| If your company hires many immigrant and refugee | | | | country, this will create distance between them. For |
| employees, you have probably tried offering English as | | | | this reason, even immigrants and refugees who can |
| a Second Language (ESL) classes to them in order to | | | | speak English very well, still use their native languages |
| improve communication and coherence in your | | | | at work when speaking to other immigrants and |
| workforce. You may have also found that the ESL | | | | refugees. If you want to change this situation, you will |
| classes didn't seem to help as much as you had | | | | need to find a way to encourage/motivate your |
| hoped, and whatever problems you were experiencing | | | | immigrant and refugee employees to speak English to |
| before the ESL classes, continued after the classes | | | | each other, perhaps by encouraging mentoring |
| were finished. | | | | relationships between strong and weak English |
| So why is that? Why does ESL training so often have | | | | speakers. Such relationships can validate the use of |
| such disappointing results? | | | | English while simultaneously creating a supportive |
| One very important reason is that language training | | | | learning environment. . |
| has a very narrow focus - on language as a means | | | | Another reason people might choose not to speak |
| of communicating ideas, knowledge, and information. | | | | English at work is that they get a negative reaction |
| For example, I might want my employees to | | | | when they do speak it. Co-workers, managers and |
| understand food safety regulations, and how to read | | | | customers might greet their efforts to use English with |
| and abide by expiration dates on packages. Language | | | | impatience or insult, and so there seems to be no |
| training can help my employees to understand this kind | | | | benefit to speaking English; they make the decision to |
| of information and do their jobs better. However, it | | | | speak as little as possible, which has a negative effect |
| cannot guarantee that they will consider expiration | | | | on their work performance, and creates distance and |
| dates important, that they will respect their managers | | | | separation from their co-workers and managers. To |
| enough to take expiration dates seriously, or that they | | | | avoid this outcome, a good ESL training program |
| will follow recommended procedures for dealing with | | | | needs to incorporate efforts to get the entire |
| expired food products. | | | | workplace to support and encourage the |
| In addition, ESL training doesn't often address other | | | | language-learning process. The ESL program cannot |
| workplace language issues; for example, the use of | | | | be done for the sole benefit of the immigrants and |
| languages other than English at work. ESL training | | | | refugees; its benefits need to be clear to everyone, |
| programs are based on the assumption that, if people | | | | and everyone needs to buy into the process. |
| can improve their English, they will make the decision to | | | | The multicultural workplace faces many challenges. |
| speak English, but this is a misguided assumption. There | | | | Before you decide to spend a lot of money on an ESL |
| are many reasons people choose not to speak English | | | | training program for your employees, take some time |
| at work, and they are not necessarily connected to | | | | to analyze your workplace and whether or not an ESL |
| English ability. | | | | program will actually address the issues you face. You |
| One reason that people choose not to speak English | | | | might decide that ESL is not really the answer for you, |
| at work is that they want to maintain a close | | | | or that you need to supplement ESL training with other |
| connection to their immigrant and refugee community. If | | | | programs that support and complement it. |
| they speak English to someone from their native | | | | |