Problem-solving is an essential skill every maintenance technician should master to be effective on the job. They are constantly faced with challenges that require quick thinking and innovative solutions to not only fix an immediate issue but also identify a root cause and prevent a recurrence.
Cross-training, teaching employees skills outside their primary job functions, is the ideal solution to broaden maintenance technicians’ skills, increase their proficiency, and keep them engaged. By investing in a solution that provides various opportunities for skills growth and development, maintenance teams can improve their problem-solving capabilities, enabling them to work on a wider variety of tasks.
Understanding the Complexities of Maintenance Work
Equipment and technology are becoming increasingly complex, making routine upkeep more demanding and repairs more complicated. When maintenance teams cannot complete repairs efficiently, it increases downtime and costs.
Complexities can be compounded for maintenance teams that are managing different systems, such as HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and structural components. Each area requires specialized knowledge and skills, making relying on a single technician for all tasks difficult.
Another factor affecting complexity is that many systems are often interconnected. For example, electrical systems can be tied to HVAC controls, making diagnostics more complicated when one component fails and requires technicians to have a broad knowledge base. At the same time, uptime is critical, so maintenance techs need to be able to complete preventive maintenance, troubleshoot, and make repairs quickly and effectively.
Maximizing Your Team’s Potential
There are several benefits associated with cross-training your maintenance teams. These include:
- Increased Flexibility: A cross-trained team can fill in for each other during absences or emergencies, reducing the risk of downtime and eliminating the need to hire outside help.
- Less Outsourcing: Cross-trained workers who are confident with multiple systems are better equipped to handle repairs on their own, reducing the need for calling third-party providers, helping to cut costs, and streamlining the workflow. Maintenance technicians who are confident across multiple systems can address issues independently, preventing delays and improving uptime.
- Innovative Thinking: Exposure to different types of work and systems encourages critical thinking and strengthens troubleshooting skills, leading to faster diagnosis and repairs. Maintenance technicians also better understand how different systems interconnect, which can streamline repairs. For example, an HVAC specialist might notice plumbing issues that could be impacted by temperature changes, allowing for a proactive approach that reduces the risk of future problems.
- Stronger Teams: Cross-trained workers have a better understanding of what other people within the company do, which can break down silos, improve communication, and lead to more effective teamwork.
- Greater Job Satisfaction and Employee Retention: Cross-training demonstrates that you value your employees’ development, leading to increased job satisfaction and retention. Plus, cross-trained employees can adapt to unexpected situations more effectively and typically feel more prepared at work, helping to improve their overall job satisfaction.
Making a Cross-Training Program a Success
You can use several strategies to ensure your cross-training program is a success. When rolling out your training, steps to consider include:
- Establish the Program’s Goals: List the skills and core competencies each team member should learn based on the team’s operational needs. A good place to start is determining which skills are the most important for your operations and which positions or tasks would benefit from more coverage. Prioritize high-risk or high-frequency tasks where cross-training could have the most impact.
- Conduct Training Needs Assessments: Assessing your maintenance techs’ strengths and weaknesses can help you identify gaps in knowledge or where specialized skills are needed so you can gear training toward each individual’s needs. That avoids wasting your team’s time training on things they already know while also ensuring no critical skills are missed.
- Incorporate Hands-On Learning and Simulations: Simulations offer hands-on learning in a virtual environment so your team can practice tasks without the risk of damaging equipment or injuring themselves. Modern simulations use advanced software to create highly realistic and immersive experiences that replicate real-world scenarios. Plus, they are highly scalable and can be customized to fit your specific needs.
- Implement a Schedule: A schedule can ensure your team has time to focus on training and complete training modules. There are also opportunities to create specific pathways for advancement or training certifications, which will help technicians visualize the career benefits and advantages of completing their training.
- Create a Culture of Continuous Learning: Cross-training should not be a one-off event. Provide ongoing learning opportunities like refresher courses, advanced training, or certifications. Regularly update the training program to incorporate new technologies, techniques, or changes in industry standards. You can also implement gamification or offer incentives to increase engagement and motivation.
- Create a Feedback Loop: Schedule check-ins with team members to discuss their training experiences and track their development. Encourage employees and their managers to share feedback on the training and the overall training program. Then, use the feedback to refine the program as needed.
Measuring the Impact of Cross-Training
Measuring the success of a cross-training program can help you gauge the return on investment and quantify the program’s impact on operational efficiency, workforce capability, and overall team performance. Some key performance indicators worth tracking include:
- Skill Coverage Rate: Tracking the percentage of team members proficient in multiple essential tasks or skills can help demonstrate how well your cross-training program increases your team’s versatility. A higher skill coverage rate means more team members can handle different responsibilities, reducing the risk of downtime and inefficiencies. As skills gaps shrink, you should also see fewer tasks dependent on specific employees, improving operational resilience.
- Reduced Downtime: Cross-training aims to mitigate downtime by ensuring that maintenance tasks can be handled by multiple team members, regardless of who is on duty. You can track downtime incidents and correlate them with personnel availability. A reduction in downtime, especially during times of employee absence, indicates a program is working.
- Work Order Completion Rate: A team with more versatile skills can complete work orders more quickly and efficiently, leading to higher completion rates within a specific timeframe. Monitor the number of work orders completed on time and compare it to previous periods before cross-training was implemented.
- Employee Utilization Rate: A well-implemented cross-training program allows employees to be more productive by completing tasks outside their primary role when needed. Analyze employee time logs or productivity tracking tools to measure the time spent on value-added activities.
- Employee Engagement and Job Satisfaction: Cross-training can lead to higher job satisfaction as employees feel more valued and see opportunities for career growth within the company. Use employee surveys, interviews, or feedback forms to gauge job satisfaction. You can also track your turnover rates and internal promotions. Employees who are more engaged are less likely to leave your company.
- Number of Safety Incidents: Effective cross-training should emphasize safe practices and reduce the likelihood of on-the-job accidents. Monitor safety reports to determine if incidents decrease as employees become better trained in various tasks and safety protocols.
Let Us Help
Interplay offers immersive, on-demand, and scalable solutions to cross-train techs faster, upskill experienced techs, and provide opportunities for career advancement. If you’re ready to increase your technicians’ versatility, improve employee engagement, and reduce downtime, contact us to learn more.
