| Want a proven morale booster at your company? | | | | their productivity, but gave them the hope for future |
| Have your supervisors learn to thank their workers for | | | | advancement. In all cases, relationships improved and |
| a job well done in the workers' native language. Not | | | | there was less stress in the workplace. |
| just a simple "thank you," but a few phrases | | | | I also found the need to develop a series of |
| addressing the specific task and how it was done. | | | | industry-specific bilingual training tools. With input from |
| How about giving your managers the communication | | | | industry experts our company began to create |
| tools to explain procedures and safety rules and to | | | | pocket-sized survival language booklets containing the |
| know they are being understood? What better way to | | | | phrase or request in the language along with the |
| improve safety and to retain happy, productive | | | | phonetics for easy pronunciation. |
| workers? Everyone benefits. But, who has time to | | | | My advice, then, as a professional language trainer is |
| implement these changes? | | | | this: |
| Let's face it, most employers are burdened with a time | | | | First, take stock of your needs.o What language |
| crunch, to say the least. Too busy to send their | | | | barriers exist at your company? What cultural groups |
| supervisors or employees out to lengthy and | | | | are you dealing with?o What are your job-specific |
| expensive language courses off-site. On the other | | | | communication goals? What are your specific problem |
| hand, most managers and supervisors are aware of a | | | | areas? |
| communication gap they can't afford to ignore. | | | | If you are looking to improve communications with your |
| According to the National Immigration Law Center, | | | | LEP workers, seek instruction that addresses the |
| "new immigrants... accounted for 50.3 percent of the | | | | needs of your workplace. There are a growing |
| growth in the civilian labor force between 1990 and | | | | number of organizations and companies that specialize |
| 2001. Assuming that today's levels of immigration | | | | in tailoring language and cultural instruction to the |
| remain constant, immigrants will account for half of the | | | | specific needs of the work environment. Look for |
| working-age population growth between 2006 and | | | | resources that can construct an industry-specific |
| 2015 and for all of the growth between 2016 and | | | | program and, more importantly, the needs of your |
| 2035"! | | | | company. |
| This influx is no longer limited to the coasts. In | | | | With the appropriate choice of training program, |
| Minnesota, where I live and work, teaching workplace | | | | managers can learn enough language and cultural |
| specific language skills to managers and employees, | | | | diversity tips in a one-day seminar to get them started |
| the majority of my contracts involve Spanish-speaking | | | | in bridging the communication gaps at their club. |
| employees. But immigrants by the thousands are | | | | Depending on your needs, programs can involve a day, |
| settling in Minnesota from India, Pakistan, Europe, | | | | a few days or a few weeks. Remember this: you |
| Russia, the Middle East, Asia, Southeast Asia, Pacific | | | | don't have to spend months and years of time and |
| Islands, Eurasia, Africa, Guyana, Latin America, the | | | | expense to communicate better with your Spanish (or |
| Caribbean, South America and Mexico. I've learned | | | | other LEP) workers. |
| that the growth of immigrant workers is now affecting | | | | In the meantime, I can offer a brief summary of |
| all fifty of our United States and will have a great | | | | effective communication tips for improving relations |
| impact on future economic conditions for everyone. | | | | with your LEP workers, which you can bring |
| Each population arrives not just speaking different | | | | immediately to the workplace:o Take the time to |
| languages, but with an amazing diversity of cultural | | | | understand your workers' cultural and social |
| history and practices, all of which influence how these | | | | backgrounds and the lives they leado Showing that |
| workers will approach their new jobs. Of course this | | | | you have an interest in their lives and want to know |
| often results in confusion and miscommunication. | | | | more about their cultures can go a long way in |
| Fortunately, however, there are solutions addressing | | | | fostering motivation and loyaltyo It's amazing what |
| the communication gaps involving the growing number | | | | showing appreciation for a job well done in a worker's |
| of workers with limited-English proficiency (LEP) skills. | | | | own language can doo Take the time to learn a few |
| In fact, I believe you can take what might be perceived | | | | phrases that tell your employees that you've noticed |
| as a huge problem and transform it into a valuable | | | | and value their good worko Avoid the following |
| resource. That resource is group of workers who will | | | | assumptions:o Interpreting a lack of English proficiency |
| stay at their jobs and can potentially work their way | | | | as a lack of intelligenceo Believing an inability to |
| up in the organization as their skills and language | | | | express thoughts clearly means LEP workers can't |
| proficiency increase. | | | | understand youo Ask yourself:o Am I doing all I can to |
| When I first started teaching Spanish to | | | | be understood? Find ways to SHOW workers what |
| English-speaking corporate supervisors, I used the | | | | you want doneo Keep phrases and sentences as |
| methods provided to me, traditional language instruction | | | | simple as possible. Don't use broken Englisho Think of |
| emphasizing grammar and writing skills. It became clear | | | | at least one other way to rephrase what you want. |
| to me that these programs weren't cost-effective or | | | | Check to make sure you were understoodo Avoid |
| efficient. They didn't do much to help either the | | | | asking yes/no questions or asking "Do you |
| workers or managers to solve the problems that | | | | understand?" Instead, ask open-ended or "wh-" |
| arose in their workplaces without a long-term | | | | questions to check comprehensiono For example, |
| commitment that most people didn't have resources or | | | | instead of asking "Did you talk to your supervisor," ask |
| time to invest. | | | | "Who did you talk to?"o In place of "Do you work |
| To deal with workplace language problems, I realized | | | | tomorrow," ask "When are you off this week?"o The |
| that the answers were not traditional English as | | | | point is to ask a question that calls for a specific |
| Second Language (ESL) courses or grammar-based | | | | response instead of a yes/no answero When your |
| language courses. What was needed were programs | | | | LEP workers are speaking to you:o Invite them to |
| that addressed the needs of the specific workplace, | | | | speak slowlyo Give them time to communicate |
| whether teaching managers the language and cultures | | | | Successful communication has always been the key |
| of their workers or in teaching LEP workers English | | | | to good management. Now, with an ever increasing |
| language skills and American expectations in the | | | | need to connect with workers from other cultures, the |
| workplace. | | | | need is even greater for both managers and |
| I found that teaching managers basic phrases in | | | | employees to educate themselves in each others' |
| "Survival Spanish" (or other languages) that were | | | | ways of acting and speaking. Still, the rewards are |
| specific to their needs not only helped to get the jobs | | | | potentially great if the methods that both parties use to |
| done, but resulted in workers who felt more respected | | | | educate themselves are appropriate. Success doesn't |
| and motivated. For the LEP workers, learning | | | | necessarily take a great deal of time, it takes the right |
| job-specific English only not allowed them to improve | | | | training. |