Managing employees is one of the most difficult things for many small business owners. As owner, you have a lot of influence over their lives. One of the things that is heart-wrenching for most is to have to fire a good employee simply because there is not enough work. But it is also important to keep your business solvent so that you and everyone else keeps an income.

The trick is to not grow too fast when times are good, and to maximize your staff so they stay busy, even during the growing pains of your business.

In our free report, The Number One Thing You Can Do To Make Your Small Business More Successful in 2010, Randy Morris of Middlebury Inn offers this advice:

“Flexible staffing is a must. If you can cross-train your staff to perform multiple duties, you can alleviate costly overtime and retain employees. While many companies are reducing hours or laying off employees due to reduced workload, we are cross-training employees which helps to create a full work week for some while giving others the ability to take time away from work for illness related incidents while avoiding overtime to those who are filling in. The other reason we have found cross-training to work well is that business is booking at the last minute and it is critical to pull help from multiple sources and make scheduling adjustments on the fly. Only flexibility of staff can accomplish this.”

This is one of the strengths of a small business, where every employee knows each other and the owner can communicate the stakes. Cross-training not only helps you fill in holes, but it also makes employee (rightly) feel more essential. For the most part, people are okay with variety at work, and even welcome it.

Of course, this is easier for some businesses than for others. It might not work very well in a hospital, for instance. But for most small businesses with a small staff, cross-training can be the answer for handling growth wisely. The alternative is to hire help when you are in a pinch and flush with cash, only to have to let them go when the growth stops.

By investing your time into your current employees and finding ways to keep them busy, and thus keep them essential, you can save money and save jobs. And that is an idea everyone can get behind.

If you do it right, you will also build a stronger culture at your company, one where everyone is happy to roll up their sleeves and get the job done. No longer will one employee have to stay late because she is the only one who is trained on a certain task. Employees can better help each other, fill in for one another, and keep your business going strong when they have a broader base of skills to work from.

So, instead of hiring a part time employee, see if you can pull from your current resources. If you can, you will be taking steps toward a more sound company, even when times get tough.

What are some ways you can cross-train your current staff?

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Hello, I’m Bradford Shimp. I am a big fan of Johnny Cash. So is my wife, which is pretty cool since she didn’t listen to any Cash before we were married. Some things just work out like that. I also have a passion for helping small businesses succeed. I do it here by providing my best advice and over at BroadRiverCreative.com where I build websites specifically designed to work for small businesses. The best place to interact with me is on Twitter, or in the comments section below.