Getting Permission to Train Employees: Sell the "Sizzle, Not the Steak"

If you are frustrated getting turned away by department managers and unit leaders who resist letting you offer stress management training to employees, consider selling the "sizzle not the steak".

"We're too busy this year", or "there are too many other training priorities" are common reasons managers resist offers of help from EAPs or others in the work organization.

Stress the benefits and promises of stress management training and you will experience more enthusiasm. In other words, sell the "sizzle" of stress management training, not the steak. Do so in promotions and management communicatins.

It's a no-brainer that stress management training has powerful positive returns for employees and it helps the bottom line.

Take a look at these promises of stress management training and use them to promote your training. If you are the management representative, count on your employees enjoying these benefits.

Here's What Stress Management can do:

• Help employees be happier. Stress relief improves the ability to feel and look on the positive side of things and increases the joy of living
• Help employees reduce excessive stress that can lead to poor health outcomes
• Help employees look better and feel healthier with practical stress relievers
• Help employees really think about diet so they manage blood sugar levels, keep their emotions in check, and are more resilient to stress
• Motivate employees to get regular exercise to help them blow off steam and increase "frustration tolerance".
• Help employees increase productivity with the ability to stay more focused.
• Help employees improve sleep, feel more engaged, and less stressed at the end of the day.
• Help employees improve their attitude--a habit that can actually be learned.
• Help employees be more optimistic so set-backs and failures roll off their backs easier, allowing them to achieve more.
• Help employees reduce their "walking around stress" with everything from breathing exercises to mental exercises that put the brakes on runaway stress
• Help employees reduce the effect of stress that can sap energy!
• Increase EAP utilization--face to face contact increases the likelihood an employee will phone later
• For information regarding WorkExcel.com stress management training, visit our preview page.

Daniel Feerst, LISW-CP, Publisher

1-800-626-4327 - WorkExcel.com