Cross Training Your Staff
It is a frustrating truth that we work in an industry that is perpetually short of having enough employees to fully and comfortably staff our locations. You, as a manager, have the expereince and the knowhow to run every station in your restaurant and to jump in where needed; your line level employees, on the other hand, do not.
Cross training is an underrated tool that we as managers can use to secure our business against employee related problems. If you are to cross train your staff to fill other positions it will come with numerous benefits for you, your business, and for them.
More Skills
Training your employees to work different stations and positions in your restaurant provides them with a greater understanding of how the whole restaurant machine functions whilst also equipping them with skills that they can utilize elsewhere in their job and in their life.
Promotes a Team Environment
Once your employees have been cross trained they can better understand the stresses associated with different positions in the restaurant, rather than just thinking of their own. It will also give them a higher amount of respect for their colleagues working in different positions.
Helps Your Venue Run Smoother
If people being cross trained means they’ll have more understanding of, and respect for, those with whom they work with who work in different positions then the knock on effect will be that they’ll be more inclined to help each other once they recognize the tell tale signs of their colleagues being overwhelmed. And having been cross trained they’ll be able to do just that. This will further increase the team spirit inside your location and help your venue run smoother during busy periods.
Creating a Safety Net
Because we’re currently so short on staff the fear of one person calling out sick or not turning up and us not being able to find a replacement is a real problem. Having employees cross trained means that, when in a pinch, you’ll have a lot more people you can turn to to help fill the gaps left by those that haven’t shown up to work.
Reduces Stress
Mainly for you but also for everyone else. If you have multiple people that you can call in order to cover someone who’s ill then you’ll be much less likely to loose sleep over such problems. Because everyone now has expereince being in everyone else’s position in your restaurant they’re going to be assisting each other, and, as a result, reducing and friction and stress created between employees in these positions.
With the low quantity of people out there who want to work in restaurants and more restaurants opening than ever before the staff shortage problem is becoming more and more real every year. Cross training your employees is an excellent way to mitigate being caught in the short staffing crisis, and it may also have them sticking with you for longer than usual. They’ll have a lot of hours because they can fill multiple positions and they and you will be happier because, overall, the environment and team in your place will be built to sustain itself and will be self perpetuating.
