As a production, QHSE, or HR manager at a factory, you rely on your versatile operators to fill in for absent colleagues or handle peaks in activity. On audit day, you still need to demonstrate that each employee meets all the requirements of their position, including up-to-date authorizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Versatility at work is the ability to perform multiple jobs or tasks. On the shop floor, an operator is versatile if it meets all the requirements for at least two positions<\/strong>, including authorizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A versatile employee works at several stations, on several machines, or during several stages of a process<\/strong>. It combines the expertise of each role with the ability to adapt from one context to another, as opposed to specialization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Frederick Taylor, on the other hand, assigned each worker a single, broken-down, and timed task (The Principles of Scientific Management<\/em>, 1911). Toyota\u2019s production system took the opposite approach. In it, Taiichi Ohno describes operators who manage several machines on the same line in order to adjust the number of workers to the volume to be produced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Definition<\/p>\n An operator is versatile when they cover 100 % requirements for at least two distinct positions<\/strong> : skills assessed at the operational level and valid clearances. All Mercateam figures in this article are based on this definition.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n An operator can hold a position every day without mastering it in terms of compliance<\/strong>. On average, a position has 3.73 requirements in the pharmaceutical industry and 7.20 in the automotive industry, and meeting six out of seven is not enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The discrepancy comes to light during an audit or inspection, when it turns out that a position is being filled by someone who lacks the required qualifications. The versatility that is valuable to your site is the kind that stands up to this scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is versatility a skill?<\/p>\r\n Yes, it is a cross-functional skill that combines technical expertise, interpersonal skills, and the ability to adapt. In the workshop, however, it is demonstrated through the requirements of each position.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Versatility takes two forms: horizontal and vertical<\/strong>, and differs from both multidisciplinary competence and cross-functional competence. Distinguish these concepts in your matrix, as each is developed separately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vertical versatility remains the least accessible to workers<\/strong>. In the\u2019Survey on Working Conditions<\/a> According to a 2019 Dares report, 53 % of unskilled workers are unable to resolve incidents on their own, compared with 32 % of employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat is versatility in the workplace?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why count requirements rather than positions filled?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Forms of Versatility and How It Differs from Multiskilling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\r\n \r\nConcept<\/th>\r\n What it refers to<\/th>\r\n Workshop Example<\/th>\r\n What it secures<\/th>\r\n<\/tr><\/thead> \r\n Horizontal Versatility<\/strong><\/td>\r\n Several positions with the same level of complexity<\/td>\r\n One operator trained on three machines on a packaging line<\/td>\r\n Replacing an Absent Colleague<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n \r\n Vertical Versatility<\/strong><\/td>\r\n Tasks of varying difficulty levels within the same scope<\/td>\r\n A line operator who also performs adjustments and preliminary fault diagnostics<\/td>\r\n Responsiveness to Incidents<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n \r\n Multidisciplinary Skills<\/strong><\/td>\r\n Expertise drawn from various fields<\/td>\r\n An operator that manufactures and provides first-level maintenance<\/td>\r\n Uninterrupted service without the need for support<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n \r\n Cross-functional skill<\/strong><\/td>\r\n A skill that is useful in many situations<\/td>\r\n Reading blueprints, 5S, problem-solving<\/td>\r\n Adapting to a new position, without being qualified to fill it<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\n\n\n\n