Are you Multi-Skilling Your Staff?

A post from our Leadership and Team Management blog

Just over a year ago, HR magazine posted an article on their website about employees who felt that they were being asked to make decisions that they were not qualified to do (HR Magazine, David Woods, 17^th June 2011). Many staff believed that they were not provided with Training Plans that would improve their competence levels.

Almost a year later, with the world changing so quickly that many people find that the role that they were hired for has changed considerably, have things actually improved? To all accounts, it would appear not.

With job roles changing so swiftly in today's age, is it practical to always hire people for the exact job specifications? If so, do you then make the old person redundant? The solution is to employ people that are not only able to fill the current role being offered, but also have the confidence and flexibility to change when required.



To be practical though, you might have the most confident and flexible person in the world, but they will not have the skills to do every single job. Are you then providing that person with the skills to now fill their new role? If you have found such a gem of a staff member, why not give them the skills by providing Training Plans for them courtesy of suitable courses? That way, they will never become frustrated by having to do things that they are not equipped to do.

Here are just some of the many benefits associated with continually enhancing staff skills courtesy of attending suitable courses:

1)      Staff who feel competent stay happier. A happier workforce is a more productive one. If they have any questions, Manuals which were provided during their training can answer any questions.

2)      There will be an overflow from that content staff member. Just as grumblers tend to find each other, happy staff will infect others with that spirit.

3)      Happy staff tend to stay put and you will have far less costs associated with recruiting new staff.

So, sometimes that one short course will be just what is needed to keep not only that one person, but an entire department, happy and content especially as Manuals can be easily referred to. Surely that has to be good for the company?