Cross Training In Organization

What is cross-training? Getting introduced to different departments in an organization apart from your core department.

Companies today, make sure that the employees and managers go through their cross training sessions so that they become more valuable, they can combat worker boredom and provides more flexibility to the company as well as the employees themselves. The benefits of cross-training includes readiness of an employee who might have to fill in shoes in case of an ill employee, provides more variety in work and more inputs and higher productivity. It also results in the interaction between employees, which builds a sense of teamwork within a department and also with other departments. They also start to understand other employees better as they know what it takes to perform their task and leads to a better work environment in the company and at times of unbalanced work flows, employees can be shifted from one department to another easily and work can be carried on without glitches.

                        For cross training to be effective, a lot of planning and organizing goes into account. It cannot be implemented all of a sudden during a crisis. It is important, for example, who will be eligible for training, will it be mandatory or voluntary, weather it’ll be restricted within the department or to other departments as well, and will it be internally or externally administered. Prior to its implementation, it will be helpful to set up a task force consisting of the managers and employees and identify the pros and cons for the business, assess the feasibility and set up a realistic schedule for the same. Training can take place through an on-the-job buddy system, or supervisors can be asked to conduct all the training and finally, the employees should be given time to absorb the new information. It may also be helpful to evaluate newly trained employees' progress on a regular basis. 

                        Some of the highlights and benefits of cross training include:

§  Increased flexibility and versatility.

§  Improved individual efficiency.

§  Increased standardization.

§  Better teamwork and coordination among the employees.

§  High morale among the employees.

Some the esteemed companies that practice cross-training include, Dell, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, Infosys, Tata Group, Starwood Hotels and Resorts to name a few.

                        Cross-training should be an integral part of any organization as it would be in the best interest of the company and the employees and it would also be helpful to achieve the goals and objectives of the company.

 Article By -

Karthik M

Batch 14-16