Cross Training--It's a Good Thing!

interesting web junction thread

info about the infopeople webinar from may 2011


I like the idea of cross training...assuming that people aren't too cross about doing it!

The public library where this leaper works has many cross trained (or Renaissance) librarians.  It can be very useful when we need break coverage, emergency fill ins, etc.  That is on the simple level.

This leaping libertine librarian also deplores sending people around from one desk to another if it is not absolutely necessary.  The more knowledgeable and empowered the staff are, the better.

One feels more empowered when there is an understanding of what those 'other departments' are doing.

                              happy cross trained staff shown in this up to date photo

 Small excerpt from article cited below:
Take-home advice

* An employee who can think for herself is a lot easier to cross-train

* if an employee isn't keen on cross-training, explain how it benefits him

* Make opportunities for people to maintain their new skills

* Cross-training should be considered part of the job and already factored into employee pay

Weiss, Gail Garfinkel

Source Citation

Weiss, Gail Garfinkel. "Reap the benefits of cross-training your staff! Among life's inevitabilities (along with cell phones that cut out and computers that go down) are employee absences. You have to plan for them. The more jobs your employees can do, the better it is for them, for you, and for your patients." Contemporary Pediatrics Nov. 2005: 90+. Academic OneFile. Web. 12 Jan. 2012.