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Contributed by: Admin 2

Cross-Training in Facilities Maintenance Companies: A Systematic Approach to Improved Employee Awareness & Engagement

Contributed by the Diversified Maintenance Client Relations Team

A cross-training program is an effective employee development initiative as well as a good management strategy as it trains employees to take on job roles in addition to their own assigned responsibilities. Facilities maintenance services providers that adopt cross-training strategies achieve the benefits of reduced operational risks, better collaboration between workers and departments, efficient problem solving with higher operational flexibility, among many others. Cross-training allows facilities maintenance companies to build a skilled workforce by training employees to learn new skills to perform tasks outside their usual job description structure and guidelines.

Improve Employee Engagement – As it is an opportunity to acquire new and versatile skills that can be at the same or even higher level of responsibility than the usual assigned tasks, cross-training employees results in job enrichment.  As a result, new skill development enhances employee engagement as they have a better understanding of the scope of work and customer expectations, gain insight on the significance of each employee’s contribution to company success, and feel valued by their managers and employers.

Manage Employee Absenteeism – The nature of services delivered by facilities maintenance companies is such that they cannot risk skipping any scheduled day only because an employee is on leave. Regardless of a planned or unexpected employee absenteeism, the service providers must ensure seamless service delivery and uninterrupted operations for all customers. Cross-training employees is a roadmap to a structured process for managing employee absenteeism and improving staffing flexibility without the company suffering or causing customer frustration.

Increase Operational Efficiency – Facilities maintenance companies that cross-train employees are required to take a closer look at the important operations and functions that can ensure seamless service delivery during any type of unforeseen disruption. This process also recognizes the different strengths and skills of each employee that were not highlighted by their own job roles. Therefore, service providers obtain agility and a clear vision in fulfilling job re-assigning and re-scheduling requirements when necessary.

Cross-training is an effective strategy for facilities maintenance companies to maintain their service standards and proactively resolve workflow fluctuation that are crucial for the operations of their customers.

To learn more, reach out to us at info@diversifiedm.com