Business Writing Training Return on Investment
(Issue 17: April, 2009) by Mary Cullen
Writing is a significant part of every professional's work time.
This issue explains steps you can take to write most efficiently, and how this translates to your value and cost savings in your organization.
Based on our survey in our last 15 business writing training classes, managers spend 40% of their total work time on writing-related tasks.
Let's consider the cost implications for a typical work unit of 30 employees earning $60,000 per year, who write for 3.2 hours each day (40% of a 40-hour work week):
Cost Calculations of Writing in this Work Unit:
- Employees' total annual salary expenses: $1,800,000.00
- Percentage of employee time spent writing: 40.0%
- Annual employees' writing costs: $720,000.00
- Total annual employee writing hours: 23,040
Studies we have conducted for the past five years indicate a 30% reduction in writing time when an efficient business writing methodology is followed.
What are the cost savings implications for these 30 employees, if they follow an efficient business writing process?
- Company Would Save: $216,000.00
- Potential Annual $ Savings per Employee: $7,200.00
- Estimated Writing Hours Saved Annually: 6,912
- Weekly writing savings: $4,500.00
Business Writing Training is a Company's Own Economic Stimulus Plan.
Calculate your own ROI and savings for business writing training. 
Download an ROI calculator that will calculate your own costs and savings from better business writing, based on your salary and time you spend writing.
What percentage of time do most efficient writers spend on key writing steps?
- Planning - 50% (Training steps 1-4: Audience Focus, Generate Content, Categorize, Sequence)
- Drafting - 20% (Training step 5)
- Editing - 30% (Training step 6)
In the current economic environment, each of us needs to demonstrate our value to our organization:
If you have participated in a business writing training class with Instructional Solutions, and are continually honing your skills by reading this newsletter and checking our
business writing blog
for your individual questions, on average, you would spend 25% less time on your writing than another employee who has not trained to improve his or her writing.
Assuming you earn that same $60,000 salary we've used in this scenario, your better writing skills saves your company:
- Company Savings Due to Your Better Writing Skills: $7,200.00
- Estimated Writing Hours You Save Your Company Annually: 230.4
- Weekly writing savings: $150.00
Download this spreadsheet
to calculate, and codify, the savings you bring to your company, using your own actual salary and percentage of writing time on the job.
I hope this tool helps you demonstrate the value your writing skills bring to your organization, and both enhances and protects your career.
Business Writing Grammar Error: Hunt and Correct
This paragraph contains an error. Find and correct it:
Most important is insuring your clients are well informed. Information sent to clients so far has been sparse, and this must improve.
The answer is here.
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