Consider Adding Cross-Training Positions
cross-training customer satisfaction customers employee development employees factory flexibility growth manufacturing production staffing staffing model training
Consider staffing positions that I call a cross-training positions. The idea of having a specific cross-training role is a concept that I adopted many years ago after working alongside some managers from Proctor and Gamble.
P&G may have actually called these positions something else, but I called this position a cross-training positions. Staffing these positions was very odd to me at first and it may seem odd to you too because it feels like costly overstaffing.
The cross-training positions were really extra positions that we staffed. For about every 5 operators that I had, I staffed an extra operator and for every 5 packer/casers that I had, I staffed an extra one. Like I said, at first glance, it really sounds like costly overstaffing, but ultimately it provided amazing flexibility.
I used this position as an opportunity to cross-train employees on different processes. Additionally, when someone needed to be freed-up for classroom training, it was easy to backfill them. When someone called out sick, it was easy to backfill them and when someone had vacation, it was easy to backfill them. These cross-training positions afforded me optimal flexibility and kept the factory producing at a level that matched customer demand.
The most incredible benefit for this plant was how it fueled our amazing growth. We had a new machine brought on-line about every month. Staffing for this growth could have been really painful, but really it was actually easy all because of these cross-training positions. We had a continual pipeline of training and qualified people at every level who could immediately staff our new machines. Meanwhile, we were hiring only entry level positions and training up from there.
This model reduced overtime costs, fueled our growth, provided ultimate flexibility for our customers, and provided career advancement opportunities for our employees.
It also provided for the immediate backfilling of jobs. When someone was awarded a position there wasn’t a wait time. Often, I seen long training and backfilling pipelines that just cripple growth plans because there is no pipeline of available talent. This frustrates the business and the employees and because of this dynamic, I highly recommend considering the cross-training position for your plant.
Evaluate this position by looking at your daily absences, including vacations and determine if it makes sense to use straight time for backfilling vacancies instead of overtime. Then consider your projected growth and consider proactively hiring to feed the future talent pipeline. You may need business approval to staff this role, but it is an amazing staffing model when applied in the right situation. It is certainly worth your time exploring this option.
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