CHICAGO — When everything is going well in a drycleaning plant, the topic of cross-training employees is easy to put aside. The real payoff of cross-training shows up when something goes wrong.

In Part 1 of this series, we looked at how cross-training programs can be built into the culture of a drycleaning company, as well as deciding who gets trained for certain positions. In Part 2, we explored ways to train when time is tight while maintaining quality in the end results. Today, we’ll conclude by examining how to keep skills fresh as well as best practices for developing a cross-training mindset.

When It Counts

Steve Rettler, president and owner of All Seasons Garment Care & Tailoring in Minneapolis, Minnesota, saw it during the coronavirus pandemic, when an employee with a critical role was hospitalized for months.

“It wasn’t perfect, but we had people who could help keep that part of the business going,” he says. “Each time an event like that happens, you’re just reminded of how important it is to cross-train.”

Earlier this year, Rettler’s team was tested again when ICE raids in the Minneapolis area kept a number of employees away from work for weeks.

“There was a lot of anxiety around it,” he says. “We were going deep into the company bench to get people to backfill the need. But (cross-training) did help us out a ton.”

Chris and Craig Bamberg, brothers who are partners and co-owners of Platinum Dry Cleaners in Naples, Florida, had a moment when an employee suffered a death in the family and had to leave for nearly a week with no notice.

“We were able to not miss a beat on finishing shirts,” Chris Bamberg says. “Obviously, she’s more skilled at it. She’d been doing it for 15 years. But the gal who jumped in has been here for six years. She didn’t press shirts every day, but she fit the bill.”

For Mike and Janet Garman, husband and wife owners of Glyndon Lord Baltimore Cleaners in Glyndon, Maryland, cross-training isn’t about surviving one dramatic event. It is the daily operating reality.

“People call out, and things happen,” Mike Garman says. “Our wearing presser isn’t in — who do we have? We can pull our mark-in because they can come back there and help, and then we can get our shirt department to go mark in. It’s saved us plenty of times.”

Keeping It Fresh

Skills that never get used go stale, so it’s key to make a conscious effort to use them.

“On a weekly basis, we’re doing some kind of backfilling,” Rettler says. “We are big enough where it seems like every week somebody is sick or has a family emergency. It’s a constant practice.”

The Bambergs use Saturdays to keep backup skills sharp.

“We’ll run a skeleton crew purposely,” Chris Bamberg says. “The employee who saved the day while the other one was gone will come in and do shirts on that Saturday. We need to keep oil going on the wheel.”

Mike Garman says his team moves around so frequently that rust isn’t really a concern in the Glyndon Lord Baltimore plant.

“They’re constantly doing things every day, every other day or several times a week,” he says. “People like to be cross-trained because it actually breaks up their day. They aren’t stuck at one press all day long.”

Just Start

While cross-training can take some time and energy, the costs of not having that flexibility on a team make that time an investment.

“Start early, build it into your culture, and normalize it,” Rettler says. “Don’t make it a foreign concept.”

“Start on it right away,” Craig Bamberg agrees. “The faster you start, the better off you’re going to be because you never know what tomorrow’s going to bring. Who’s going to be absent or, God forbid, there’s a tragedy. You just don’t know.”

Mike Garman acknowledges that cross-training takes effort, particularly in today’s labor market. His advice is to invest that effort in people who have shown they’re sticking around.

“You don’t want to waste your time on somebody who’s been around for two or three months,” he says. “You want your longer-term employees who are invested in the business.”

Janet Garman keeps it even simpler: “Just start. Don’t overthink it. Cross-train people. You’ll be so glad you did.”

For Part 1 of this series, click HERE. For Part 2, click HERE.