Canadian Occupational Safety

10 Canadian Occupational Safety www.cos-mag.com LEGAL CONNECTION I COMPENSATION WATCH BY ALAN D. QUILLEY TRAINING R egardless of your function in the organization, from time to time you will need to request and obtain resources. ese resources fall into two main categories: time and money. We all need people, materials, tools and equipment to accomplish our work for the organization. at puts us all into a role not unlike a small busi- ness owner or investor. We are either asking for resources (entrepreneur) or allocating resources (investor). Both of these roles are critical to the success of the organization. When I think of this system — of asking for resources and approving investment of resources — I can't help but think of two very popular real- ity television shows, Shark Tank and Dragons' Den. Every week on these programs we see business owners sell their ideas to the regular investors on the panel, in the hopes of getting them to invest in the business — in one form or another. An interesting exchange between the investors and the business owners ensues. ese shows off er some very valu- able tips in understanding how people ask for and allocate resources. What is important to the investors becomes pretty clear by the process they use to get the answers they want before approving their investment. Working in an organization is not at all dissimilar. Let's examine the process of getting an investment from those who approve resources. Here's what to expect, should you fi nd yourselves asking for resources, and some questions you should ask if allocating resources in your organization. What do you need and what do you want? ese type of questions defi ne the amount needed by the requester. It's best to defi ne the maximum needed for minimum implementation (need), and what could be useful if additional resources were available (want). As a safety manager, you might present it this way: "To achieve minimum compliance with our training requirements for fi rst aid coverage, we'll need to train approximately 50 per cent of the staff at a cost of so many days' wages and x amount of dollars in instruction/ course fees. If we were to train all staff the costs would be double." What do I get for my investment? is question will be asked if you don't answer it in your presentation, so you may as well just tell them. In the example of fi rst aid train- ing, the return on investment for the "need" is pretty clear: "If we invest in this training, we will get compliance. But what do I get for training all the staff ?" e requester needs to be clear about expected outcomes. In this case, the added value of a larger investment — twice as much — is the future ease of assigning the workforce to diff er- ent worksites. e company will no longer have to be concerned they may be sending two non-fi rst-aid-trained employees to a jobsite and fail to have the required fi rst aid coverage. ere is not only the legal advantage for doing this, there's an effi ciency feature making the 100 per cent solution more valuable. e presenter also needs to express the added value of ensuring the employees feel their employer cares about their well-being and knows that fi rst aid training also helps them keep their family safe a er hours. What is your expected return on investment? Robert Herjavec, one of the regular investors on Shark Tank, reveals what a good investment is: "A great probabil- ity of a healthy return on the capital — and the likelihood of capital being returned." e clearer you make those points in your request, the better your chances of getting the investment. Typical return on investments fall into one or more of three categories: legal, moral and fi nancial. Understand and express all of the added values of your request. In the example above, tell the approvers when the training will completed so they can start to feel the return on the investment. "If we start next week, we can have 100 per cent of the staff trained by the end of the month and scheduling diffi - culties around fi rst aid coverage on our crews will start to diminish within two weeks of the start of training. We also anticipate that employees will appreci- ate the opportunity to learn fi rst aid and be happy they are better able to help their family and friends should they be injured at home." Be prepared to off er the answers to as many anticipated questions as you can in your presentation. What do you want the investors and others to do in your plan? What is the experience of others doing similar things? What/ who are the competing forces work- ing against your idea? If your role in your organization is to obtain resources by presenting recommendations or budget requests, please consider watching one (if not both) of these TV shows as an essential part of your training and education in "selling ideas." You will be happy you did and avoid the wrath of the "sharks" and the "dragons" in your organization for being ill-prepared in present- ing what you need and want. While it's extremely entertaining to watch it happen to others on TV, it's not so good if it happens to you. Alan Quilley is the president of OHS consulting fi rm Safety Results based in Sherwood Park, Alta. Visit his blog at www.safetyresults.wordpress.com. Advance your professional knowledge and practice in working with adults in teaching and learning environments. We understand your need to balance career, life and education commitments. Pursue your studies at a pace that suits you, part time via online or site-based courses in a community near you. Our graduates apply their degrees in many sectors — business, industry, health care, social services, human resources, government, ÀQDQFLDOVHUYLFHVDQGPDQXIDFWXULQJ³ZKHUH training and development require a solid foundation in the principles and practices of adult education. Apply and begin your BEd in Adult Education in September 2013. BEd in Adult Education Contact us at 905 688 5550 x5547 adulted@brocku.ca brocku.ca/education/futurestudents/adulted What law firm does more than defend OHS/WSIB Charges? We Do. Carla Oliver, B.A., MIBM, CRSP OHS Consultant Norm Keith, B.A., J.D., LL.M., CRSP Partner Training Prevent accidents, improves productivity Consulting Workplace safety audits and OHS procedures Legal Defending OHS and Criminal charges Lawyers and consultants working together to provide you with training, consulting and legal solutions, protected by solicitor and client privilege in OHS and Workers' Compensation matters. Call us today at 1-866-862-5787 ext. 87211 or visit gowlings.com/ohslaw Dragon's Den of safety management How reality TV can help you sell the business case for safety

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