Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue IV, 2013 | Page 70

People
By Nate DaPore

Cross-Training
Employees Pays Off
How e-learning can increase employee value

Y

ou are looking to hire a new
team member. You’ve reviewed
applications, held interviews,
and narrowed it down to two
candidates. They both had strong interviews, the same availability, and will
take the same hourly salary. The only
difference is that one has experience in
the role, while the other has experience
in the role plus training in other areas
that could be useful.
Which one do you chose for the position? The candidate who can fill more
than just one role seems like a no-brainer,
right? So, if an applicant with the ability
to handle more roles seems like the obvious choice, then why isn’t cross-training
your current employees more common?
Many companies shy away from crosstraining, worried that it is too costly and
time-prohibitive. Cross-training requires
both the trainee and trainer to spend
time that could otherwise be focused on
operations, and paying team members
to put in that extra time to train or be
trained is an additional cost most business cannot afford. And this dilemma is
growing as the Affordable Care Act requires businesses to focus more closely
on employee hours.
For companies that want to crosstrain employees, online training can
make the process less labor-intensive
and more affordable. Web-based training helps key team members remain on
the floor, managing the customer experience and spending less time coaching
new employees.
With online training, employees can
manage the early training stages at their
own pace, and as their schedule permits.
This allows team members with different

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Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s ue IV, 2013

Online training
can make the
process less laborintensive and more
affordable.
levels of experience or aptitude to balance out quickly. Then, all team members
cross-training on the floor will already
have some of the basics down and learn
the next steps more quickly.
High-quality training software allows
businesses to develop custom content, with
quick creation, easy delivery, and trackable testing. Most e-learning solutions
offer training in multiple formats, such
as PDFs, SCORM courses (SCORM is a

set of technical standards for e-learning
software), or videos. Employers can have
star employees use smartphones to video
quick “how-to” training clips and upload
them into a training program.
Reaping the benefits
By setting expectations about crosstraining programs on an employee’s first
day, companies are better equipped to
extinguish any “that’s not my job” mentality. New hires are introduced into a
corporate culture with self-starting expectations. Training team members for
multiple roles prepares them to confidently step up to help fill any need when
you’re in the weeds.
For example, when cashiers are trained
to stock shelves and stockers are trained
as cashiers, a stocker can step in and
open a register during a customer rush.
Hostesses can watch videos about server
etiquette and practices, and then spend
less time cross-training on the floor. And
team members who are trained in multiple areas of the business more easily
transition into management.
Cross-training your team with online
learning solutions helps operations reduce costs (in training materials, labor,
and possibly travel), increase scheduling
flexibility, reduce turnover, and improve
succession planning. As far as team benefits, increasing training and employee
value improves team morale and overall
productivity.
When the time comes to hire, you
know you’ll select the candidate with
the most value. Take the time now to
increase the efficiency of your current
team through cross-training.
Nate DaPore is president
and CEO of PeopleMatter.
He is passionate about providing team members, including his own, with a rewarding workplace
experience tha