How the Food Industry Is Using Cross-Training to Boost Service

Cross-training employees on a variety of tasks can be a powerful tool for improving operations, as well as for attracting and retaining workers. When employees are cross-trained to perform a variety of both customer-facing and non-customer-facing tasks, they can adjust their work depending on demand and business needs. Of course, that’s good for the business, but it also makes the job better for workers. For one thing, when employees are more productive and contribute more, companies can pay them more. Cross-training helps employees build capabilities that they can leverage in their career growth. It also enables more stable schedules. This article shows how several small food companies were able to use cross-training to improve service and job quality. Any industry can learn from these approaches to improve operations, customer experience, and employee experience.