Cross-Skilling: A Strategy To Make The Most Of Your Existing Talent

A lot has changed in the past decade in regard to skill development. While the early 2000s saw degrees as the main parameter for hiring, from 2012 onwards digital and technical skills were given significant importance.

And today, having only one skill is not the cut-out for any job. This is where cross-skilling comes into the picture! In this blog, we will tell you the benefits of cross-skilling and why both corporates and employees need Cross Skilling in 2023 and beyond!

What is Cross Skilling?
To describe Cross Skilling in layman's language is defined as the process of training employees in multiple skills. An employee is trained to work in roles outside of his/her current position.

India is a developing country, so we are working constantly towards improving our private sector. Companies today especially in IT are facing a higher attrition rate owing to various factors such as stressful work environments, lower bandwidth of resources, unsatisfied employees, etc.

Hence, Cross Skilling poses a benefit for both employees and employers. Rather than being confined to one area of work, cross-skilling gives employees the flexibility to learn and perform tasks outside their area of expertise and stay relevant in a volatile market. Moreover, with the right cross-skilling strategies, employees can look for different opportunities within the same organization.

There are several benefits of cross-skilling for employers as well.

• It reduces employee turnover
• Also reduces the cost of hiring additional professionals for a specific role
• Mitigates the risk of hindrances in various processes
• Boosts productivity with the help of collaboration
• Creates a more flexible workforce to handle unforeseen circumstances and business problems

Employees feel valued when the company invests in their professional growth, which propels them to stay loyal to the company for the long run. Therefore, organizations should spend some time designing effective cross-skilling programs for their employees.

Steps to execute an effective cross-skilling program

1. Identify talent for cross-skilling
   The first step before carrying out any skill development program is to analyze the need and demand for skills. Then determine the employees in the specific business areas who will benefit by taking up new responsibilities in addition to their current roles. Speak with the employees and discover their career aspirations. And accordingly, help them understand how taking up new skills will contribute to their career growth.
   
   It's important to explain why you're doing this training so that people understand why you want them to be trained in multiple roles. This will help people to see cross-training as a positive exercise.


2. Pick the best methodology for cross training
   Once the employees agree to go for additional skill training, design resources for each unique skill. Determine whether you will use one format or have various learning formats like blogs, webinars, videos, etc., and create a blended learning pathway.
   
   Every team is different and so is the nature of their work. So choose the right methodology to make any cross-training initiative successful.
   Some of the methodologies that are commonly used for cross-training employees are;
   • Instructor-led training: This is often the most efficient as one instructor can teach many people at the same time. However, for training to be effective, people must then have the opportunity to put the skills they've learned into practice in a working environment. Hence, regular assessments are equally important.
   • Self-directed learning: In this method, the learners get the flexibility to learn at their own pace. They either research for content or access content created by professionals through online courses or mediums.
   • On-the job-training: This is when a team member sits and follows another team member for a period of time to learn more about their work. This setup can bring a collaborative approach between teams by teaching new skills to their colleagues.


3. Measure the impact of cross-skilling programs
   Once everything is planned, launch the program, make sure that the training is happening seamlessly, give people the support they need to be successful, provide opportunities to apply skills, and follow up from time to time.
   
   After completing the programs, it’s critical to measure the effectiveness of your cross-skilling. Run a feedback session with the employees to understand if the cross-skilling programs have helped them manage their new tasks efficiently. Understand their learning needs. Based on feedback, tweak your cross-skilling programs and make them more impactful to capture employee interest.