Why is it important to offer cross-training opportunities to employees?

Using shop downtime is an excellent time to do cross-training. Maybe you have one person who works primarily on one piece of equipment – it’s important to get them cross-trained on another machine or responsibility within your shop so that in the case of an emergency, they can step in and fill gaps more easily.

Having your production team sit with the customer service staff and listen in on conversations is another great example. That way they’re actually hearing the customer’s concerns and what’s important to them to better understand who they’re serving, what effect their work has, and what they can improve on.

There are many opportunities for free training at your local Small Business Development Center. They’ll have training on understanding accounting for the non-accountant manger, listening training, leadership training, equipment certification, etc. Set aside time to schedule these classes with your employees and show them that you want to invest in their professional growth.