Cross-training offers many benefits to supervisors and the organizations that employ them beyond covering for coworkers who are out. And cross-training is beneficial to employees as well.

Those benefits include:

• Development of new skills
• Better appreciation for what coworkers’ jobs involve
• Opportunities to meet and network with employees in other departments
• Greater flexibility to cover for employees while they are on vacation or absent
• Better understanding of organizational procedures

Programs to provide cross-training opportunities for employees, supervisors, and managers can take shape in different ways. For example, your organization might develop a program where employees can express interest in the type of training they would be most interested in receiving. Or, the organization might develop a standard set of cross-training opportunities appropriate for each job.

Either way, employees will appreciate being given a chance to learn new things and will be motivated to continue to expand their knowledge of the entire operation. The more flexibility that can be built into the program, the more employees will be encouraged to participate.

Source: www.hr.blr.com