identify inefficient, duplicated processes across multiple departments, and encourage departments to share information. Departments or individuals may become aware of helpful information or tools that they didn’t even know existed.
3. As employees gain an understanding of their coworkers’ roles, they will appreciate each other more which will enhance both teamwork and employee morale.
4. In addition to uncovering hidden employee talents as they are trained in different areas and tasks, organizations will also find it easier to identify which employees are up and coming leaders or motivators.
5. Cross-training can also be viewed as a recruitment and cost savings tool. As employee satisfaction increases through the opportunity to learn new skills that enable them to work in additional or different areas, an organization is more likely to attract and keep good employees. Through employee retention and versatility, organizations save on the costs associated with training new-hires.

Does your organization have a cross-training program in place?