Productivity, job satisfaction and mitigating risk are key selling points in pitching a training session to your manager

Training can provide employees with a number of benefits both personally and professionally. Employees can sell the benefits of workplace training to their manager in a number of ways. One of the most effective ways to do so is by showing how training will benefit not only yourself but your boss, team and company as a whole. Some key selling points include mitigating risk, improved business and employee performance and improved job satisfaction, staff morale and motivation.

Reduced potential for workplace accidents and improved compliance is also a selling point.

Underlining this is a recent matter in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, where an employer was fined $250,000 after a 17 year old work experience student’s hand was crushed in a machine.
The work experience student was employed in an electrical company and had been removing metal strips from a brake press when he accidentally activated the machine’s knife. The tips of two of his fingers were crushed and had to be amputated.

SafeWork NSW’s investigation found the business had adjusted a setting on the machine’s guarding system that would have prevented the machine from operating when objects such as arms and hands were in the vicinity. The report also found a general lack of instruction, training, information and supervision of the student.

If the employer had ensured that the work experience student had been undertaken appropriate training they would have been informed that the guards needed to be kept in place as per the manufacturer’s instructions. This would have saved the employer from a hefty fine and the associated brand damage caused by such an incident.

Whilst training can help protect a business from workplace incidents and injury, there are however many other benefits of employers providing employees with training opportunities. Such benefits include;

• Mitigate Risk – compliance training particularly around areas such as Anti Bullying, Discrimination and Harassment can help protect a business by reducing the risk of costly legal implications as a consequence of improperly dealing with poor workplace behaviour.
• Develop skills – keeping employees up-to-date with industry, technology and legislative changes will not only help the business stay ahead of the competition but can improve employee job satisfaction and increase efficiency and productivity.
  Increase staff morale – providing training opportunities can improve morale by feeling like the business is investing in its staff.
  Improve staff retention – training can help an employee transition to other positions within the organisation, assisting the employer with succession planning and improving staff retention.
  If an employee can demonstrate these benefits of training during a sales pitch to their manager, it makes a compelling case.

iHR Australia offers many training options for both managers and employees.