Make your team more productive, connected and efficient with cross training

RCS Influencer Martin Stout says that having a cross trained, seasoned team means the pace will accelerate, the camaraderie will develop and people will ultimately be much happier.  

Cross training is so important to the success of your company that it is hard to measure. Its like asking how important water and air to personal survival are.

You must have employees that understand how to do what others do. They then better understand how what they do effects what others do, but they can also help do that work when someone is away.  

When I was young and starting out everyone started at the “bottom.” For example, you might start someone as a loader on shingle crew and encourage him to push to get his/her job done so that he would have time to work with the crew that was the next step ahead of him/her on the job.  Then they would work to catch up to the team ahead of them. This “push” keeps productivity up and teaches the newer crew members about the processes they can affect and improves their understanding of the overall process.  

The same can be applied to any operation. In your back office the team needs to be trained how to do the specific tasks assigned to them and get exposure to what the next task is and what it means to the overall goal of the overall team. The better you accomplish this the smother things will go. If someone misses a day the system still works.  

If you have a seasoned team that has specific tasks but understand and can do the tasks assigned to others the pace will accelerate, the camaraderie will develop and people will ultimately be much happier. 

So the short answer is; happier, more productive, more connected, employees and less management energy required.