Question

staff development in the workplace
by carrie lam

having employees attend staff development trainings, whether its at an office, restaurant, hospital, or anywhere else, can be time-consuming and expensive. however, these trainings are worth the time and money for several reasons:

productivity
development training ensures that staff members dont fall behind on technology or other important skills necessary to deliver the best professional service possible.

compliance
staff development trainings are vital for communicating the latest regulations to staff at the same time.

communication
staff development trainings can address common communication or interpersonal issues and teach strategies to overcome these challenges.

job satisfaction
in the end, staff development trainings show employees that you are willing to invest in them to help them grow professionally, making employees happier and better workers.

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the writer claims that staff development trainings are worth the expense. how does she support this claim?

• by outlining which areas in the workplace benefit from the trainings
• by identifying what to do about workplace communication issues during trainings
• by giving specific examples of how productivity increased after a training
• by sharing a personal story of when a staff development training was useful

Explanation:

Analyze the author's main claim

The author states that staff development trainings "are worth the time and money for several reasons." This is the central claim.

Examine the structure of the text

Using Reading Comprehension, we observe that the author organizes the body of the text under four distinct headings: "Productivity", "Compliance", "Communication", and "Job Satisfaction".

Evaluate how the claim is supported

Using Textual Evidence, each heading represents a specific area in the workplace (such as productivity, compliance, communication, and job satisfaction) that benefits from these trainings. The author explains how training helps in each of these areas.

Compare with the given options

• Option 1: "by outlining which areas in the workplace benefit from the trainings" directly matches the structural evidence of the four headings.
• Option 2: The text does not identify what to do about communication issues during trainings, but rather states that trainings can teach strategies to overcome them.
• Option 3: The text does not provide specific historical examples or data showing productivity increased after a training.
• Option 4: The text is written objectively and does not share a personal story from the author.

Determine the correct option

The first option is the only accurate description of how the author supports her claim.

Answer:

• (A) by outlining which areas in the workplace benefit from the trainings (Correct answer)
• (B) by identifying what to do about workplace communication issues during trainings
• (C) by giving specific examples of how productivity increased after a training
• (D) by sharing a personal story of when a staff development training was useful