1. Tuesday Training Titbits, Issue 141 | 02 June 2015
by Maggie O’Donnell
General Manager
RBS – Gogarburn Campus
In the world of sports, the benefits of cross-training are clear: by mixing different activities
into a regular workout routine one can balance the development between muscle groups,
avoid overuse injuries, and prevent boredom. The same may be said of cross-training in the
workplace. Cross-training simply means improving proficiency levels in roles outside team
members’ current responsibilities. Improving both organisational success and team
performance through cross-training is a leadership tool that Managers and Supervisors often
overlook but a tool that is simple to implement and one that has huge organisational
benefits.
Cross-training is beneficial for many reasons, for example:
 It can be used to get a fresh pair of eyes on a particular task and enables the team
to come up with creative solutions to existing problems;
 The team as a whole can be more flexible which increases resilience in times of high
pressure;
 It can be used to enhance the individuals’ skills which means they can take on new
challenges which in turn raises the profile of the individual;
 It is a development tool that ensures constant learning in the workplace;
 It demonstrates that the company has faith in its employees’ abilities and wants to
provide them with opportunities for career growth.
But perhaps the most important advantage of a cross-training programme is greater job
satisfaction among employees.
Here two team members discuss their experiences of cross-training and what they
personally got out of the programme:
Stephen Tracey, Executive Receptionist
“One of the huge benefits of cross-training for me was the fact that now I understand so
much more how all the roles in the team link together and the importance of working as one
team. For example I work as a receptionist and have been cross trained in the role of CLO. I
can now advise a client which room and set up would be beneficial to their meeting
requirements and also what AV equipment the room is equipped in it which I wouldn’t have
been able to do before. I am also now able to assist with AV problems that a client might
have on the day of a meeting. Cross-training can open you up to various other rolls with in a
business that you might like to try out. I didn’t know what other roles entailed but I really
enjoyed the experience and think this is something I could see myself doing in the future.”
James Abey, Customer Liaison Officer
“I have been cross trained on four sites in the following roles: reception, AV, mailroom,
customer liaison officer and front of house supervisor. It means I can be asked to cover any
role if someone is off sick or we need to help a site on a particularly busy day. I enjoy cross-
training because it changed my perception on the roles, I got to do something I’m not used to,
I faced new challenges, and I learnt more about myself as well as the role. With the
programme you also get out of the building you normally work in and go to other sites where
you meet new people (sometimes colleagues you normally only speak to on the phone!).
Cross-training has been really beneficial to me and I have thoroughly enjoyed the different
challenges in all the roles and getting to visit all the sites in Edinburgh. Cross-training should
definitely be seen as a benefit and not a punishment!”
Whether you have a team of five or fifty, cross-training demands a strategic plan before
implementing to ensure the benefits can be delivered in an effective way. Planning is
essential to ensure that the team performance is not disrupted but also to ensure you are
not throwing an individual in the “deep-end”. You need to make sure that the team
member/s being cross-trained has all the support they need.
One of the first steps to setting up a cross-training program is having each job role draw up a
list of tasks that are necessary to its day-to-day operations. It is always important to have
participating employees review the lists of functions and tasks. This way each individual can
identify the functions/tasks they already know how to do and those they would like to learn.
Having their input allows the program manager to consider both competence and interest in
the matching process and ensure that the programme is seen as a benefit.
I have seen team members grow and excel in cross-training, expanding their knowledge, their
skills, and most importantly, develop their understanding of our vision. Cross-training has
enabled us to be more resilient as a team: we are flexible, we drive innovation, we feel
empowered and we are memorable to our client.
tuesdaytrainingtitbits
from Mitie Client Services
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