3 Things You Can Hassle Your Boss for as We Approach EOFY

This article is sponsored by RMIT Online.

As we creep ever closer to the end of the financial year, now’s a good time to approach your manager or boss for extra resources or expenditures. Chances are, they’re looking to add some last-minute expenses to the company’s deductibles.

Of course, you can’t go off-the-rails with your asks, and we wouldn’t recommend heading into a meeting or catch-up without a plan to prove the value of their investment. Here are a few suggestions. And remember: it’s the best time of year to ask, so you want to have your strongest pitch.

#1 Working From Home Improvements

While most of us in jobs once constrained to an office still retain the flexibility to go into work or stay at home, it’s likely that your WFH set-up is in need of some improvements — especially if it was cobbled together in early 2020, and hasn’t changed much since them.

Whether it’s an ergonomic chair, a standing desk or a better monitor, there’s a heap of costs your work could cover, in order to facilitate you working more productively from home. For example, do you have a laptop stand that puts your computer on an eye-level that prevents bad posture, or do you still have it stacked on a couple of books? Seeing your GP could be helpful, as they can provide a letter of recommendation if your body is struggling in your current setup. And of course, most of these improvements could apply to the office too!

#2 Upskilling, Short Courses, And Education

Good employers see the value in investing in their workers: not only does upskilling them help the business, it signifies genuine care for someone’s personal and professional development.

Whether you’re considering a postgraduate degree or eager to take a course in order to expand your abilities, RMIT Online offers a range of options you can fit around your job, with a particular focus on ‘Future Skills’, AKA cutting-edge courses on the likes of blockchain strategy and development, AI programming, as well as offerings like Finance for Business Leaders. They also offer bundles for multiple courses covering digital skills, including digital marketing, UX + UI design and Data Analytics.

A recent Deloitte study commissioned by RMIT Online found that one in five companies identify that their employees’ digital skills are outdated — and that 77% of managers say their workplaces could be doing more to upskill staff, too. Where many companies might have put aside a ‘training budget’, it’s possible that it was underused as managers didn’t have time to research what they needed — it’s hard to know what you don’t know. Presenting them the Future Skills Short Courses, then, is a no-brainer.

#3 Subscription Services

Where many companies are happy to settle with the free editions of popular software like Slack, organising board Trello or Canva, it’s likely that those paid subscriptions offer tools that could dramatically streamline your day-to-day processes. If you find yourself spending time regularly trying to work your way around the limitations of the free version of an app, try to estimate the minutes you could shave off your work across a month/year for a (relatively) small fee.

Similarly, if your work involves reading media, news articles or research in any form, consider asking for subscriptions to relevant sites: business subscriptions are usually offered from paywalled publications, and will prevent you from being blocked from the information you need quickly.

Upskill and Save. Get the most out of your training budget with EOFY discounts for business from RMIT Online.