Why Employers Should Invest in Business Writing Training
For most companies, workforce development strategies tend to emphasize hard technical skills, certifications, and/or management training. Often overlooked, however, is one of the most powerful levers for organizational and individual performance: business writing training.
When organizations prioritize business writing workshops and coaching as part of their professional development offerings, they invest not just in skills but in workforce retention, productivity, and long-term resilience.
“We’ve seen that learning and development can make a significant impact on both employee retention and attraction of new hires,” says Thanos Papangelis, CEO of learning technology company Epignosis, in an interview with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
Jay Jones, SHRM’s talent and employee experience lead, agrees: “If you say you want high-performers, you have to offer high-value learning opportunities.” Indeed, Harvard Business School reports that 70% of employees cite learning opportunities as a key reason for staying in their jobs. Providing such opportunities is thus the number one retention strategy for most employers, according to LinkedIn’s 2025 Workplace Learning Report.
Additionally, effective business writing enhances day-to-day productivity.
Managers and employees who can quickly produce clear, coherent emails, reports, and presentations will save hours that would otherwise be spent rewriting, clarifying, or deciphering poorly written documents.
The ripple effect extends to readers as well: clear writing reduces misunderstandings, facilitates faster decision-making, persuades more effectively, and enhances coordination and collaboration across teams.
Writing skills development also produces employees who can think on their feet. Research published by the National Library of Medicine found that writing complex documents strengthens critical thinking: “The writing group significantly improved critical thinking skills whereas the nonwriting group did not.”
Why Business Writing Coaching Matters to Employees
For workers, business writing training represents a tangible investment in their professional future. Aside from the fact that most employees actively want professional development opportunities, writing and communication skills are something they need.
The National Commission on Writing calls writing a “threshold skill” for both hiring and promotion. In a survey of 120 U.S. corporations, half of the respondents said writing ability played a role in hiring decisions—”your ticket in [or] your ticket out.”
This remains true even in fields where employees may not expect to rely heavily on writing.
“I strongly believed that once I graduated, I was not going to need many writing skills because I was going into Engineering,” one Sacramento State graduate reflected after entering the workforce. “I was wrong. I am writing daily. If I knew this back then, I would have taken additional writing courses.”
Today, communication has emerged as the most sought-after skill in the global job market. According to LinkedIn’s 2024 data, communication ranks as the number one in-demand skill among employers. Business writing training allows employees to strengthen this core competency regardless of industry or seniority level.
Moreover, writing skills often serve as a predictor of upward mobility. As Carl Zangerl of Northeastern University observes, “During my own corporate career, I often noticed that the individuals who assumed leadership positions in even the most technical functional areas were the most effective communicators.”
LinkedIn data supports this point, revealing that full-time employees who possess both hard and soft skills (such as writing) were promoted 8% faster than those with only technical expertise. Put simply, workers who commit to improving their business writing through coaching or a business writing workshop position themselves for faster career advancement.
Why Managers Need Business Writing Workshops Too
Managers and executives can reap significant benefits from structured writing coaching as well. After all, management is fundamentally about communication, including setting expectations, giving feedback, aligning teams, and influencing outcomes. Yet many managers struggle with this essential skill.
According to HR Technologist, over two-thirds (69%) of managers report discomfort in communicating with employees, resulting in over half (57%) of employees complaining of unclear directions.
That communication gap doesn’t just affect performance reviews or one-on-one conversations: it affects emails that fail to clarify expectations, directions that confuse rather than illuminate, and proposals that fail to effectively inform or persuade.
A business writing workshop tailored for managers addresses these vulnerabilities directly. Through exercises focused on crafting clear messages, giving constructive feedback, and structuring persuasive arguments, managers emerge better equipped to guide their teams to successful outcomes.
Building a Foundation for Long-Term Organizational Health
Too often, businesses treat writing as a tactical task, something to be squeezed into an already crowded to-do list. But this perspective overlooks the broader strategic value of investing in writing skills.
“Business is fundamentally about getting other people to do things—getting employees to be productive, customers to buy your product or service, government to leave you alone,” says Jeff Bradford, a public relations expert and author of The Joy of Propaganda: The How and Why of Public Relations and Marketing, “and you can’t make these things happen if you can’t communicate well.”
In other words, business writing is not merely a functional activity; it’s a load-bearing pillar that supports an entire business structure. So, when writing is weak across an organization, cracks inevitably appear, such as missed deadlines, botched projects, misunderstood directives, frustrated employees, and even costly legal or regulatory mistakes.
Conversely, companies that invest in writing training online or bring in external instructors to deliver live business writing workshops lay a stronger foundation. They foster a workforce capable of communicating ideas with precision, collaborating effectively across departments, and responding quickly to emerging challenges, which you can learn to overcome in our professional writing courses.
They cultivate leaders who can motivate teams through clear vision and actionable messaging. And they provide employees with durable career skills that enhance both individual satisfaction and organizational resilience.
The ROI of Business Writing Coaching: A Competitive Edge for the Future
The long-term ROI for business writing training is both measurable and multifaceted. Consider the compounding impact:
- Lower turnover reduces recruiting and onboarding costs.
- Faster decision-making speeds up project timelines.
- Clearer customer communications improve satisfaction and loyalty.
- Stronger leadership communication builds more cohesive teams.
In an increasingly competitive economy, organizations that recognize writing as a strategic capability, rather than a background skill, gain an edge. Business writing workshops are no longer just for administrative assistants or new hires. They represent a smart, scalable investment across all levels of an organization.
In the end, writing coaching isn’t just about fixing sentences. It’s about strengthening organizations. Whether delivered through online or through customized in-person sessions, writing coaching pays dividends that extend far beyond the written page. Get started by finding a business writing workshop that meets your organization’s needs and start reaping the rewards of a more skilled workforce today.
If you’re ready to level up your organization’s writing capabilities, we’re here to help. Our team of experts will assess your team’s situation, diagnose their writing challenges, and prescribe the perfect course to help you achieve your goals. Contact Hurley Write for a no-obligation consultation about your team’s writing situation today.
