6 Benefits of Professional Development for Employees and the Organization

The general thumb rule for every company is that: EMPLOYEES ARE COMPANY’S BIGGEST ASSET.

Thus, you need to invest in talent to attain sustainable growth and success for your company.

Corporate professional development training allows employees to perform better and prepare them for positions of greater responsibility. It’s appealing to employees who are willing to upskill themselves in this rapidly changing world.

It’s essential to invest in your workers to develop their skills that match the organization’s standards. Consider this as a win-win situation for both the company and the employee.

Providing professional development training can benefit you in the following ways:

1. Enhance the collective knowledge of your team

Training your employees in relevant subjects and applications can aid in increasing staff expertise. This works when your employees come from different backgrounds and levels of experience.

You can encourage your employees by offering tuition reimbursement or covering the cost of their online courses or certifications. You can also invest in group membership to an e-learning training website or webinars to grow their skills.

2. Increase your company’s reputation

Here, you’re building a positive image of your company that cares about its workforce. Such efficient services will also benefit your customers and clients.

Your employees are your company’s representatives and will reflect your business in good light whenever they attend workshops or conferences.

It’s advisable to encourage knowledge sharing in your workplace by asking your team members to share what they learned at seminars to sharpen their presentation and teaching skills.

Stephen W. May provides corporate professional development training to corporate, municipal and law enforcement clients. Reach us today!

3. Boost job satisfaction

Confident workers result in better job satisfaction and reduce employee retention. If you wish to introduce such courses into your organization, you can choose from varied options like cross-training, mentorships, etc.

An experienced employee can serve as a guide and mentor to help other employees enhance their soft skills and technical abilities. You can become a versatile employee by providing institutional insights and hands-on guidance.

4. Attract the right kind of candidates

Every company looks for candidates that are highly driven and ambitious. During interviews, show them how they can grow professionally or expand their career avenues.

In your job postings or interviews, make sure that you promote your company to help employees refine their skills. You can also flaunt your company’s learning culture to attract valuable candidates during industry events.

5. Help in building enthusiasm

Your employees need to feel like they’re gaining expertise and becoming well-rounded in their profession. Adding a professional development program for your employees can challenge their skills and expose them to new experiences other than their work.

Along with maintaining enthusiasm, your employees tend to become more loyal. By doing this, you are showing care for your employee’s evolving professional interests and objectives.

Engage them with challenging assignments to nurture their skill-building opportunities and improve retention.

6. Encourage employees to move beyond work goals

These programs act as a tool to groom your employees to become future leaders. Such courses can help in shaping potential employees who can be promoted to managerial positions in the future.

It’s advisable to send your employees to accredited leadership training courses and seminars to help them gain a complete understanding of how the business operates and guidance on working for the organization properly.

Stephen W. May LLC is an innovative company offering a wide range of training solutions and resources to corporate, municipal, and law enforcement clients.

We understand the value and importance of corporate professional development in the workplace. We aim to provide unique training opportunities to secure the skill set for a productive and healthy working environment. Contact us today!

Six Simple Things to Know About Workplace Ergonomics

Workplace ergonomics is necessary to remove barriers in the workplace that can affect productivity. Paying attention to ergonomics can make work more comfortable and keep your workforce safer.

It’s the satisfaction that your workforce is safe from hazards that may result in better company profits without the tension of compensation claims.

Thus, ergonomics should be seen as a value and introduced into every corporate culture daily.

As a matter of fact, ergonomics disorders like neck & back pain, Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) are the fastest-growing category of work-related illnesses. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has stated that about 56-63% of such illnesses are reported to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration).

Since October celebrates National Ergonomics Month, now is a perfect time to promote the through corporate safety training programs.

Let’s get into some important statistics.

In a survey that examined nearly 700 office workers in the United States, about 64% knew the meaning of ‘ergonomics,’ and they preached the concept of workplace ergonomics.

About 81% of people believe that ergonomics can affect productivity, while 7% don’t feel the same. There is no enough information regarding workplace ergonomics.

This blog explains the importance of workplace ergonomics and how it helps in employee efficiency and productivity.

The key goal of ergonomics is to optimize the interaction between workers and their work, making it easier to perform a task. Workplace ergonomics and productivity goes hand-in-hand, irrespective of the age or type of work.

1. Stimulates perfect body postures

Every person is different; workplaces should have comfortable furniture that can accommodate every size and shape of employees.

Incorporating good ergonomics allows employees to work in their comfort zone. It helps in maintaining body posture that eliminates illnesses in the future.

Remember to follow this:

• Allow your feet to rest flat at 90 degrees.
• Sit in a balanced upright posture with your head over the shoulders.
• Adjust your chair height such that the hip is higher than the knee.
• Prevent slouching.

The right posture can make employees more productive and less tired.

2. Improves work quality

A well-balanced body and focused mind enables employees to work at optimum capacity, resulting in good work quality. When you invest in workplace ergonomics, your employees may experience less chronic health issues leading to absenteeism, an increased workload to the company.

Ergonomics lead to motivated workers who are willing to do their best. Make sure you provide them professional corporate safety training to enhance their quality of work.

3. Reduces work-related errors

Distracted or uncomfortable employees end up making simple errors that can be costly to the company.

In a manufacturing factory, even small errors in operating the machinery can lead to severe injuries, waste of raw materials, capital, and harm the quality of the products or services.

4. Enables to work quickly

Organizations that shell out money in workstation ergonomics like bringing in adjustable chairs and tables, proper keyboard & mouse configuration, ergonomic computer screens, portable footrest, headsets, document holder, appropriate temperature settings, etc. can benefit your employees.

All these things optimize body postures, reduce repetitive motions, and high force requirements.

5. Allows easy storage

You can’t afford to overlook the accessibility of your workplace peripherals, documents, and files.

It’s not a great idea ask your employees to help you grab important papers, files, or documents from the top or bottom filing cabinet on a regular basis.

This can take a toll on your employees’ mental and physical wellbeing. Create an ergonomically-friendly workplace that has enough cabinets and drawers to help you access things quickly.

6. Decreases retention rate

You need to show your employees that you care about them to make them feel valued. This way, they can accomplish challenging tasks and are more likely to stay on the job. This means higher retention and less time spent on searching and training new employees.

Stephen W. May LLC offers corporate safety training solutions designed to change the workplace’s safety culture, keeping in mind the importance of training and professional development. We strive hard to provide you unique training opportunities to secure the skill sets necessary for a safer and more productive working environment. Reach out to us today!

 

Marijuana and Workplace: Training Requirements

With the legalization of marijuana, used for medical and recreational it can have a high impact on employers. Marijuana is legalized in almost most states, and the efforts of legalization aren’t slowing down. Employers are finding it hard to maintain balance with the productivity of work, the safety of employees, clients, and data in the midst of marijuana consumption. As of January 2020, marijuana is legal in 11 states in the United States.

To help prevent marijuana-related injuries at workplace, individual companies are training managers and supervisors to identify and document signs of drug impairment and ways to implement safety measures. Thus, the need for marijuana training on rise at workplaces.

According to a recent study, employees who tested positive for marijuana had 85% more injuries, 55% of more industrial accidents, and 75% greater absenteeism than those who tested negative.

EVALUATE AND UPDATE DRUG POLICIES

Organizations should set forth scenarios in which drug testing whether uniform or non-discriminatory can be performed. It is important to ensure that consumption of marijuana at the workplace is for medical purposes or other activities before firing or disciplining an employee under drug-free workplace policies.

Policies should fulfil the below guidelines:

• Precisely and clearly describe the responsibilities of supervisors, managers, and human resources personnel.
• Initiate drug testing methods and protocols, wherever applicable.
• Deliver information related to any relevant support or programs for unstable drug usage or available employee assistance program hotline.
• Establish procedures for handling employees’ drug-related arrests and convictions.
• Outline any safety-sensitive positions and any unique positions related to such areas.

COMPANY DRUG POLICY

The drug policy of your company should clearly define workplace use/intoxication and off-duty use. For instance, your policy plan should include:

• What are the expectations related to marijuana in the workplace (including usage before work or coming to work high)?
• What events or behaviors determine reasonable supervision of intoxication?
• What is the authority under which you have the right to subject an employee to have a drug test?
• What are the expectations around “off-duty” use (zero-tolerance, medical only, or recreational permitted)?
• What methods of drug testing will be required?

THE THREE GENERAL TYPES OF DRUG POLICIES CONSIDERING “OFF-DUTY”

1) ZERO-TOLERANCE POLICY

This policy is among the stringent policies. In this policy, employees aren’t permitted to use marijuana (medical or recreational); organizations with zero-tolerance policies have certain forms of testing to ensure that employees are following the policy. For instance, if employees have to operate heavy machinery or vehicles, a zero-tolerance policy probably applies.

2) MEDICAL USE OF MARIJUANA POLICY

For most companies, employees would need to disclose whether they were using or planned to use medical marijuana as a part of their treatment plan. You go this way, you should also require a note from a physician to this effect.

3) RECREATIONAL USE POLICY

Most organizations that allow recreational marijuana use have a policy similar to an alcohol policy: Employees can use it on their own time, as long as it does not affect job performance. Off-duty conduct is rarely controlled unless it starts to affect the business in some way.

Stephen W. May can Help!

Stephen W. May in Amesbury, MA, offers drug rehabilitation programs to various companies. We have professionals who have knowledge and experience in marijuana training the employees of your company.

How to Identify and Deal with Drug Impairment at Workplace?

With the legalization of cannabis, it has heightened concern and awareness related to impairment in the workplace. This has undoubtedly made cannabis more approachable. Though, it is still considered inappropriate to report to work impaired. Unless an employee has a clearly defined agreement that a certain level of impairment is permitted.

Employers and employees should educate themselves on the sign’s impairment to ensure a safe and healthy workplace environment. In this blog, the focus is cannabis, but some of the tips can be modified to almost any impairing substance. Stephen W. May in Amesbury, MA, offers training related to drug impairment at the workplace.

Impairment in the workplace can hold many consequences which can be caused due to fatigue, drug use, alcohol consumption, etc. There are specific measures that workplaces should take to prevent and manage impairment in the workplace. Both the employer, as well as the employee, should abide by the policies and procedures that have been documented from the company. As an employer, you should understand your responsibility to take necessary precautions for the health and safety of employees, including preventing impairment from occurring in your workplace. Also, ensure that your employee follow guidelines that have been set by the company.

Employers should create, develop, and implement an impairment prevention and management policies with the help of a health and safety committee to. And as an employee, you must work in compliance with regulations have a positive approach towards others in the workplace. To avoid impairment at work allegations you should disclose any use of prescription drugs that could cause impairment, as well as drug and alcohol dependencies that could increase your risk of impairment and injuries to you and your co-workers.

Common Signs of Drug Impairment:

• Odor/smell (Smell of alcohol or cannabis)
• Appearance (Bloodshot eyes)
• Speech (thick or slurred speech)
• Behavior (loud, inappropriate, anxious, agitated)
• Health (physically weak, headache, vomiting)
• Memory (trouble recalling events or difficulty in concentration)

In case any of the above abnormalities are discovered, then you should ask for in private conversation if that person is impaired. Where you recommend and offering counciling to that person. Your most important concern is safety of other employess. Considering asking some of the below questions:

• Have you consumed marijuana in the past? If yes, then how often, how recent and how much?
• How normally do you intake marijuana?
• Is the drug which you use from a trusted/legal source?
• Are you aware of the THC levels in your marijuana?
• Do you take drugs with any other substance?

Some of the employers are concerned that legalization of marijuana will increase instances of drug impairment at a workplace. The concern is entirely justified.

Stephen W. May is known for its drug-free workplace training. We have been able to build one of the most comprehensive networks of experienced and well-respected instructors. Our instructors are available to provide courses in a wide range of subject areas, including drug-free workplace training in Amesbury, MA. Visit our website!