workplace-talent-solutions

Why Communication Feels So Different in a Multicultural Workplace

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 15:11:29 GMT

If you lead a diverse team in the U.S., you may have noticed that communication styles can vary widely. Some employees may seem overly explicit in their explanations, while others appear vague or hesitant. These differences aren’t always just personality quirks—they can stem from deeply ingrained cultural norms about how communication should work.

The U.S.: The World’s Most Direct Communicators

In the U.S., we are among the most direct communicators in the world. From an early age, we’re taught to "say what we mean" and to be as clear and precise as possible. The burden of communication largely falls on the speaker—if your message isn’t understood, that’s on you.

By contrast, in many other cultures, the responsibility for understanding is shared. Listeners are expected to read between the lines, paying attention to what is not being said as much as what is spoken aloud. They rely on context, tone, and body language to fill in the gaps. If the message is misunderstood, it’s not because the speaker wasn’t clear, but just as much because the listener was paying attention well enough.

Our language reflects this. English has over 500,000 words, allowing us to be extremely specific, while French has only around 70,000 words. In some languages, a single word may have multiple meanings, and it’s up to the listener to determine which meaning applies based on the situation. The context determines the meaning.

How These Differences Create Misunderstandings

These contrasting communication styles can lead to misperceptions in the workplace:

Americans may find others unclear or even secretive. If someone isn’t stating their thoughts explicitly, we may assume they are holding back important information.

Americans expect that if someone has an opinion or thought, they will speak up and clearly state it. If they don’t say anything, then they probably didn’t have anything to say.

Employees from indirect cultures may find Americans condescending or patronizing. Stating what is obvious to them can feel unnecessary, or even insulting, as though they aren’t capable of understanding the implied message.

Employees who don’t communicate as directly as the U.S. may indirectly communicate information to their supervisors by using body language and vague inferences. However, direct communicators from the U.S. may completely miss the message.

Meeting follow-ups can be misunderstood. In the U.S., we send recap emails, document next steps, and follow up regularly. But in some cultures, this suggests a lack of trust—“Do you think I can’t remember what we agreed on?”

Bridging the Communication Gap

To build stronger, more effective teams, leaders must recognize these differences and adjust their approach. Here are some strategies:

1. Be Direct, But Explain Why

Instead of assuming everyone understands your approach, take a moment to clarify. Try saying:

"We have a team with different backgrounds and languages, so I’m putting this in writing to make sure everyone understood—not because I don’t trust you."

2. Learn to Listen

Communication is not just about speaking; it’s also about listening. When communicating with employees from other cultures, learn to pay attention to what is left unsaid. Notice body language, tone shifts, and hesitations—these may carry as much meaning as the words spoken.

3. Adapt Your Follow-Up Approach

Continue using clear documentation, but frame it in a way that respects different communication norms. Instead of saying, "Just to make sure you remember," try: "I will send a summary of our discussion to make sure everyone understands."

4. Educate Yourself on Cultural Communication Differences

Books like The Culture Map by Erin Meyer provide excellent insights into how different cultures approach communication. Learning about these differences can make you a stronger, more adaptable leader. You can also check out our Cultural Diversity training which covers common misunderstandings in the workplace related to cultural differences around communication.

The Bottom Line

When working with a diverse team, it’s important to recognize that not everyone communicates the way you do. By understanding these cultural differences, explaining your communication style, and practicing active listening, you can build a more inclusive and effective workplace.

Teaching English to New Hires: Working Towards Seamless Integration

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 17:00:00 GMT

In today’s global workplace, language isn’t just a tool for communication—it’s the bridge that connects teams, drives innovation, and ensures everyone is on the same page. But for many new hires, especially those coming from diverse cultures/backgrounds, mastering English can be a daunting challenge. Not only this, but it can be equally daunting for companies to understand how to hire employees who don’t speak English well. So, how can companies ensure all of their employees thrive in an English-centric environment? It starts with understanding the power of language training and making it a cornerstone of your onboarding process. English isn’t just nice to have—it’s a game-changer for both your hires and your business.

Helping employees improve their English doesn’t have to only happen in a formal English class environment. In fact, providing opportunities for employees to build their English language skills should become a core part of your company culture. One way to get started is to teach some basic English words during an employee’s first few days. When completing new hire training with individuals who don’t speak English, many trainers and HR staff members resort to translating all the information. However, while translation can help communicate the concepts, it’s also equally important for employees to learn at least some English words as well.

Consider this example. One of our clients decided to hire a non-English speaking individual for the janitorial department. To ensure that the employee grasped the training content, they had the new hire training translated into his native language. As a result, the employee felt confident in the expectations and methods of his basic tasks. One day, he was mopping the floors in a long hallway after hours. Another employee started walking down the hallway at the other end, deep in thought, and unaware of the “wet floor” safety sign. The new hire, who didn’t speak English, didn’t know how to call out and tell the other employee to be careful and that the floor was wet. While he had been trained well on how to properly mop the floors and ensure safety on wet floors, his lack of English language still created a significant safety risk for his coworker. This almost caused an accident in which one or both employees could have been hurt, fallen, etc.

Because the proper English words were not taught, this employee probably had other similar instances in which it became increasingly difficult to communicate in a fast-paced environment. Even though the concepts were understood, it didn’t eliminate the need for English language in the workplace environment.

When companies start teaching key English words for the workplace early in the new hire process, they will see several benefits, both for companies and their employees.

Benefits of Teaching English Words to New Hires

Improved Communication: English is the primary language used in the American workplace, so it’s important to give your employees opportunities to practice the language. When this is provided in their new hire training, employees are given a head start in gaining confidence in workplace English, and oftentimes, it leads to less misunderstandings and errors. This impact can be seen in the early stages of the employee’s career, but also has long-term effects on their ability to communicate within the company. Improved communication leads to better team collaboration as employees are able to more accurately communicate concerns, instructions, accidents, etc.
Increased Productivity: As a result of improved communication between employees, companies who teach English words to their new hires and seasoned employees see increased productivity throughout the workplace. Communication becomes more streamlined, which allows for company processes to work more efficiently and in a timely manner. When companies invest in training for new hires to learn English at the beginning of their tenure at the company, they are also able to save time spent teaching these same words in the plant floor, workroom, warehouse, yard, etc.
Enhanced Workplace Safety: According to research collected by OSHA, workplace accidents resulting from a language barrier in the workplace make up about 25% of reported accidents. When employees are able to communicate effectively in English, they are able to more quickly address these accidents, whether by reporting them or working with a colleague to fix the problem. This also helps to reduce liability for the company and to lessen the number of potential accidents that could occur. Workplace safety is a big concern for many of the companies we’ve worked with who struggle with this language barrier, and it’s an important issue to consider when beginning to train your new hire employees.
Stronger Employee Retention: When you invest in your employees and their language learning, this shows a commitment to employee growth that benefits both parties. Employees who receive this type of support in the workplace are often seen to be more loyal to their company, which also helps to decrease turnover. Not only this, but many immigrant or refugee employees also come to the country with other working-class family members. We’ve seen many companies hire one family member, which naturally turns into opportunities to hire their family members or friends to fill other open positions when the company treats the original employee well.

By proactively addressing the language barrier early, companies are able to stop miscommunication, workplace accidents, and increased turnover before it becomes a problem. Employees are also given better footing from which they can begin their new position, setting them up for success as they continue to learn the language.

Think back to the employee in the janitorial position who couldn’t call out a warning in English. By including in the new hire training some basic safety phrases for communicating caution (such as, “Whatch out!,” “Be careful!”) the company would have better prepared him to communicate with coworkers when he was in the middle of a task that required caution from others, such as mopping the floor, or cleaning up a spill. So, what are some other ways we can improve our English training to new hires knowing about these benefits and risks?

Strategies to Incorporate Language Learning During Onboarding

Incorporating this English language learning into your new hire training can be done seamlessly with a little time and effort up front. Here are a few strategies we recommend and have seen work well in the companies we’ve worked with.

Give new hires a list of the most common tools/materials/machines/duties that will be used in their job. On this list, include a photo and the English word, and go over these words with new hires and give them a copy to take with them. Start with 10-15 words that are tailored to the individual’s role, and add more words as needed. This is a tool you can continue to use and refer to even after the employee has been working with the company for a few months. (You can find a free template here to help you create this tool for your employees!)
Include English words on your PPT slides . Even just 1-2 words in large letters on the slides you typically use can be a huge help to language learners. They will be able to begin associating these words with the concepts you are explaining. If you do a portion of the training in Spanish or have it translated, you should still be teaching a key English word along with these translated concepts. While providing some of the training in the employees’ native languages can be helpful, it shouldn’t be relied upon for complete understanding. Translations can be inaccurate, and over-translating does not allow for better communication in English in the future. Avoid overloading your employees with translation, but instead, use their native language as a tool in order to help them learn English alongside the words they’re used to seeing.
Pair new hires with a mentor, peer or coach who can help them learn the English words they need for the job . Encouraging interaction in this way allows for a safe place for employees to practice their English in a more interactive manner than some new hire training might allow. This is a great way companies can encourage their employees to gain confidence speaking and listening in English.
Offer a new hire English class . This class environment allows for another safe place for employees to gain confidence using the English they are learning. The classes can be provided by an outside company (like Multilingual Workforce) or in our unique train-the-trainer format , where your internal team can deliver the material in a more flexible set up.

We’ve worked with many companies who are looking to improve their onboarding processes to better support their non-English speaking employees! If you’d like to learn more about our services, or schedule a free consultation with us, send us a message! We look forward to hearing from you!

Announcing Our New Name: Multilingual Workforce

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 16:49:58 GMT

We have a new name!

We’re excited to share some big news: Workplace Talent Solutions is now Multilingual Workforce!

Why the change? Over the years, we’ve realized that our original name didn’t fully capture who we are and what we do. Many people mistakenly thought we were a recruitment agency. In reality, we’re here to support organizations that have vibrant, multilingual teams.

Our mission remains the same: to help organizations overcome language barriers in the workplace. We provide:

Strategic guidance for decision-makers to create effective policies and practices.
Cultural diversity and communication training for supervisors to build understanding and improve communication skills.
English language training for employees to empower their growth and success.

We believe that when every member of a team can communicate effectively, it drives innovation, trust, and success for everyone.

Along with our new name, we’ve launched a brand-new website. It’s packed with resources to help you better understand how we can support your diverse workforce. Check out our new services!

Thank you for being part of this journey with us!

Here’s to building stronger, more inclusive workplaces together!

Cultural Diversity: Understanding Shame and Honor-Based Cultures

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 19:03:16 GMT

Cultural Diversity in the Workplace

If you’ve noticed your workplace becoming more diverse in recent years, you’re not alone. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2023 that foreign-born employees accounted for 18.6% of the U.S. civilian workforce. The American Immigration Council reports that 9.7% of Pennsylvania’s labor force is immigrant workers. This diversity is only expected to increase.

While diversity is valuable and creates a strong workforce, it can also cause a breakdown in communication if employees aren’t trained in how to relate to other cultures and other viewpoints. Laurie and I have worked with many companies that have very diverse workforces and have seen many situations where disagreements or miscommunications were rooted in cultural differences that were never recognized.

Being aware of the different cultures present in your company's workforce is essential for creating an inclusive and respectful work environment. Understanding cultural differences helps prevent misunderstandings and promotes better communication among team members. It also enables managers and employees to appreciate diverse perspectives. Ultimately, when we’re aware of the different cultures that make up our workforces, we can foster a sense of community and belonging, develop a greater understanding of those we work with, and improve our communication with our teams.

Within this realm of cultural diversity, we’re diving into shame/honor-based cultures to learn what the general characteristics of those populations are, how they communicate, and how those communication patterns may present in the workplace.

What is a Shame/Honor-Based Culture?

Shame or honor-based cultures are characterized by a focus on honor and pride, where members are typically defined by their community’s opinion or perception of them. They are shamed or feel shame if they don’t meet the expectations of the group. These are typically collectivist cultures and include many Eastern cultures.

Honoring the “group” is where their motivation comes from, and self-expression and individualism are not important to them. Members of these cultures work very hard to make sure that they don’t embarrass themselves or others, especially in public, and may place greater significance on authority figures and hierarchies. They can be very indirect in their approaches, especially around conflict. Body language is often used instead of words to communicate, which means that in these cases, the unspoken is just as important (if not more important) than what is spoken.

For example, in Thailand, if you ask someone for directions, they may give you the wrong directions if they don’t know the correct ones to “save face”. Or, if a taxi (called a tuk-tuk) driver doesn’t want to give you a ride, they may make up a reason like being out of gas instead of directly telling you they don’t feel comfortable giving you a ride (or whatever the underlying reason may be).

Shame/Honor-Based Cultures in the Workplace

Cultural diversity in the workplace is on the rise, and it’s important to develop an awareness of cultural differences. Naturally, we all make assumptions and communicate based on our own cultural perspectives and backgrounds. However, when communicating with supervisors or employees, only seeing things through our specific cultural lens can lead to misunderstandings and miscommunication. Not understanding cultural differences can potentially lead to poor company morale, high turnover, and higher error rates.

Someone from a shame/honor-based culture might interact with coworkers or supervisors differently than someone from a Western or individualistic culture. Here are some ways they may communicate:

Would not tell a superior that they didn’t understand what was said or directly address it to avoid embarrassing the supervisor
May be more hesitant to share ideas or thoughts for fear of being wrong
May be less likely to be innovative, and do only what they are asked to avoid failure or standing out
May feel more comfortable as part of a group
Will feel very uncomfortable with direct communication, especially if they are called out for a mistake, especially in public. Even if they are not being reprimanded, they will be very uncomfortable with their work being used as an “example”
May avoid eye contact with authorities or authoritative figures

Modifying Communication for Shame/Honor Cultures

Given the above, you may be wondering how to modify the way you communicate to accommodate someone from a shame/honor based culture. Here are some ways to modify communication:

Watch for nonverbal cues. It’s not as natural to us in the U.S., but you can train yourself to be more observant of people’s nonverbal behaviors
Don’t call out mistakes or reprimand in public and be gentle when you are correcting, even if it’s one-on-one
Recognize group efforts and wins rather than calling out individuals
Be careful with eye contact in uncomfortable situations and don’t be alarmed at an employee's lack of eye contact; it’s not meant as disrespect
Build relationships; this is important in honor/shame cultures
Approach differences with curiosity and with a learner’s attitude. Demonstrate that you want to learn about their culture and customs

The Value of Cultural Diversity

Diversity in the workplace is valuable and creates strong, creative work environments. If you have a diverse workforce, it’s important to invest in understanding what cultures make up your team and developing ways to accommodate those differences. When people understand the backgrounds and perspectives of those they work with, communication becomes more effective and relationships improve.

At Workplace Talent Solutions, we offer Cultural Diversity training for the workplace. We talk about common misunderstandings in the workplace, help management teams understand how they may be misinterpreting others’ actions and how others may misinterpret theirs, and more. If a company does the hard work of building cultural understanding into their company culture, it will give them an advantage in the marketplace. It’s worth the investment.

The Negative Side of Too Much Translation

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 12:05:21 GMT

Comparing Two Supervisors: Language Barriers and Workplace Culture

Picture this: At ABC Company, a portion of their workforce speaks Spanish as their first language, and has limited ability to speak or understand English. In a tour of their facility, you come across two different supervisors who are handling the language barrier in two different ways. Which of these two supervisors do you think positively impacted their company’s workplace culture, and which do you think had a negative impact?

Supervisor A: Half of the employees this supervisor oversees only speak English, while the other half speak only Spanish. To keep things running efficiently, this supervisor split the group and has one production line for each language group. With this setup, the two groups of employees rarely interact with each other and can just talk to themselves in their own language. Supervisor A has limited Spanish-speaking abilities, so when he needs to communicate instructions to the Spanish-speaking employees, he asks a bilingual colleague to come and share the instructions with the employees. Overall, the employees seem guarded and uncertain. The ESL employees seem hesitant to approach their supervisor, and little talking or collaboration is happening in the room.

Supervisor B: Supervisor B also oversees employees who speak English primarily and others who speak Spanish. Instead of separating them into production lines that speak the same language, this supervisor decided to keep all employees mixed together. They invested some time in teaching everyone some hand signals to communicate across the language barrier. Even though they speak different languages, as supervisor B looks around the room, they see employees interacting with each other through their hand signals, and teaching each other basic words in the other language. Some English-speaking employees are learning Spanish words, and some Spanish-speaking employees are practicing English words. There is a sense of camaraderie and fun, and employees seem at ease when working with others from a different culture.

Based on these descriptions, which room might have higher employee engagement and retention? Which supervisor is positively impacting ABC’s company culture? Which team is poised for employee growth and improvement?

How Over-Reliance on Translation Can Undermine Company Culture

The Limits of Translation Apps and Services

When translation is the main tool in bridging language barriers, supervisors, employees, and company culture can become dependent on it. Learning to communicate across a language barrier is a learned skill, and requires the ability to gather meaning from what someone is saying based on their body language, hand motions, and other nonverbal signals. As employees practice this, both native English speakers and non-native English speakers improve their communication skills, and become better at interacting and communicating with those from other cultures. However, if translation through an app or a person is what is relied upon for communication, native English speakers and non-native English speakers don’t have the opportunity to improve at communicating with each other and those from different cultures.

Barriers to Employee Advancement and Organizational Growth

Relying on and overusing translation limits the growth of a company. People who don’t speak English are not able to advance in the company because of the language barrier. Even if they bring valuable skills from their education, training, or past job experience from their home country, they can’t move into other roles or leadership positions because of the inability to communicate with higher-ups, who likely only speak English. If a company does not figure out a way to bridge that language barrier, it runs the risk of limiting itself to a certain way of operating.

Strategies to Foster Communication Across Language Barriers

There are many ways a company can help bridge the language barrier by providing opportunities for employees to interact and connect:

Food : Provide opportunities for employees to bring in food from their home countries and share it with one another.
Holidays and Celebrations: Related to food, celebrate holidays or things related to cultures or countries so that other people represent their cultures and feel seen in the workplace. This can be an opportunity to learn something about someone else's culture and the ways that they celebrate. Most importantly, it shows that your company and its leadership have a genuine i nterest and curiosity in other people's cultures and what they do.
Learning the Language: This applies to both employees who don't speak English and those who do. So, ESL employees are learning to speak English, and English employees are learning some of the language of their coworkers. Whether it’s through hand signals, or bulletin boards that have both the English word and Spanish word for the same item or concept, it allows all employees to learn and build a sense of comradery.
Encourage English Language Growth: Offer ESL classes, help people learn English, and train supervisors on how to encourage English language growth from employees.
View English as the First Step in Career Pathways : Each employee should know what they’re working on and towards within a company, and what opportunities lie ahead of them. To accommodate employees who don’t speak English well, ensuring that learning English is the first step in their career pathway allows your company to support them in their growth and advancement.

If you’re looking to move beyond translation and bridge language barriers in ways that will improve your company culture, start with these actionable items. At Workplace Talent Solutions, we’re passionate about providing the training that allows supervisors, leaders, and employees to communicate across a language gap. Reach out to us and we can help you explore what makes the most sense for your employees and your company.

The Benefits of Career Pathways: A Gateway to Success for All Employees

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 20:30:07 GMT

The ability and opportunity to advance in a career is vital to employee growth and organizational success. A career path is a plan for how an employee can move forward in their career with your organization. If an employee begins in an entry-level position, where could they move within the company? What skills and training are needed for them to advance to other positions? How much time would it typically take to reach that next level?

Developing career paths for employees means they have a plan for their future within your organization. They know what positions they can work toward, and what training you will provide for them to get there.

Supporting employees and providing them with a structured path in their career growth not only allows them to thrive and benefits them in multiple ways, but also allows companies to harness the full potential of their diverse talent pool.

Breaking Down Language Barriers

Starting out in a new job can be intimidating, especially when you're at the entry level. Career pathways give these employees a clear map of how they can move up in the company. Knowing what steps to take can boost confidence and job satisfaction because employees can see their progress, and know what might be coming next.

For employees who don't speak English well, the workplace can feel even more intimidating. Because of this, career pathways are especially important for entry-level employees and those who may not speak English fluently. For these employees, career pathways can include special training programs that focus on language skills, making it easier for these employees to fit in and climb the career ladder. Offering things like ESL classes or pairing them with language mentors can greatly improve their communication skills and open doors to new opportunities.

Leveraging Skills of Immigrant Employees

As we’ve talked about before in greater detail, many employees who come from other countries have advanced degrees and valuable skills from their home countries . But often, these talents are overlooked due to language issues, or because their qualifications or credentials aren’t recognized. Career pathways can help by creating a system that acknowledges these skills and helps integrate them into suitable roles.

In doing so, companies can ensure these employees are not stuck in jobs that don't use their full potential. Instead, they can guide them towards positions that really benefit from their expertise. This not only makes the employees feel valued but also brings a wealth of diverse skills to the company, which leads to overall greater organizational success.

Why Career Pathways Are Beneficial for Everyone

Did you know that a large portion of the workforce is looking to change careers? In a recent article, Apollo Techincal Engineering Talent Solutions reports that around 70% of all working-age people are actively looking for a job change to expand their careers.

Furthermore, an article on employee development statistics shares that 86% of employees say they’d switch jobs for one with more chances to grow. Companies found that investing in development saw a 58% increase in retention and a 24% increase in productivity.

For all employees, career pathways bring multiple benefits:

Increased Engagement and Retention: When employees see a clear path for advancement, they are more likely to stay with the organization and remain engaged in their work.
Skill Development: Structured pathways encourage continuous learning and development, enabling employees to acquire new skills and stay updated with industry trends.
Improved Performance: Clear career progression can motivate employees to perform better, knowing that their efforts will lead to tangible rewards and opportunities.
Enhanced Job Satisfaction: Knowing that there are opportunities for growth within the organization leads to higher job satisfaction and overall morale.

Career pathways are an essential tool for fostering a thriving, motivated, and skilled workforce. By providing clear opportunities for advancement, supporting language development, and recognizing the advanced skills of immigrant employees, organizations can create an environment where all employees can succeed. Embracing career pathways allows companies to create a more inclusive and motivated workforce, paving the way for sustained growth and success.

If you have employees who don’t speak English well but you want to fully utilize their potential, you can start by giving them opportunities to build their language. At Workplace Talent Solutions, we’re passionate about providing the language support employees need to take the first step on their career pathway, and we do this in a variety of ways. Reach out to us and we’ll help you determine which approach will make the most sense for your employees and your company.

Confidence: The Key To Effective Language Learning

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 12:00:03 GMT

Learning a new skill can be a daunting task.

If that skill is a new language, it can seem even more difficult.

Why?

According to a Time Magazine article by Jamie Ducharme, a 2018 study “found that it’s ‘nearly impossible’ for language learners to reach native-level fluency if they start learning a second tongue after age 10 — though that doesn’t seem to be because language skills go downhill at this age.”

Digging deeper into the research, it’s not definitive why this drop in learning happens as we grow into adults. “Possible explanations could include changes in brain plasticity, lifestyle changes related to entering the workforce or college or an unwillingness to learn new things — potentially while looking foolish in the process — that mounts with age,” Ducharme writes.

In our work in language acquisition and teaching ESL, we can attest to all of those factors playing a role in making it harder for adults to learn a new language. It’s hard to find the time, we’re dealing with many other responsibilities, and quite frankly, it can be embarrassing. However, there is a key ingredient to successfully learning a second language despite these challenges: confidence .

Speaking and Listening vs. Reading and Writing

If you’ve used a language learning app or taken a language class, you know the focus is usually on reading and writing. You match words to pictures, practice typing phrases, learn how to spell certain words, and more. You may learn to recognize a word, but you probably don’t feel confident pronouncing or using it in a sentence. In this initial phase of language learning, you’re gaining exposure to and knowledge of the new language, but lack competence in the language. In this setting, you’ve never had to try speaking the words you're learning or interacting with people who speak that language.

In the context of learning a new language in the workplace, speaking and listening are incredibly important skills. Employees need to be able to communicate with coworkers and supervisors, understand safety rules and protocols, understand written and verbal instructions, and be able to respond . So, while focusing on reading and writing is a helpful foundation when we’re talking about employees learning a language in the workplace, they really need practice speaking and listening.

Confidence is Key

As the Time Magazine article mentioned, the potential of embarrassment or looking foolish when trying a new skill may explain why our ability to learn language decreases as we age. Speaking in front of others can be daunting enough, and adding the pressure of pronouncing words or using them correctly can make it even more intimidating.

But once someone develops a little bit of confidence in speaking English or listening, they become more willing to try, and that eagerness and practice drastically increases their learning. A 2023 study showed that those with high self-confidence in their English language skills are more likely to learn a second language and speak it well. This is because confidence boosts drive and tenacity, and allows the individual to feel as though they can tackle the challenge of language acquisition. When we build the confidence of someone learning English, we increase their ability to learn, take in the language, and improve.

Ways To Help Immigrant Employees Build Confidence in Their English-Language Skills:

Supportive Supervisors:

Having encouraging and supportive supervisors is one of the most impactful ways to build confidence in employees who are learning English
Supervisors or managers who might laugh or make fun of a mispronounced word can cause the learner to feel shame, a feeling that can negatively impact learning by decreasing the learner’s confidence.
Supervisors who have received training to bridge the language barrier , provide positive feedback, and recognize growth make the most impact.

Providing Opportunities for Employees to Practice English:

When presented with a language barrier, using a translation app or an interpreter might seem efficient and beneficial. However, we know that relying on translation in the workplace leads to several limitations .
Instead, providing opportunities for employees to practice their English is key to their learning and ability to build confidence. Providing opportunities to practice can look like:
Explaining things first in English before translating
Asking employees to respond to in English and being patient while they work to get the words out
Teaching employees the English words for things rather than only translating them.
Having a basic conversation with them every day (Hello, how are you, how’s your family, etc.)
Providing ESL classes to help build confidence and provide a safe environment to practice with others who are also learning the language.

If you’d like to know more about building the confidence of your employees, we can help! We offer ESL classes for employees and training for supervisors to help them better support the language learning of employees they work with.

To learn more about our services and how we can help you overcome the language barrier in your workforce, fill out our contact form for a free consultation. We look forward to hearing from you!

Continue Reading:

6 Ways to Accommodate Employees Who Don’t Speak English

Elevating Non-English Speakers' English Skills for a Unified Workplace

Closing the Gap: Understanding Oral and Print Skills in the Workplace

Lost Potential: How Language Barriers Lead to Underemployment for Skilled Immigrants

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Tue, 28 May 2024 13:39:49 GMT

Imagine this: you spend years and hard-earned money working toward your advanced degree and graduate envisioning a future filled with possibilities. You work for several years in your degree field, gaining valuable experience and building the skills necessary to advance in your career. However, as political, economic, or social safety issues increase, you decide to move your family to the U.S. for their safety, well-being, and future opportunities.

However, upon arrival, you find yourself in a tricky situation: despite your qualifications, you struggle to communicate effectively due to language barriers and unfamiliarity with the job application process. As a result, you’re relegated to entry-level positions, working two or three minimum-wage jobs to make ends meet and provide for your family.

This situation is a reality for many immigrants who come to the United States with advanced degrees and valuable skills. However, because of various barriers, they end up working entry-level jobs and not utilizing the skills they’ve developed in their years of past work experience.

What is Brain Waste?

When we have a population of people whose skills are needed, but there are barriers to matching them with jobs that utilize their skill sets, this underutilization is called brain waste . Some barriers skilled immigrants may face include:

Limited English skills
Unfamiliarity with the U.S. labor market
Unfamiliarity with the process of applying for jobs
Lack of involvement in professional networks
Difficulty gaining professional licenses or getting foreign-earned academic/professional credentials recognized

The Impact of Brain Waste

According to the 2016 Migration Policy Institute report titled Untapped Talent: The Costs of Brain Waste Among Highly Skilled Immigrants in the United States , nearly 2 million immigrants with college degrees in the United States (or 1 out of 4) are relegated to low-skilled jobs or are unable to find work. College-educated immigrants in low-skilled work miss out on over $39 billion in wages. As a result, federal, state, and local governments lose more than $10 billion in unrealized tax receipts, according to this study, which offers the first-ever estimates of the economic costs of brain waste.

On a smaller scale, brain waste can negatively impact a company’s bottom line. Underutilizing the advanced skills of employees means underutilizing their ability to meet business goals, which negatively impacts revenue. If you’re not utilizing the skills immigrant employees bring to the table, your business is losing money.

Next Steps for Businesses

With this in mind, think of your own company. Do you know your employee’s background? Their previous job skills, work experience, or educational background? Do you know if you have skilled immigrants or refugees in your workforce?

In response to brain waste and the underutilization of skilled employees, there are several steps you can take to start breaking down the barriers that are keeping them from positions that maximize their skill sets:

Learn your employees’ backgrounds:
What skills do they bring with them from previous job experience? What is their previous work experience? What kind of skills did they develop from their previous job?
Help them overcome the language barrier:
Build employee's confidence in using their English skills. Often, they know some English but are hesitant or too nervous to use it. By providing opportunities where they can practice, like ESL classes or language training for supervisors, you can help them build their confidence.
ESL Classes : Begin to bridge the language barrier and prepare employees to communicate more clearly with their coworkers and supervisors.
Bridging Language Barriers Training : Help your supervisors learn how to assist employees in improving their English without over-utilizing translation. This creates an environment where they’re able to build their language skills.
Offer skilled training opportunities:
Ensure you’re not overlooking those employees when you’re providing the training that they need. If there’s a specific training they need that they’re going to struggle with because they don’t speak English, tutoring could be helpful to build the language they specifically need for that training. You can also think creatively and adjust or slow down the typical training to make it more hands-on.

We partner with you to build language skills to develop your workforce, avoid brain waste, and combat language barriers. Our services are uniquely tailored for employees who need to improve their understanding of business English and American workplace culture.

To learn more about our talent development programs and services, fill out our contact form for a free consultation.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Language Solutions: Translation or Training?

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Mon, 06 May 2024 15:26:12 GMT

If you’ve hired someone who doesn’t speak English well, you’ve probably thought about translation. You may have hired a bilingual supervisor to support that employee. Or maybe you’ve relied on another employee who was bilingual. You may have utilized Google Translate or another form of translation. Either way, translation is probably where your mind went to solve the language barrier challenge.

However, there are limitations to translation. While many companies view translation as their only option for dealing with language barriers, it’s actually not the only option. In fact, it’s not the best option in most situations, and it’s a short-term solution to the challenge.

Relying heavily on translation in the workplace can lead to several limitations:

Dependency : Employees may become overly reliant on translation, hindering their ability to improve their English skills. Supervisors may also rely on translation instead of trying to communicate in other ways that would support language learning. When employees and leaders rely on translation, they lack confidence and skills to communicate if translation is not available.
Inaccuracy : Translation devices are not always accurate, although many assume they are accurate. This can result in misunderstandings and confusion among employees.
Division : Companies may feel it is helpful to have separate meetings for different language groups since they are using translation services, or they will translate all communication but will deliver it differently to the various language groups. This can create division rather than foster unity and collaboration.
Impact on Culture : Overuse of translation can negatively affect company culture by creating barriers instead of promoting connections among employees. If employees don’t feel comfortable communicating across language barriers, they will eat lunch and take breaks only with those who speak the same language they do.

Because translation is sometimes seen as the only option, companies often consider training their supervisors to speak a second language so they can communicate with employees who don’t speak English. Teaching supervisors a second language or hiring bilingual leadership can be helpful, but employers should be aware that these options provide limited support to employees learning English as a second language.

Supervisors learning a second language may learn the language slowly because the language is not used outside of work, limiting the supervisors’ opportunities to practice the language.
If supervisors do not have any previous knowledge of or exposure to the language they are learning, it can take a long time to reach fluency.
Limiting leadership to one specific second language - such as Spanish - can exclude other language groups.

Is it a bad idea to teach another language to supervisors or utilize translation? Absolutely not! Utilizing translation or bilingual supervisors or employees is sometimes the quickest, fastest way to understand what someone is saying; however, it’s important to understand that there are limitations. For example, you can translate all of your safety training, but if an employee doesn’t know the words in English, they may not understand if someone yells out a warning to them in English.

So what is the right approach?

At Workplace Talent Solutions, we understand that utilizing one language in the workplace is not only beneficial but essential to maintain clear, consistent communication, sustain positive company culture and employee relationships, and continue the growth of the company and the growth of employees. It’s crucial for a company to use one language in the workplace as much as possible. Encouraging everyone to use one language at work promotes clarity and unity.

It is crucial that in your company, each employee is working towards communicating effectively in English. This doesn’t mean employees can never speak in their native language. However, it does mean that you should be encouraging them and providing them with opportunities to use English and build their English skills.

Helping employees learn English is often one of the most effective and efficient ways of dealing with the language barrier, and it’s also a long-term solution to the problem. Employees learning English often learn the language quickly because they have many opportunities to practice - within the workplace and outside of it. Employees may also know some English from school or other experiences. Additionally, employees are highly motivated to learn English because it will benefit their lives not only at work but also with their families and their communities.

This approach requires training for all employees. Offering English classes for employees helps them improve their skills, and equipping supervisors with tools to encourage English use helps create a supportive workplace.

Investing in English language classes for employees and teaching supervisors how to promote English usage is the best way to overcome language barriers in the workplace.

At Workplace Talent Solutions, we believe that the investment in building English language skills pays for itself. We offer Workplace ESL classes for employees. We also offer a Bridging Language Barriers training for supervisors and leaders that teaches them the strategies needed to successfully communicate in English with someone who doesn’t speak English. This training shows leaders how to use opportunities they have every day to help employees build their language skills.

Building language skills instead of relying on translation takes time and effort, but it's essential for clear communication and an environment where all feel appreciated and valued.

Connect with us today to learn more about the training we offer. Reach out to us at contact@workplacetealentsolutions.com or 484.228.1945.

Consulting with Us: FAQs on Language Inclusivity Assessments

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 18:33:55 GMT

Here at Workplace Talent Solutions, we help you stabilize your workforce and impact your community by successfully hiring and employing immigrants, refugees, and those who don’t speak English well. One of the primary consulting services we offer is our Language Inclusivity Assessment.

We wanted to answer commonly asked questions about our Language Inclusivity Assessment so that you have the information you need as you consider your next steps in strengthening your workplace culture.

What is the purpose of our Language Inclusivity Assessment?

We work with you to identify areas of hiring, onboarding, or training practices that could be improved or modified for employees who don’t speak English well.

What is included in the service?

During our time with you, we will:

Review all the documents that are used in onboarding, training, and day-to-day job responsibilities to determine what language employees would need to know to understand/complete the documents
Review all onboarding documents (i.e., job descriptions, applications, employee handbook)
Employee surveys
Supervisor surveys
Observation of the job/role
Optional: English proficiency assessment for existing employees

We tailor our questions to your specific needs, focusing on language skills, communication challenges, and potential adjustments for employee success. We ask questions of you and your team, such as:

What language skills are needed for an employee to be successful in this position?
Where are challenges and miscommunications most likely to occur?
What adjustments can be made to ensure the success of a new hire who doesn’t speak English well?
Can translation be utilized?
Where can timelines be adjusted to allow extra time to process new information?
What could be included in a workplace English as a second language (ESL) course or new hire ESL course to improve the effectiveness of the employee?

Is it customizable?

Absolutely. We understand that every company is different and that you may have a different set of needs.

What are the expected outcomes?

You'll gain comprehensive insights into your hiring and onboarding processes, along with a clear roadmap to prepare for hiring non-native English speakers.

How long does it typically take to complete the assessment and report?

It typically takes between 2-5 months to complete the assessment and report. It depends on the size of your company and the number of employees you have. It can also depend on how quickly your team can provide the information and responses we need to complete the assessment.

What are the next steps?

We prepare a recommendations report for you and your team to review. Some of the recommendations may need to be completed internally, such as rethinking onboarding processes. Your next steps could include:

Simplifying job descriptions and making them easier to read;
Creating or implementing an English proficiency assessment to be used during the hiring process;
Translating HR documents;
Creating an orientation and training plan that allows more time to absorb new information;
Developing career pathways for entry-level employees;
Hosting a Bridging Language Barriers and Cultural Diversity training for anyone who will be or is interacting with employees who don’t speak English;
Work with us to modify documents; or
Develop a new hire ESL program or offer a workplace ESL class to employees.

Is this only for companies who are only now starting to hire people who don’t speak English?

No, it may be helpful if you already employ individuals with limited English but want to improve communication, lower safety incidents, or improve productivity.

How do I know if the Language Inclusivity Assessment is the next step for my company?

Your company might be ready for this Assessment if you’re experiencing any of the following:

You’re concerned that your new hires who speak limited English didn’t fully grasp the safety information they needed
Your supervisors and onboarding teams are frustrated or overwhelmed with the challenge of communicating with new hires who don’t speak English
You’ve hired individuals who don’t speak English but have had high turnover
You want to build an inclusive environment for all your employees
You’re concerned about company culture and employee relationships
You’ve hired individuals who don’t speak English and have had some safety issues or productivity issues

Connect with us today to schedule a free 1-hour consultation to explore if the Language Inclusivity Assessment is right for your company. Reach out to us at contact@workplacetealentsolutions.com or 484.228.1945.

Closing the Gap: Understanding Oral and Print Skills in the Workplace

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 21:52:48 GMT

In the dynamic landscape of today's globalized workforce, effective communication is the key to success, especially for those who are not native English speakers. Leaders play a crucial role in ensuring that their teams can talk and understand each other. One important thing to think about is how people communicate when they speak and listen (oral) and when they read and write (print). For those whose first language is not English, they may be stronger at either reading and writing in English or they could excel in speaking and listening in English.

Why would someone be stronger at print or oral language? While some may have learned English in school, focusing on grammar and reading, others may have acquired it through immersion, primarily relying on speaking with and listening to family, friends, or workplace contexts. Understanding these variations is vital for effective communication strategies. Various factors contribute to an individual being better at print or oral language, such as:

Where You Learned English: Some people learned English in school, focusing on reading and grammar. Others learned by being around English speakers in places like family, friends, or work.
How Well You Can Read and Write: Some might struggle with reading and writing in English because they're not good at reading or writing in their native language.
How You Learned English: Learning by listening in places where English is spoken can make someone good at speaking but not as good at reading.

At Workplace Talent Solutions, our services include assessing reading comprehension and verbal skills. In a recent evaluation, we encountered an employee whose supervisor was frustrated. The employee was a great worker, but whenever the supervisor left written instructions for her, she failed to complete the tasks as directed. The supervisor didn’t understand the inconsistency and was, quite frankly, frustrated by the performance. After our assessment, it became clear that the employee’s speaking ability was better than her reading skills. We recommended alternative communication methods, such as audio recordings or verbal discussions for instructions. Additionally, we suggested typing the supervisor’s handwritten directions to improve comprehension.

In another company, supervisors told us about an employee whose outstanding performance earned him a promotion to a supervisory role, but, much to the surprise of the supervisors, the employee was not able to write emails- a critical part of his new role. These stories show how important it is to know about communication skills. Understanding where your non-native English speaker employees are at with their skills will allow you to make informed decisions about employee roles and responsibilities.

To close the gap, consider the following:

Use Both Speaking and Writing:

Give instructions in both ways so people can choose what's best for them.

Say Instructions Out Loud:

When you give written instructions, review them out loud. This helps everyone understand better.

Know People's Backgrounds:

Understand how non-native English speakers learned English. Did they learn it in school or by being around English speakers?

Personalize Communication:

Respect how non-native English speakers like to communicate. If someone is good at talking, use spoken instructions. If they prefer writing, make sure written instructions are clear.

Use Technology Correctly:

Use technology that fits different ways of communicating for non-native English speakers. For employees with better oral skills, use audio or translation apps. For employees with better print skills, use clear written instructions and pictures.

Effective communication involves acknowledging and accommodating diverse oral and print skills. By adopting a personalized approach and implementing strategies that cater to both types of communication, you can create a successful workplace with a thriving workforce!

Empowering Success: Elevating Non-English Speakers' English Skills for a Unified Workplace

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 16:30:11 GMT

Did you know that frequently using translation to communicate with employees could be working against the growth and success of your company?

If you ever studied a second language, you may remember the feeling you had when someone was speaking to you in that second language you were trying to learn. Your brain panics for a moment and you think, “I don’t understand any of this!” If you were given the chance to use an interpreter or translator on your phone, you would reach for it immediately. However if that wasn’t available, you would listen again, and most likely, surprise yourself with how much you actually did understand.

How does this play out in the workplace? In many companies, when an employee is trying to communicate with another employee who doesn’t speak English well, they will either pull out Google Translate or ask another bilingual employee to interpret for them. However, this heavy use of translation is actually hurting companies.

The Power of English Proficiency

In today's diverse workforce, effective communication is the backbone of success. When a diverse workforce can communicate well with each other, ideas flourish, projects thrive, and innovation soars. When employees share a common language—English—their ideas can flow freely, resulting in more effective discussions, enhanced problem-solving, and expedited decision-making. When employees can comprehend and respond in English, projects move forward more swiftly, timelines are met, and teams collaborate more smoothly, achieving better outcomes in less time. That’s what every leader wants!

When employees have limited English proficiency, of course these benefits are not being realized. So many companies turn to translation and interpretation to bridge the gap. However, for the growth of a company, it’s crucial that all employees are working towards an environment where everyone understands English, an environment where collaboration, efficiency, and growth can thrive.

Challenges of Constant Translation

How does translation and interpretation work against growth?

First, an employee who doesn’t speak English will learn to rely on the translation for understanding. When our brains are offered a translation, we lose the motivation to try to understand the information in the new language. While most employees who don’t speak English are highly motivated to learn English, it’s only natural for them to check out if a translation is available.

Similarly, if a supervisor has translation available, they are less likely to work on their communication skills. There are many tools that supervisors can use to improve communication in English and build employees’ language skills as well. However, often when translation is heavily used, supervisors are not learning or utilizing these tools. The growth of all employees will stagnate. Instead, with the right tools and training, each interaction can be a step towards an environment where all employees are able to communicate in the same language. It takes time, but with the right company culture, expectations, and training in place, your company can be moving towards that every day.

The Path to Empowerment: Strategies for English Skill Development

Here are some things you can do to improve communication and work towards an environment where employee engagement can flourish.

1. Language Learning Initiatives

Organizations can offer language learning programs and resources to non-English speaking employees. These initiatives demonstrate a commitment to their growth, improve their overall language skills, and foster a sense of inclusion. It’s also an excellent way to build retention among non-English-speaking employees.

2. Training for Supervisors

Provide training for supervisors on how to effectively communicate across languages. By using clear, simple language along with hand motions and gestures, a supervisor can significantly increase understanding, even if they are speaking in English. Also, judicious use of translation can aid in communication while still encouraging the development of English language skills. These are communication tools that can be taught to supervisors.

3. On-the-Job Learning

Incorporate English into everyday workplace activities, encouraging employees to use the language naturally. Assign them tasks that require English communication and provide feedback to help them grow. Again, training supervisors on how to facilitate this type of learning environment is key.

The importance of building non-English speaking employees' English skills cannot be overstated. By investing in language proficiency, organizations can foster an environment where effective communication, collaboration, and growth are the norm. While translation services have their place, relying solely on them introduces challenges that can hinder progress and inclusivity. Empowering non-English speakers with strong English skills not only benefits the individual employees but also contributes to the organization's success as a whole, allowing for smoother operations, better teamwork, and broader horizons.

Contact us today to learn more about our Workplace English classes and Supervisor training, all focused on supporting companies who employ individuals from diverse language backgrounds. Diversity is an asset; use it well!

Career Paths: How to Get Started

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 17:41:53 GMT

What is a career path?

A career path is a plan for how an employee can move forward in their career at your company. Starting in an entry-level position, where could an employee move within the company? What skills and training are needed for other positions? How much time does it typically take to reach the next level?

Developing career paths for employees means they have a plan for the next few months and years within your company. They know what positions they can work toward, and you have offered or will offer the training they need to get there.

Having career paths will improve employee engagement and retention. Employees want to work towards something, especially

Gen Zers and Millennials. They want to know there is something more for them in the company beyond their current position. Defining what skills and training are needed for other positions will help employees envision a future in the company. The lack of opportunities is the #1 reason these generations leave their jobs.

In order to create exciting career paths for employees, supervisors need to be aware of an employee’s goals. There should be regular discussions about the goals and interests of each employee. And supervisors should be able to help an employee align those goals and interests with the skills they see in the employee and the greater goals of the company. Discussions about career pathways should become a part of the culture of your company.

Are there career paths in place for your employees? Do supervisors know how to talk about career paths with employees?

If you don’t have career paths in place, here are four ways you can get started. These are simple steps to get the ball rolling.

1. Brainstorm typical career paths.

Take out a paper and sketch out the typical pathways that an employee moves through your company. Are there any other less typical ways that someone has moved in the past? Add those to your chart. After you’ve sketched out the typical moves, brainstorm new creative ways. Remember, a move can be lateral as well.

2. Revisit your annual review format and questions.

What questions do supervisors typically ask employees during an annual or quarterly review? Are there any questions about their interests or goals within the company? If so, what happens to the answers of those questions? Do supervisors report back or work on finding training that supports employee goals? You’ll want to make sure that supervisors are clear on employee goals and what to do with the information when they have it.

3. Create a list of training opportunities.

Make a list of training that has been done for employees in the past. What other types of training could you offer employees to prepare them for a move within your company? Once you have a list, you can align the opportunities with employee goals.

4. Review your training budget.

It’s one of the first things to cut, I know. But you’ll need to start viewing it as a retention tool. The money you invest in training and in building career paths should be reflected in lower recruiting and hiring costs. Investment in retention pays off in the long run!

It’s important to make career paths a priority for your employees. Younger generations are motivated by growth and career opportunities. If your company has nowhere for them to go, they will likely move on. Start working on some plans. It doesn’t have to be perfect to get started.

One Strategy is Not Enough

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Fri, 26 May 2023 18:37:41 GMT

Why Hiring Non-Native English Speakers Requires Multiple Strategies

Through many conversations we’ve had with countless employers, recruiters, and HR professionals, Workplace Talent Solutions has heard similar stories from many companies. Many companies that are facing labor shortages have begun to hire from the immigrant and refugee populations and others who have limited English-speaking abilities. Other companies have tapped into this population for many years.

We know that the population of immigrant, refugee, and non-English speaking employees has a reputation for being dedicated and loyal to the companies they work for, especially if those companies are demonstrating a commitment to their growth and success. Many times these employees come from tightly-knit communities and will bring family and friends to work for the company as well.

The Challenges

However, employing individuals who don’t speak English well creates new challenges. Employees can feel disconnected from each other; the Spanish-speaking employees stick to themselves and English-only speaking employees stay separate as well. Supervisors can have trouble communicating with employees. The company is at a greater risk for safety incidents. Some English-speaking employees and supervisors have negative attitudes about employees who don’t speak English. And in some worst-case scenarios, employees get into fights, mostly because they didn’t understand what the other said and assumed it was about them.

Is there a solution to these challenges?

When employing individuals who don't speak English well, it's essential to take the time to set up your company, leadership, and new employees for success. There are many "quick fixes" for overcoming the challenges of hiring individuals who don't speak English well. Some companies translate every document they can. Some companies make sure they have bilingual supervisors to interpret everything, or they rely on bilingual coworkers to interpret. Some companies even offer Workplace ESL classes to their employees.

However, while any one of those ideas is a good idea and will improve communication, they are only short-term fixes when done alone. If you have supervisors or leaders who have biases against individuals who don't speak English, your company culture will suffer. If you haven't made modifications to the way training is done, you could end up with a safety incident. If you haven't created a way for employees to connect with each other, employee engagement will decrease. If new employees don't feel welcomed or included, turnover will increase.

Instead, companies should take the time to look at the big picture.

How do you improve company culture and communication at the same time? It usually means a combination of strategies. You should review all of your practices, from recruitment to onboarding to employee development, and employees who don’t speak English well should be accommodated.

We work to help companies evaluate their hiring, onboarding, and training practices to ensure they are set up to succeed from the start. We want to help you create a system that will work in the long term, a system that leads to better retention, better employee engagement, more inclusive workplaces, and stronger teams.

Our process typically includes the following:

A Needs Analysis: We take a deep dive into hiring, onboarding, and training practices. We utilize employee and leadership surveys and document reviews among other things.

A Specialized Report with Recommendations: We provide a detailed report of our needs analysis, giving you a clear picture of what you are doing well and where your opportunities for growth are. The report includes detailed recommendations on how to better integrate employees who don’t speak English well.

A Customized Plan: We will create a plan detailing which of the recommendations we can implement for you. Some of our recommendations may be up to your team to implement, but we will provide support and accountability. We will also connect you with resources that can help you implement other parts of your plan.

Overall, we want to see your company succeed, grow, and become a company where employees are happy to work. You’ve probably been doing this work for a long time and likely have some great practices in place. But when it comes to individuals who don’t speak English, we can offer you an understanding and perspective you most likely don’t have. We have worked with this population for many years and know the challenges and opportunities they bring to the workforce. We are here to help! Everyone wins when we do this well!

Inclusion: Showing Your Employees You Value Them

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Mon, 01 May 2023 16:28:17 GMT

Inclusion is a hot topic when it comes to company culture. However, I’ve seen many leaders approaching it as a checklist. Their goal is to check the box and say it’s done. But what does inclusion in the workplace really look like?

WHAT: What is Inclusion?

In the simplest sense, inclusion in the workplace is about ensuring that everyone feels valued and respected as an individual. Another word that is often used to describe the value that you communicate to your employees is “belonging.”

"Diversity is having a seat at the table, inclusion is having a voice,

and belonging is having that voice be heard."

Because “inclusion” is such a hot topic, it can feel overwhelming to many people. However, if you value employees, it will show. Leaders who truly value their employees make decisions that demonstrate that value. Of course, we can always learn new strategies about how to make our workplace more inclusive, but we have to start with a caring heart. If you have a negative attitude towards any employees, you’ve got to start there. Recognize the value and worth that each employee brings to the table, and you’ll be on the path toward building an inclusive workplace.

WHY: Why is inclusion important?
Research has shown many benefits of a diverse and inclusive workplace:

Higher revenue growth
Greater readiness to innovate
Increased ability to recruit a diverse talent pool
5.4 times higher employee retention

Over and over again, the research proves that diverse teams are stronger teams. But, diversity isn’t enough. You can fill a room with diverse people, but never give them a voice to speak. That won’t add any strength to your teams. You have to bring diverse people to the table and then actually allow their voices to be heard.

WHO: Who needs to be included?

Minorities exist in many forms within the workplace: women, people of color, people with disabilities, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, LGBTQ+, remote workers, interns, younger (or older) employees, those of particular religions, front-line workers, immigrants, refugees, and people who don’t speak English.

Look at your workforce. Where do minorities show up? Are there employees you may be overlooking or who are often excluded from conversations for some reason (it can be as simple as their office is in the back so they often aren’t included in casual conversations.) You’ll need to identify which groups of minorities you might need to address in your workplace.

And don’t forget to consider, are there people you could be hiring, but you aren’t for some reason? Can you change some practices to open up the door for them? Our work at Workplace Talent Solutions centers around people who don’t speak English well. This demographic of employees is often overlooked in conversations around inclusivity. However, they are a growing part of our community. More and more companies that are struggling to fill open positions are hiring individuals with limited English. It’s important to think about how to include them in the workplace.

HOW: How do we build an inclusive workplace?

The answer is complex. And it depends on who makes up your workforce. However, there are many ways that inclusivity can be built into your company culture. Here are three practical ideas to consider.

Provide development opportunities:

Does every employee have access to a career pathway within your company? Or are some employees able to move forward better than others? If language is a barrier to the training you typically offer, consider offering an ESL class to bridge the gap.

Be aware of employees’ skills and work experience:

Pay attention to your employees’ work backgrounds and do your best to utilize the skills they already have. A large number of immigrants and refugees have professional backgrounds, but many leaders assume they have low educational credentials. Take the time to get to know your employees and the value they bring to the table.

Offer cultural and diversity training:

Bring awareness to the value that diversity adds to your team. Build a company culture that is curious and interested in learning about each other. The training you offer should celebrate diversity; no one should leave the training feeling guilty or ashamed. Everyone should leave with curiosity and a new awareness of their own uniqueness.

When it comes to diversity in the workplace, the bottom line is this: Value your employees; Be curious and show an interest in them. When you have this kind of attitude it will show. Even when you make a mistake or say something that could be offensive (which is bound to happen at some point), employees usually demonstrate grace when they know your heart and know you value them and see their worth.

FAQs about Workplace ESL

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 20:01:38 GMT

In my conversations with employers who are considering offering on-site workplace ESL classes to their employees, there are some questions I am asked again and again. I’ve found that there are many misconceptions about ESL classes and about language learning in general. I’ve addressed three of the most common questions below:

Q: I have employees from 7 different language backgrounds. Do I need a separate English class for all of them?

A: No. When we teach English, all instruction is done in English. An ESL class can be made up of individuals who speak any language.

We encourage participants to use English in class and our instructors speak to the class in English. At times, for individuals who speak very little English, we might use a translation app on our phones or ask another individual to explain something in their own language.

Using only English in class is an immersion approach to language learning and research has proven it to be a very effective method. Adult language learners are able to improve their language skills more quickly if they are immersed in it during class. Instructors can use facial expressions, pictures, demonstrations, and repetition to get the point across. This method also works to build confidence in participants. When they realize that they can understand the point the teacher is making even if they don’t understand every word, they realize that the same methods they used to understand the teacher can be used to understand their supervisor.

Q: Why do the classes last 10 weeks?

A: Language learning is a skill that develops slowly, over time. It takes an average of 5-7 years for someone to become fluent in another language.

There are many factors that affect the length of time, but it’s not something that can be done quickly. Other training programs are knowledge-based and rely on delivering information to participants. Language learning is different. Instructors teach very little information in an ESL class. They create opportunities for students to practice and use the language so they can improve it. In a typical ESL classroom, only 25% of the time will be spent on “teaching” information. The rest of the time will be spent practicing and utilizing what is learned.

Q: Can I choose which employees participate in an ESL class?

A: Yes and no.

It’s important for you to take the time to consider your objective in offering ESL classes. Do you want to lower the number of safety incidents on the floor? Do you want to prepare employees for leadership roles? Your objective will determine which employees will be a good fit for training.

Every individual has a different level of skills in English. It’s important for an ESL class to group individuals with a similar level. If employees are grouped with others who are at a different level, it could be counterproductive. For example, if there is an employee who speaks very little English with a group of employees who speak a fair amount already, that employee will feel discouraged and be less likely to try using English. Or if an employee speaks more than the rest of the class, he may feel that the class is not helpful for him and he won’t put the effort into it that he should. Plus, the instructor will have a harder time customizing instruction for employees at a wide range of levels as opposed to those on a similar level.

In our programs, we always assess any employee who would be considered for the class. Then, we help employers choose employees based on their levels and on the goals of the company. It’s important to consider all the factors when starting a class. We encourage companies to make a long-term plan so they can include all employees but in a strategic, effective way. We want ESL training to be as effective as possible. Given our expertise in language learning, we work hard to guide companies to an effective strategy to develop their employees.

I hope you feel a little more knowledgeable about ESL classes and language learning in general. Feel free to contact us with any other questions you have about offering ESL classes to employees. You can read more about our services here.

The Impact of Cultural Differences in the Workplace

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 20:24:08 GMT

Do cultural differences matter in the workplace?

Our workplaces are becoming increasingly diverse. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports that 17.4% of the workforce nationally is made up of foreign-born workers. In Pennsylvania, as well as New York and New Jersey, that number climbs to 21.4%. The only other states with higher numbers of foreign-born workers are the Pacific states (CA, OR, WA).

And in the production, transportation, construction, or maintenance industries, the number of foreign-born workers is actually HIGHER than native-born workers.

Most likely, you have seen an increase in diversity in your company in the last few years. This diversity is only expected to increase. And while diversity is valuable and creates a strong workforce, it can also cause a breakdown in communication if employees aren’t trained in how to relate to other cultures and other viewpoints.

What is the cost of ignoring cultural differences?

Many conflicts in the workplace are a result of cultural differences. Here are a few examples:

A manager, who was born in the U.S., does not engage in small talk in the mornings or between projects. He’s ready to get to work. He gets a little annoyed at some of the Latino employees since the employees are often chatting with coworkers longer than he feels is necessary after arriving at work for the day. The manager feels the employees are trying to get out of work and are lazy. On the other hand, the employees feel that the manager doesn’t like them. They feel that the manager is not interested in them. And as a result, they don’t really trust him. This results in a poor relationship between the manager and employees, even though, it’s actually a cultural difference and their behaviors are being misunderstood by each other.

Another example is eye contact. If an employee is being reprimanded or corrected, in typical U.S. workplace culture, eye contact would be expected and important. That would communicate that the employee is taking ownership of his/her mistake and has a good attitude about changing or correcting the mistake the next time. However, in many other cultures, given the same scenario, eye contact with a superior would be inappropriate. It would communicate defiance and an unwillingness to listen. So if an employee from another culture isn’t making eye contact, the supervisor might assume the employee is being disrespectful or doesn’t care about his mistake. And this interpretation of the scenario may lead the manager to respond even more harshly. However, the employee’s intention was to be respectful. This cultural difference will result in a complete misunderstanding of intentions and, again, results in a poor relationship between the manager and employee.

Cultural misunderstanding affects workplace communication.

Supervisors and employees make assumptions based on their own cultural perspectives and it affects the way they respond to situations or each other. Not understanding cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings and miscommunication. It can lead to poor company morale, high turnover, and higher error rates.

If you have a diverse workforce, your teams need to be investing time into learning about and from each other. When people understand each other’s perspectives, communication becomes more effective and relationships improve.

At Workplace Talent Solutions, we offer Cultural Diversity training for the workplace. We talk about common misunderstandings in the workplace. We help management teams understand how they may be misinterpreting others’ actions and how others may misinterpret theirs. We want to build understanding and awareness of cultural differences. Diversity in the workplace is valuable and creates strong, creative work environments. If a company does the hard work of building cultural understanding into their company culture, it will give them an advantage in the marketplace. It’s worth the investment.

6 Ways to Accommodate Employees Who Don’t Speak English

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 20:26:35 GMT

The labor market has continued to be a challenge for many companies. We hear from many companies who want to hire employees who don’t speak English well. Many have previously held a requirement that candidates must speak and understand English, but in light of labor shortages, they are reconsidering those qualifications.

If you are one of those companies, it’s important to take a little time to prepare. Here are six adjustments you can make to better accommodate candidates who don’t speak English well.

1. Utilize assessments

Hiring assessments have several benefits. First, hiring assessments can tell you where someone is starting from. It gives you a better framework for initial training. Just because someone doesn’t “pass” doesn’t mean they aren’t a good fit. If they have the character traits you’re looking for, you can always train them in the skills they’re lacking. Secondly, you might be able to drop a requirement, such as a high school diploma, and replace it with an assessment. You'll get a better look at what someone actually knows. Additionally, you will also have a chance to think through what types of skills are actually required for the job you are hiring for. You may be requiring more than you need.

2. Slow down orientation

What is your new hire orientation like? When you are hiring individuals who have limited basic skills or who don't understand English well, packing in long full days of orientation will be ineffective. They will be more likely to miss a lot of important information. Slow the process down and incorporate a tour, other introductions, or a chance for them to try out some of the more straightforward work.

Also, consider the level of language that is used during the orientation. Is the inform a broker or software rep if there are options to translate information into other languages. This is a relatively easy way to make sure the information is more accessible to employees.

3. Talk to your benefits broker to see if they can have information translated

Many benefits brokers offer apps for employees to track or utilize their benefits. Or if you utilize a payroll software, such as Paylocity or Paycom, you probably have an app for employees to see their pay stubs, vacation days, or other benefits information. Ask your broker or software rep if there are options to translate information into other languages. This is a relatively easy way to make sure the information is more accessible to employees.

4. Use an app that can translate information

In addition to your broker or payroll software, some companies have created their own apps to communicate with employees and their families. You can use platforms such as Mangoapps to create your company’s own app to disseminate information to your employees. Added bonus, many apps can translate information into other languages.

5. Partner with a translator/interpreter

Even if you translate your apps, signage, etc., you will most likely still have situations in which you should be utilizing an interpreter. Find a local interpreter who you can hire when the need arises. For example, if an employee has a complaint or disagreement with another employee, you shouldn’t be using a coworker to interpret their conversation for HR. Or if there is a discipline issue, you should have a trusted interpreter to ensure the information is clearly understood.

6. Offer ESL classes

And of course, ESL classes offer many benefits when it comes to your non-native English-speaking employees. First, it ensures that your employees’ language skills will continue to develop and the challenges are declining. It also builds retention since employees gravitate towards companies that are willing to invest in their language development. Not to mention the financial benefits of fewer safety incidents, increased productivity, and better communication.

It can feel overwhelming to hire employees who don’t speak English well. But making some adjustments to your processes and procedures can make a significant difference. It’s worth the time and effort you put into it!

If this is something you’re considering, don’t hesitate to contact us . We can help you evaluate your current system and find ways to make accommodations for employees who don’t speak English well. You’ll be on your way to a dedicated and skilled workforce in no time!

Unlocking the Career Potential of Non-Native English Speakers Through Learning and Development

Fri, 30 Dec 2022 22:37:55 GMT

When was the last time you thought about who in your workforce had the potential to advance their career within your company? In most instances, a non-native English speaker employee would not be at the top of that list.

In recent years, American employers have been working diligently to appreciate the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. Yet non-native English speakers are rarely explicitly included in DEI initiatives.

Limiting their potential, impacts personal and business growth. Our country has many people whose skills, talents, and experiences are blocked due to language barriers. Non-native English speakers of all skill levels are all too often overlooked or undervalued, which limits their potential for growth and the growth potential of the companies that miss out on hiring and promoting them.

"Highly skilled immigrants … often encounter a labyrinth of obstacles when they try to find jobs in the U.S., frustrating not only their ambitions but also their earning potential

as they settle for lower-skill positions."

– Chicago Tribune

Here is a list of common challenges faced by non-native English speakers in the workplace:

Language barriers: Difficulty communicating what they mean or understanding the meaning of what others are saying.
Cultural differences: Language differences come with cultural differences too, as individuals and families move outside their country or region of origin. Business protocols, interpersonal interaction styles, food preferences, fashions, and senses of humor vary widely around the globe.
Not being taken seriously: Being identified as a foreigner often means being taken less seriously than native colleagues in a professional environment.
Limited career mobility: Too often, non-native speakers experience limited mobility at work. Management roles, for example, heavily rely on communication. Language barriers can get in the way of career advancement.
Being treated differently, less than: Non-native English speakers frequently report being overlooked or having their expertise minimized by colleagues and managers.

Learning and Development Can Change the Story

Hiring and supporting non-native English speakers is a business decision and requires an integrated plan for learning and development.

Offering Workplace ESL classes and programs as part of an organization's learning and development strategy can result in benefits such as:

Greater diversity of ideas, skills, and talents
Access to an expanded talent pool from which to fill open positions
Improved employee retention

Providing opportunities for your workforce to up-skill continually, is essential to employee motivation and job satisfaction. Motivated and talented employees do their jobs better, leading to greater profitability and growth.

Consider including a workplace ESL program as part of your learning and development strategy.

Here are a few essential elements that you should include:

Proper initial assessment of all learners: each student's baseline English competency, their learning history, learning style and preferences, the time they have to commit, and their motivation level.
Regular formative assessments and ongoing lesson adjustments.
Classes should be engaging, academically sound, and combined with other aspects such as self-learning. These may be one-on-one, small groups, or more extensive workshops—whatever's best for your workforce.
Employees enjoy and will progress more quickly when lessons speak to their exact job responsibilities. They aren't just learning generic business English—as beneficial as that may be—they are learning to do their jobs better in real ways that benefit them and your company.

What makes excellent in-company ESL programs?

ESL programs should deliver lessons written explicitly with your company's goals driving it. But just having an in-house, native English-speaking ESL teacher provide lessons when staff has some spare time isn't necessarily going to bring the benefit you should expect with a good internal English program. As with any learning and development strategy, classes or training should be aligned with long-term business goals and managers should be actively involved in championing the language skill development of their employees.

For more information and insight on developing an in-house ESL program, check out our blog Developing a Workplace Literacy Program .

The bottom line is that learning and development can unlock the career potential for many non-native English-speaking employees. Workplace Talent Solutions is here to partner with you to assist and help you design a learning and development strategy specifically for non-native English speakers that will increase the growth potential of your workforce and your business.

Contact us today to set up a free consultation to explore how you can address the learning and development needs of your non-native English-speaking workforce to unlock their career potential and keep your business growing.

Workplace ESL: A Unique Approach

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 18:11:16 GMT

The demand for ESL training continues to grow as the labor shortage persists and as companies reach into a new population of workers. However, there are very few ESL programs that are addressing the needs of employers. At Workplace Talent Solutions, we work hard every day to create programs and resources for language learners that benefit the employer by improving communication skills, building retention, and creating a skilled workforce. We believe that the right ESL program can be a win for everyone!

Here are a few ways our ESL programs stand apart from other local ESL programs.

Workplace Language

Our curriculum prepares employees to communicate more clearly with coworkers and supervisors. We focus on vocabulary used in the workplace and typically customize some vocabulary and content for each individual company. One of the most important objectives we have is to build the confidence of employees so they are willing to use the language they learn in class. We talk about workplace safety, reading schedules and time cards, and asking and answering questions.

Many local ESL programs include workplace readiness skills. This is different from the workplace English we offer. Workplace Readiness programs typically teach skills needed to obtain a job–skills like resume writing or interview preparation. They also typically include career exploration, helping individuals to identify their skills and find work that fits their skill levels.

While workplace readiness programs are crucial to our community, we understand that employees need language training focused on the words and phrases they need to know every day at their job.

Community colleges also often offer ESL classes, but usually those classes focus on developing academic skills to prepare individuals to move into secondary education after they complete ESL classes. Again, these types of classes and programs are crucial for our community, but they serve a different population of people. Our courses are focused on the individuals who are working and want to move forward within their current company.

Customized Experience

We have developed a core workplace ESL curriculum, but we know that every company is different. That’s why our process takes a little longer, but ultimately results in a customized approach for your company. When a company contacts us with a request for ESL classes, we will set a time to meet with the team. We take the time to really understand the challenges the company is facing around language barriers. We also provide an assessment for all employees who need language development.

Based on our assessment and meetings with the team, we can make a recommendation for which employees most need the ESL training. If there are safety concerns, most likely the lowest proficiency levels should be addressed first. If the company is in need of bi-lingual lead workers, we can take the high proficiency level employees and develop their leadership skills to prepare them for more responsibility. Either way, it’s important for us to understand the specific needs of each company.

We also take the information we glean and make adjustments to our curriculum to make sure we are targeting the language that is most needed. Every company is different and we believe that even the ESL classes they offer should reflect that.

Workplace Culture

Culture plays an important role in the workplace and it’s incorporated at a fundamental level in all of our classes. There are many misunderstandings that happen in the workplace that are the result of misunderstood expectations, either from the supervisor or the employee. It shows up in the amount of small talk that is appropriate, how to express an opinion, or even appropriate times, places, and methods of asking questions.

All of these elements are included in every level of ESL class. We help employees to understand what their supervisors are expecting of them and why their supervisors or managers may respond the way they do.

Held On-Site

Many ESL programs are offered at times that don’t work well for individuals who work full time. Many employees feel stuck because they want to move forward within their company, but the language barriers hold them back. However, it’s hard for them to attend an evening ESL class since evenings are often filled with family responsibilities.

A company that is willing to offer ESL classes on-site for their employees is really demonstrating their investment in the growth of their employees, no matter what barriers those employees may be facing. This is an excellent way to build retention!

Across the nation, there are many ESL programs offered, but these programs only serve about 4% of all the individuals who need to learn English. We know that language barriers are beginning to cost companies more and more, and we offer a solution that is a win for everyone! Contact us to get started today or explore our training options !

Preparing for the Workforce of Tomorrow

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 18:09:44 GMT

The Changing Workforce

Last month, I shared some interesting research done by the Migration Policy Institute regarding the role of immigrants in our workforce. In their research, they discovered that through 2035, it is projected that all growth in the working-age population will come from immigrant-origin adults .” (Navigating the Future of Work) “Immigrant-origin adults” refers to first and second-generation immigrants.

Looking into the future, as companies grow, they are going to need to pull from the immigrant-origin population. This demographic is known to be hard-working, dedicated, and loyal to the companies that employ them. However, they do face many challenges, such as not speaking English well. Also, many individuals in this group have lower educational attainment. Because of these limitations, immigrant-origin adults typically work in entry-level positions.

What the Changes Mean for Companies

As companies look toward the future there are a few things to pay attention to:

Growth in your workforce will most likely include immigrant-origin adults.
A continued labor shortage will require you to utilize automation. Most likely, automation will replace some of your entry-level positions. Maybe that process has already started.
As that process continues, your open positions will most likely be mid- to high-skilled jobs.
Those who are available to fill those positions most likely will not have the skills needed to fill those positions.

So what can you do now to prepare for this shift in the workforce? Train your current workforce.

Prepare your existing workforce now to fill the positions that you expect to need in the future. Offer soft skills training, leadership training, language training, and technical skills training. If you can invest funds in building up the skills of your workforce, you will be able to move entry-level employees into higher-skilled positions when their roles change based on automation.

An Example

Let’s say Company A recognizes that the labor shortage is not going away. The demographic of their employees has continued to shift, and they are seeing more skills gaps than they did before. So, they decide to provide basic skills training for their employees. They provide language training, technical skills training, and leadership training. It’s become harder and harder for them to fill entry-level positions, so when they have the chance, they purchase a new automated system that eliminates the jobs of ten employees. That takes care of the five positions they couldn't seem to keep filled. The other five employees have been trained and are ready to move into more skilled positions that are now required for managing the new system and handling the increased business/production. Plus, these employees are already familiar with the company and are excited about the way the company has invested in them and provided this opportunity for them to grow.

Company B, on the other hand, takes a different approach and provides no training for employees (other than executive and leadership positions.) They continue to struggle to find employees. Finally, they decide to implement a new automated system to take the place of ten entry-level positions, all of which they have been struggling to keep filled. The five who were currently there, are laid off. Then, they start a search for five more skilled employees to manage the new system and the increased business/production. It takes a while and the individuals they finally hire will take a few months to become integrated into the company and at least a year to really understand the company processes.

The cost Company B incurred in the process of hiring and training the five new employees will be higher than the amount Company A spent to train their entry-level employees. Plus, Company A has created a better workplace culture and gained loyal employees.

Training entry-level employees now really is an investment into your future workforce. And it’s setting your company up to be able to grow despite the changes that are already coming to the workforce.

If this is overwhelming to you, reach out to us . We can help you evaluate the skills gaps of your current workforce and help you create a plan for training your employees so you are prepared for the future!

The Workforce of the Future

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 00:54:50 GMT

The Role of the Immigrant Worker

I recently found some interesting research done by the Migration Policy Institute regarding the role of immigrants in our workforce. Here’s the research they’ve done:

“Immigrant-origin workers—that is, immigrants and their U.S.-born children—have been the main drivers of U.S. workforce growth in recent years. They were responsible for 83 percent of labor force growth between 2010 and 2018, at which point they comprised 28 percent of all U.S. workers. And projections suggest that through 2035, all growth in the working-age population will come from immigrant-origin adults .” (Navigating the Future of Work)

This bit of research resonates with what I’ve been seeing play out in the workforce locally. As companies have struggled to fill open positions, it has been the immigrant population that is available to fill those positions. However, many employers are still concerned about hiring individuals who have limited language skills or limited educational backgrounds. And other employers have hired individuals with low English proficiency, but haven’t made any changes to their procedures and policies to accommodate them.

Looking into the future, as companies grow, they are going to need to pull from this population. And they will need to learn how to adjust their practices to accommodate a different type of employee. This means rethinking hiring assessments, and revamping onboarding strategies. It means making sure your current workforce, especially your leaders, know how to relate to people of other cultural backgrounds. It means investing in language training and cultural training.

The Role of Declining Jobs

There’s another important piece of information to consider as well. Many immigrants are employed in entry-level low-skilled positions. However, looking forward, those are the jobs most likely to be replaced by automation. The jobs of the future are mostly middle- to high-skilled positions. In order to have the workforce that’s needed to fill these open positions, employers need to start investing in training and development now.

For most workers, being able to move from low-skilled positions to middle or high-skilled positions would likely require obtaining additional educational or professional credentials and, for some, stronger English skills. Looking at the projections for the future workforce, employers need to start investing in training such as English as a second language, business writing, soft skills, cultural training, and technical skills. Offering these types of training opportunities to your employees will prepare them to move into higher-skilled positions when it’s needed.

At Workplace Talent Solutions, we are committed to helping employers develop their entry-level employees so they are poised for growth in the coming years. Our experience working with immigrants who have limited language skills enables us to see things from a different perspective and to understand what parts of your policies and procedures need to be revised in order to better accommodate a different demographic of employees.

Preparing for the future means developing and investing in your workforce today.

Help! I hired someone who doesn’t speak English!

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 22:33:08 GMT

“OK, Sure. We just need employees.”

If you’ve been struggling (like many employers) to find employees, you may have relaxed some of the requirements for new hires. High school diplomas, job experience, or English language proficiency. If you’ve changed the requirements around the ability to speak and write in English, you may be facing some new challenges.

“Hmm, I’m not sure how to handle this one.”

Many individuals coming from other countries have come to the United States to seek better opportunities for themselves and their families. Coming from less-privileged societies often means they know how to work hard and stick to a job. Many immigrants make excellent, dedicated employees. However, the language barrier creates additional challenges for employers. Limited language proficiency can lead to challenges such as miscommunication with supervisors or coworkers, more frequent errors on the job, cultural misunderstandings, and safety risks or accidents. Have you experienced any of these?

“Aren’t there free ESL classes in the community?”

Employers have traditionally looked to local community colleges or government-funded nonprofits to provide the language learning opportunities that their employees need. However, most adults, especially working adults, who need to learn English don’t have access to language instruction. According to the Migration Policy Institute, less than 4% of adult immigrants and refugees have access to language instruction. Most ESL classes are offered during work hours, and attending evening classes is challenging because of childcare, family obligations, or transportation.

ESL programs offered at community colleges usually focus on academic skills, such as test-taking skills or reading and writing skills. These programs focus on preparing students for further education. Other government-funded ESL programs often focus on skills needed in the community such as talking to a doctor or reporting problems to a landlord. These are valuable skills, but not directly correlated to the challenges you are facing on the floor. Also, government-funded programs are often limited in the instruction they can provide due to standards and other requirements from the state.

Online ESL programs are becoming more popular and are meeting some of the needs. However, online instruction will not provide employees with the same real-world skills that an in-person class is able to offer. Face-to-face interaction is invaluable to language learners.

For all these reasons, employees who need language development are not receiving the instruction they need to equip them to improve their job performance. And employers are still faced with the same challenges.

“So, what can I do?”

One of the best ways to deal with these challenges is to offer an onsite ESL program for employees. An in-person ESL class can be customized and can provide your employees with the language and skills they need specifically for the job they do. And the good news is there are grant programs in place to help you cover the cost of ESL training ( WedNET funding .)

“What would that look like?”

With a workplace-focused ESL class, employees can learn the language skills they need to communicate with their supervisors or coworkers. A good workplace ESL program will teach employees how to ask questions when they don’t understand something and the cultural expectations of a U.S. workplace. It will also teach employees about workplace safety, helping them to understand signs and the importance of following safety protocol.

Typically, employers offer ESL classes around the same time as shift changes. Often the class is one hour on the clock and one hour off the clock. Although, some employers have seen the benefit of offering the class to employees and are willing to pay employees for the whole time they are in class.

“But what about the cost?”

By offering your employees an opportunity to improve their language skills, you will build loyalty and appreciation for your company, which will improve retention rates. Also, many other cultures are more closely interconnected with each other. If your employees are happy and feel appreciated and supported, they will bring other friends and family members as well (taking care of that labor shortage issue you’ve been dealing with.)

So while it may require an investment on your part, the benefits will more than cover the cost. Increased retention, lower error rates, and decreased safety incidents are all high-dollar savings. And don’t forget, you may even be able to get grant money to cover the cost of the training.

“Where do we start?”

If this is something you believe would benefit your company, give us a call. We offer a language audit for companies that are unsure of what would benefit them the most. Our language audit will evaluate the language proficiency of your employees and the level of English required to do the work.

And if you decide to offer a workplace ESL class, we’ve got you covered. Our training focuses on the skills needed on the job, such as asking and answering questions, safety in the workplace, and communication with supervisors and coworkers. We can customize the training as needed.

You can overcome the challenges you are facing with this group of employees. Get the support you need and you’ll be on your way to having a dedicated and skilled workforce.

Retaining Employees by Building Better Bosses

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 17:42:40 GMT

We have all heard the saying, "People don't leave jobs; they leave managers."

Before the pandemic, 75 percent of Americans saw their boss as the most stressful aspect of their job. Today, the coronavirus has put both bosses and employees all over the world under even more stress.

High-performing managers are four times more likely to

retain employees than low-performing managers.
-Annual Leadership Development Survey Report -Training Magazine

Better bosses are vital to employee satisfaction, organizational success, and health. Healthy organizations have higher levels of employee engagement, lower staff turnover, customer loyalty and satisfaction, higher productivity and profitability, and ultimately higher shareholder returns.

A Gallup study suggested that only 10 percent of people naturally have all the traits required to be a great manager. The good news is that many of these skills can be learned.

Best Practices

1. Better Bosses Develop Self-Awareness and Take on the Responsibility for Development

Better bosses know their leadership strengths and weaknesses and face up to their development needs. In addition, organizations that support the development of their leaders are ranked among the top-performing companies and consider development as one of the key performance indicators for their leaders. Top performing companies also collect confidential and anonymous 360 feedback regarding a manager or supervisor's performance.

2. Better Bosses Activate Employee Potential and Increase Retention

One of the best ways to learn about employees and what motivates them is to schedule one-on-ones. You can also discover if they possess hidden talents and provide constructive feedback or exchange ideas in a less formal setting. Employees with opportunities to showcase their talents and strengths help give them a sense of purpose. One of the best ways to activate an employee's potential and purpose is to push them outside their comfort zone. The intent is not to set them up for failure but to have them work on a project where they may not be the expert but have the skills to accomplish the tasks.

3. Better Bosses Promote Psychological Safety

A McKinsey Global Survey conducted during the pandemic confirms that only a handful of business leaders often demonstrate the positive behaviors that can instill this climate, termed psychological safety, in their workforce.

Creating a positive team work climate is the most important driver of psychological safety. It is most likely to occur when leaders demonstrate supportive, consultative behaviors, then begin to challenge their teams.

4. Better Bosses on the Front-Lines

Front-line bosses impact the employee experience more than anyone else. Your brand can be affected negatively or positively by how employees talk about their leader, regardless of the organization. Front-line leaders who are equipped with the language, skill, and approach for interacting with employees will drive positive results.

Leadership Development in the Age of the Great Resignation

Don't try to do it all! Organizations often attempt to cover many topics in their leadership-development programs. Findings suggest focusing on a handful of specific skills and behaviors in these learning programs can improve the likelihood of positive leadership behaviors that foster psychological safety and, ultimately, strong team performance.

Training Magazine's Annual Leadership Development Survey Report shows the top 5 priority skills for leadership development.

Coaching/Developing others
Communication skills
Team leadership
Emotional intelligence skills
Strategy development and alignment

Investing in leadership development to cultivate leaders who make employees want to stay is one of the most critical factors affecting employee turnover. The skills to manage and retain employees do not come easily without development and learning. Managers and supervisors need the tools to be productive and successful no matter what they may face. Your employee retention is dependent on it!

Examining your learning and development and organizational systems such as onboarding, training, and career pathways is the first step in identifying areas that could be hindering business growth.

Check out our audits! It's a simple way to identify areas of improvement and ways to overcome some of your most significant challenges. Each audit includes a 2-hour on-site assessment and a report with recommendations. Workplace Talent Solutions prides itself on helping you grow people and grow your business.

Offering Relevant Employee Training

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 16:03:18 GMT

In the current labor market, many companies are taking a closer look at their retention practices. When it becomes difficult to find new employees, the importance of keeping your existing employees grows significantly.

Studies have shown that offering training opportunities for employees is one of the best ways to increase retention rates. According to Lorman Education Services, retention rates rise 30-50% for companies with strong learning cultures. However, sometimes it may feel that employees are not interested in learning opportunities. You may offer training, but employees complain about attending. Or you offer a voluntary opportunity and no one signs up.

The problem may not be employees’ desire to participate in learning and development. There may be other factors that play into the lack of response. Here are four questions to ask to improve the interest in the training you offer.

1. Do you have career pathways in place for employees?

Employees should have clear goals within your company, and supervisors should be aware of those goals. What positions are employees interested in moving into? There should be regular discussions about the pathways to move into those positions. What training is needed? What skills need to be demonstrated? How much experience will they need? Discussions about career pathways should become a part of the culture of your company. Being aware of employee desires helps management to offer training that is of interest to employees.

2. Are you giving options?

This isn’t always possible, but giving employees options increases their willingness to take training. Offer training regularly and ask them to choose which trainings they want to participate in. This is especially helpful for employees who may not know exactly what their aspirations are within the company. Encourage employees to try things. Again, build a culture of learning.

3. Is it clear to employees what opportunities will open for them after they complete the training?

When offering training, tie it back to those career pathways. If an employee takes this training, what will the outcome be for him? Will he receive a pay increase? Will he be given more responsibility? Will he become eligible for a promotion? Will it move him forward toward a promotion? Even if it’s a step or two behind a promotion or raise, talk about the steps needed to get there. Make it clear that the training is a step forward (and make sure it is!)

4. Is the training clearly tied to an employee’s current work or the position they are working toward?

Sometimes employees have a hard time seeing the relevance of a training program to their current work or to where they want to go in a company. They may want a promotion, but at the same time, they may not recognize that the training opportunity you’ve asked them to take will be the ticket to getting that promotion. As an employer, you may need to be more direct and open about the connection.

If you’ve struggled to implement training opportunities for employees, take some time to think about why that may have been. What can you do in the future to connect opportunities to employees’ desire to learn?

Don’t forget, if you live in Pennsylvania, there are state grants available to cover the cost of training for you employees. June is application month and funding is available starting in July. Check out wednetpa.com for more information. And if you’d like help with creating a training plan for your entry-level employees, don't be afraid to reach out to us!

Culture: The Unspoken Communication Barrier

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 14:00:18 GMT

An employee says no one ever told them about the change. A supervisor is frustrated that an employee didn’t communicate sooner about a problem. A line leader is frustrated that he didn’t know about a change until the last minute. Two coworkers don’t get along because one often says things that offend the other.

Communication. A constant challenge in the workplace at every single level. Some companies send their supervisors and managers to training to improve their communication. They learn how to manage their emotions and directly say what needs to be said. They learn to listen better and ask more questions. But one thing that is often missing from the training is culture. And culture is one of the most important factors in communication.

Laurie and I have worked with many companies that have very diverse workforces. And we’ve seen many situations where disagreements or miscommunication were really rooted in cultural differences that were never recognized. There are some very crucial differences that have a remarkable impact on the way people communicate. Here are four examples of cultural differences that will change the way someone communicates.

1. Direct vs. Indirect Communication

Maybe you didn’t even know that this was a cultural difference. In typical U.S. culture, we place a high value on direct communication. Have you ever heard someone say, “honesty is the best policy?” Or maybe “It’s more important to speak the truth than to spare someone’s feelings.” Or “Time is money. Get to the point.” In the U.S. workplace, directness is considered the best way to communicate. However, this is a cultural perspective. In the U.S., time, efficiency, and productivity are some of the highest values. In many other cultures around the world, including most Latin American cultures and Asian cultures, relationships and connections are more valuable. In these cultures, you will hear phrases like this: “Being polite is more important than being honest.” Or “If the truth might hurt, soften it.”

As you can imagine, when these two types of cultures are working together, there is a high probability of misunderstanding . If a boss, who typically has a direct approach to communication, addresses an employee about a mistake, an employee may feel hurt by the direct approach. On the other hand, supervisors and leaders may become frustrated when employees, who communicate more indirectly, fail to quickly and clearly bring up issues. Understanding that others may have a different approach to communication is important in lowering the number of misunderstandings in the workplace.

2. Saving Face

This cultural difference is related to the first. In typical U.S. culture, it’s more important to speak the truth than to worry about someone else’s feelings or to worry about how you will look. (Not that everyone does that, but we consider it the ideal.) In other cultures, if saying the truth could cause someone to feel uncomfortable or embarrassed, they will avoid the subject. How a person feels in the context of a conversation is far more important than the actual conversation.

Again, understanding this fundamental value difference is crucial when communicating cross-culturally.

3. View of Authority

In the U.S., it’s typical for companies to give room for employees at any level to approach, disagree, or challenge someone in authority–of course, in a respectful way. Someone in authority may or may not listen, but employees have the freedom to voice their thoughts. We value this and consider it healthy workplace culture. However, this would be considered disrespectful in other cultures. In many other cultures, it is inappropriate to disagree with someone in authority.

In the workplace, leaders may expect employees to speak up if they have ideas, thoughts, or if they see problems. However, it’s important to understand that this is an expectation that will have to be clearly and repeatedly discussed with employees. Not every employee will feel comfortable approaching an authority with their thoughts.

4. Gender Differences

We hear a lot of talk about inclusion and equity for women in the workplace. This is important and crucial for our growth as a nation. Women add unique strengths and perspectives in the workplace. However, it’s important to remember that no matter how much work you do as a company, you will still find employees with different views because of their cultural backgrounds.

For women who have grown up in a culture where their voice was not included or where it was inappropriate to talk directly to a man, they may have a hard time getting past those expectations, even if your workplace culture values and gives opportunities for their voice to be heard. It’s important for companies and leaders to recognize this and provide other ways for women to speak up.

All of the cultural differences we’ve mentioned are common in the workplace. They are causing conflicts almost daily in workplaces where multiple cultures are represented. The key is to provide training to all levels of employees on these cultural differences. If employees understand differences, they can better accommodate diverse communication styles, and conflicts can be resolved more quickly.

Talk to your employees about communication differences. Normalize conversations about cultural differences. And if you see a lot of challenges, consider offering cultural competency training for your employees. You can check out the details of our training here.

Developing a Workplace Literacy Program

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Sun, 02 Jan 2022 19:00:02 GMT

If you have employees with limited reading, writing, or math skills or employees with low English language proficiency, they might be costing your company thousands of dollars due to lost production, errors, and safety incidents. Did you know that investing in your front line employees can actually save you money? Offering skills development training will increase retention, reduce safety incidents, and increase productivity.

In this article, we’ll work through the step-by-step process of developing a workplace literacy program. But before we cover those steps, let’s talk about what a workplace literacy program could include.

There are four types of literacy skills. First, there are English as a second language classes. Second, there are reading and writing literacy skills. Many individuals who had limited formal education lack basic literacy skills even though English is their first language. Third, literacy skills include numeracy skills, specifically measurement, decimals, or percentages. And the last type of literacy skill is digital literacy. Older employees or even employees with limited formal education may lack the skills needed to access important company information online or learn new processes that use technology.

Now, let’s get into the step-by-step process of developing a workplace literacy program.

Step 1: Assessment

The first step is to complete an assessment. You will need to find out what kind of skills gaps your employees have. This can be done in several ways. There are formal assessments to measure language proficiency and reading level. “Having a conversation to see if they can speak in English” is not a helpful literacy assessment. Verbal language skills and written language skills are different; just because an employee can speak English does not mean they can read it. And just because an employee’s native language is English does not mean they can read and write in English either.

Another option for assessment is to conduct interviews or surveys with your managers and supervisors to see what skills gaps they have noticed among employees. This works best if you have a detailed guided questionnaire to give them. You can also have employees self-identify their skills gaps. This will work best if it’s done anonymously. Keep in mind, it may be difficult for individuals to identify their own skills gaps, and many managers have a hard time understanding the root of problems. You may benefit from hiring a 3rd party HR consultant or training organization to help you conduct the assessment.

Step 2: Choose Training Options

Once you’ve determined the needs of your employees, your next step is to find the training that will be most beneficial to your employees. Training can be done in-house by one of your own trainers. You could hire someone to develop the training for you and then have your own trainer deliver the material. There are many online options as well (although it can be difficult for individuals to develop language skills through online programs). Or, you can hire 3rd-party training providers who can do the training on-site or virtually for your employees.

Step 3: Logistics

The last step is to consider the logistics of offering the training to your employees. What days and times will the training be offered? Will the training be done on paid time or unpaid time? Which employees will be eligible for the training? What time of year or months of the year are best for your company?

One important thing to consider as you plan for your workplace literacy program is the time it takes to develop language skills. Language skills cannot be developed during a 3-hour or 1-day training. It takes time and consistency to develop literacy skills. Literacy training should be done over a 10-12 week period to really see results. I know this may seem like a major investment for your company, but anything less will not give you the full benefits. Remember, it’s an investment that will end up saving your company money. If the cost is of concern to you, look into Pennsylvania’s WEDnet funding. Funding is available for ESL and foundational skills courses.

If you would like any assistance with assessing employees or development or delivering literacy training for your employees, Workplace Talent Solutions is happy to help. Visit our Services page to see what we offer. And please don’t hesitate to set up a strategy call with us if you’d like a little help thinking through the process.

Why Translating Documents Isn't Always the Best Solution

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 13:00:04 GMT

Translation. Many of our clients have asked us about having their documents and signs translated into Spanish. And while this is a good idea, we find that many clients think that this will solve all of the language barriers they have. Unfortunately, language and literacy are a lot more complex than that. Here are a few things to consider:

Native Language Literacy

You may assume that if someone’s primary language is Spanish and you translate your documents into Spanish, then they now have access to that information. Unfortunately, many individuals who have come to the United States from other developing countries may have had very limited formal education in their native language. As a result, they may have an inability to understand print material even if it is in their native language. In my years teaching English as a second language, I had many students who were illiterate or had very low literacy skills in their native tongue.

Text Grade-level

Another thing to consider is the grade level of the text you’re translating. This applies to both native and non-native English speakers. Many entry-level employees have trouble reading above a 4th- or 5th-grade reading level. However, many texts produced by HR departments are written at a 9th- or 10th-grade reading level, if not higher.

Even if you translate the material to Spanish, it could potentially be written in a way that is very hard for individuals to understand. The same could be true for the documents you are currently handing out in English! You may have native English speakers who are having difficulty understanding the literature, too!

If you want to find out what grade level your text is, you can do a simple readability test. Here’s a site you can use to test a document: https://readabilityformulas.com/freetests/six-readability-formulas.php

Copy the text you want to test and paste it into the text box on this site. You will see the grade level below. There are several different scales used to measure readability; this site gives you several scores. You can simply average the grade levels. And in case you’re wondering, this blog post text is written at a 9th- or 10th-grade level. :)

Exposure is the Best Teacher

One of the best ways for individuals to improve their language skills is to regularly interact with the language. When I taught English as a second language, one of the most popular comments I heard from others was “Oh, wow, how many languages do you speak?” Many were amazed to learn that I only speak English well. My Spanish, sadly, is pretty shaky. But, I taught many adults who knew very, very little English. How? There are many ways to communicate besides your verbal language. There are gestures, demonstrating, tone of voice, pictures, etc. Many students wanted me to translate what I said. But, I found translation to be the most counterproductive crutch they could use. Students who applied themselves and tried to understand the context of what I was saying usually picked up the language much more quickly.

You may not have the luxury of letting your employees figure out the language as they go. Of course, there are safety concerns and other issues. But keep this in mind: you want your employees to be able to improve their language skills, so don’t take away their exposure to the language. It’s better to intentionally provide opportunities for them to build those language skills. Also, train your leadership on how to adjust their communication to be understood more easily by those who have limited language skills. We have a wonderful guide on just that topic! You can learn a few easy tricks to quickly improve communication and build language skills.

Long-Term Solutions

And lastly, remember, translating documents only solves the problem now. However, it’s more profitable for your company to invest in a long-term solution of developing the English language and foundational literacy skills of your employees. They’ll need to improve their English language skills if you want them to move forward and into other positions within the company.

So, if you’re thinking about translating your materials, it’s certainly not a bad idea. However, make sure you realize that you may still need to invest in the foundational skills of some of your employees. And be assured, any investment in foundational skill development will certainly pay off for your company.

An Awkward Promotion (and other stories about overlooking literacy issues)

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 17:59:05 GMT

Years ago, when I was new to teaching English as a second language, I had a new student join my class who spoke the language much better than anyone else in the class. He was very confident in his language skills. I couldn’t understand how he had been placed in the beginner’s class. I assumed there had been a mistake. However, during our first activity involving a writing assignment, I suddenly realized that this student actually had very low literacy skills when it came to reading and writing. He could hold a conversation with me without a problem so I had assumed that his language skills were great. However, the man could hardly write his name or read a simple sentence.

Many adults who lack literacy skills have spent years learning how to compensate for the deficiency. They may make simple excuses like, “I’m sorry, I forgot my reading glasses.” Or “I’m in a hurry today; I’ll read this when I get home.” And you may never realize that they are unable to read or write.

Workplace Literacy Matters

In the workplace, low literacy skills can lead to many problems. Workplace literacy refers to the fundamental skills employees need to have in order to fulfill their work functions and manage the demands of their jobs in a healthy, productive way. These skills include both essential skills and employability or soft skills. It includes an employee’s ability to read and write, to solve problems, to find and access information, to use measurement and math skills, to use technology to communicate, and to work with a team. If you’re not assessing literacy skills or actively working on developing your employee’s literacy skills, you may be setting yourself up for increased problems. Low literacy skills can lead to an increase in safety incidents, major errors, or an inability to complete basic job functions. You may also experience resistance to change and improvement from those employees.

Translation Does Not Equal Comprehension

I remember one company we worked with in the past that had several employees who didn’t speak English well. They translated all their signs into Spanish to eliminate safety concerns. However, it’s a common misconception that if someone doesn’t understand English they will be able to read their native language. That’s not the case, and this company learned the hard way. One employee took a stack of papers into a room with many fans. There were lots of safety warnings signs, but the employee could not read, even in Spanish, his native language. The fans blew his papers around the room, and, as he reached to try to catch the papers, his hands and arms were severely cut by the fan blades. Sadly, the company had not realized that some of their employees did not have the ability to read, even in their own language.

Awkward Promotion

Undetected literacy skills can also lead to employees being placed in positions where they are unable to complete basic job functions. One company had a promising young man working in an entry-level position. He was a great employee, had great attendance, and showed leadership ability. The company decided to promote him into a supervisory position. However, soon after he began working in his new position, the company quickly realized that the young man did not have the writing skills he needed for the job. He was required to write multiple emails a day, but he had a hard time writing in a comprehensible way. Thankfully, the company decided to invest in foundational skills training for the employee so that he could develop the skills he was lacking. If the company had realized the employee’s literacy level earlier, they could have invested in his training before moving him into that position.

Inability to Change

Of course, workplace literacy skills also include digital skills as well. We worked with a company more recently that invested in an HR system for payroll management. They also relied on this system to send out announcements and messages to their employees. However, some of their older employees did not have the digital skills they needed to be able to access the information they needed. Their lack of digital skills led to resistance and even an inability to adapt to the changes.

We’ve worked with enough companies to know that investing in the foundational literacy skills of employees pays off. Whether it’s by avoiding costly mistakes or safety incidents or by developing employees who are ready to be promoted, the bottom line always shows that the investment is worth it.

If you’d like to learn more about how to assess employees’ literacy skills, or if you already know you need to develop employees’ foundational skills but aren’t sure how, we would love to help you strategize. Schedule a free strategy call with us, and we’ll connect you with the resources or information you need to get started. You can set up a call at this link: https://calendly.com/workplacetalentsolutions/30min

The Solution for Preparing Entry-Level Workers for Higher Skill Jobs

Tue, 31 Aug 2021 12:03:49 GMT

The Skills Gap

SHRM polled 1,000 unemployed Americans who were laid off or left their jobs during the pandemic—the majority of whom worked hourly jobs in industries heavily impacted by the health crisis, such as foodservice and retail. The top reason for remaining unemployed, cited by 42 percent of respondents, was not having received any responses to jobs they’ve applied for.

Sixty percent of organizations say they can't find applicants with the right skills, and 30 percent of job seekers say their skills don't match available jobs.

The Demand

The demand for more educated and skilled workers continues to grow. By 2024, 48 percent of job openings will be middle-skill and 32 percent will be high-skill. This means that nearly 80 percent of all job openings will require more than a high school degree. Research from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that job growth for individuals without a high school diploma or some college experience is about zero or even negative. Adults who participate in adult education programs have the opportunity to explore career pathways and hone their skills so that they can advance their careers through post-secondary education or training.

Adult Education: Developing Foundation Skills for Workplace Success

Across all industry sectors, literacy and numeracy are the building blocks to prepare workers to advance their skills and careers. Without these skills, it is challenging for entry-level employees to succeed on a career path or to be promoted.

Adult Education training programs can address these skills to help employees improve the skills needed to retain their jobs, advance their careers and increase company productivity. Adequate literacy and numeracy skills are also associated with a strong performance on problem-solving tasks and critical thinking skills.

Definition and Demands of Workplace Literacy

The definition of workplace literacy has expanded to include the following foundational, employability or soft skills:

Knowing how to learn
Reading, writing, and computation
Listening and oral communication
Creative thinking and problem-solving
Self-esteem, goal setting/motivation, and personal career development Interpersonal skills, negotiation, and teamwork
Organizational effectiveness and leadership

Workplace literacy refers to the fundamental skills employees need to have in order to fulfill their work functions and manage the demands of their jobs in a healthy, productive way. These skills include both essential skills and employability or soft skills. Increasing workplace literacy skills training lays the foundation for healthy, confident, productive workers who can grow with their industry, adapt to technological and workforce changes, and transition through all phases of their employment.

Information and knowledge have increased dramatically as economic and cultural commodities. The ability to think deeply, efficiently, and effectively with concepts and ideas is increasingly important.

Bridging the Language Gap in the Workplace

Proficiency in English is often a prerequisite for most jobs in the U.S. and provides mobility for individuals to pursue higher education opportunities, which in turn leads to increased earning power.

One way to increase better communication is to help your native English-speaking employees—especially those who are leads and supervisors, build intercultural awareness and communication skills through a short workshop to learn how to adjust their own speech and behaviors to improve and support better interactions with limited English team members.

Workplace English classes and curriculum should respect your employees’ time, align with company goals, and integrate with employee job expectations and handbooks.

Foundation Skill courses that address the development of Workplace English language skills can include topics such as:

Using Effective Questioning Strategies
Conversation Skills in the Workplace
Industry Vocabulary
Understanding Industry Signs, Symbols, Abbreviations and Acronyms
Workplace Health and Safety

Numeracy

Numeracy is a foundational skill that is essential for an employee’s advancement and development. Adults with poor numeracy skills are more likely to have relatively low work positions with fewer promotion prospects and lower wages.

There is a direct link between higher numeracy skills and higher wages.

Foundation Skill courses that address the development of numeracy skills can include topics such as:

Math and Measurement
Decimals, Fractions, and Percentages
Problem Solving in the Modern Workplace
Applied Math

The Role of Employers in Addressing the Skills Gap

Partnerships with educational institutions or organizations that can address building foundational skills repeatedly surface as a crucial strategy in providing employees with opportunities to develop requisite skills and knowledge.

Many employers have developed internal pathways for skills advancement and promotion. One example of an employer who has created a pathway is McDonald’s.

McDonald’s Archways to OpportunityⓇ

“The progress McDonald’s has made with Archways to Opportunity will have a profound impact on the lives of so many of their employees. By providing free high school completion courses, assistance with college tuition, and academic advising, McDonald’s is ensuring its workers have the tools to succeed throughout their careers and that in turn makes our entire economy stronger.” Warren E. Buffett, CEO, Berkshire Hathaway

English Under the Arches

In 2007, McDonald’s launched their English Under the Arches (EUA) program to provide English as a Second Language (ESL) classes that teach managers and crew the English they need to communicate effectively and confidently with customers, staff, and in their lives outside of McDonald’s. Not only does McDonald’s cover tuition costs for English Under the Arches, employees at company-owned and franchised restaurants are paid their hourly wage for time spent in class.

“EUA not only teaches our staff how to speak English, but it gives them skills to be leaders in the restaurant and the confidence to grow and take on more responsibility.” Nanette Bittler, Independent Franchisee, Oregon

If you would like to learn more about Archways to OpportunityⓇ, click on the following link https://www.archwaystoopportunity.com/

Employers like McDonald’s are uniquely investing in addressing the challenges that they face as the nature of work changes. They are demonstrating a commitment to developing skills and knowledge aligned with their needs among potential and current employees.

Workplace Talent Solutions can provide the guidance and support needed to address the skills gap within your entry-level workforce. We are experienced at walking you through the steps you need to take to develop the foundational skills of your workforce. When you and your employees succeed, we succeed!

If you are ready for success, schedule a 30-minute strategy call with us today!

Rethinking Your Employer Brand in a Post-Pandemic World

Mon, 26 Jul 2021 19:47:44 GMT

What is an Employer Brand?

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) defines Employer Brand as an essential part of the Employee Value Proposition. It is essentially what the organization communicates as its identity to both potential and current employees. It encompasses an organization’s mission, values, culture, and personality. A positive employer brand communicates that the organization is a good employer and a great place to work. Employer brand affects recruitment of new employees, retention and engagement of current employees, and the overall perception of the organization in the market.

A company’s Employer Brand communicates why the company is an attractive place to work. It also sets you apart from other companies competing for the same talent.

This article will look at how Covid-19 has affected job seekers’ outlook on employers and how employers can gain a competitive advantage by rethinking their Employer Brand.

“As workers re-enter the workforce, they are looking for opportunities that will match their lifestyles and plans for now and in the future." Mathieu Stevenson, CEO of Snagajob, a Richmond, Va.-based platform for finding and hiring for hourly work.

After spending months at home during a crisis, workers have never been more in touch with what they want from their work and workplace. They have new and increased expectations of their employers and workplaces. Perspective has come for many due to the severity of the crisis, the Covid-19 death toll, which now stands at more than 4 million people across the globe and more than 600,000 in the U.S. alone. Many employees either were sick themselves or had loved ones who were ill.

“We’re evaluating our lifestyle choices, our values around how we spend our time and what we want to be contributing to the world,” Jan van der Hoop, President at Fit First Technologies said. “And the truth is that there’s a huge segment of the population that has been going to work for jobs that they can do, but they aren’t excited about. Right now, there’s an opportunity for them to level set around what am I prepared to put up with even in the course of the day to day work? I think what you’ve got now is a call to action to employers to fix jobs that have been chronically unsatisfying.”

Your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is at the core of your Employer Brand

What are the two sides of the Employee Value Proposition (EVP)?

1. The value (skills, experience, personality etc.) a candidate offers an employer.

2. The value (growth opportunities, culture, benefits, etc.) an employer offers new and existing employees.

Companies have been asked to rethink both the purpose of work and how and where work gets done. Values and priorities when making career moves have shifted.

Rethinking your Employee Value Proposition

Of course, meaningful work, career development, engaged and supportive leadership, and competitive salary and benefits remain key. But in this social, economic, and health crisis, other things have come to the forefront.

Here are some elements worth considering when refining your EVP:

Employee Well-Being

Employee well-being covers everything from mental health to work-life balance to stress management to non-traditional forms of wellness, like mindfulness or financial wellbeing. Think education on economic well-being. Think clear guidelines for your employees about when the workday ends. Think monthly “wellness days” that the entire team has off for self-care. If your company is offering these things during the pandemic, don’t retract them on the other side. Actively incorporate them into your EVP—forefront them in your messaging. Talent will be looking to see if you’ll prioritize employee health and well-being over the long-term.

Stability

It’s an understatement to say that COVID has created an environment of uncertainty. Talent will not forget the anxiety this pandemic has brought on, and the stability a company has to offer will likely be a fundamental element of career decisions for decades to come.

If you can demonstrate company stability as part of your EVP, assuring candidates that they’re not stepping onto a sinking ship—whether by revealing more about growth plans or company financials—do so.

Flexibility

Talent wants flexibility, and we’ve seen how possible it is. “That’s not how we operate” may not hold up as an argument anymore. 73% of companies who have reiterated on their EVP in light of COVID say their value propositions now include providing flexibility with remote work hours.

It’s important to remember that flexibility doesn’t necessarily look like it does in all industries where remote work is more feasible, and hourly timeframes are less rigid. Flexible scheduling for manufacturers might require creative thinking, but a few common approaches include task-oriented work schedules, breaking up traditional 8-hour shifts, or staggered shift work.

Corporate Social Responsibility, Mission, and Values

Philanthropy, ethics, and a sense of purpose fall under this category: the emotional or “heart element” of your EVP. As the boundary between our work lives and personal lives has shrunk, it’s as essential as ever for workers to feel aligned with the mission and purpose of the companies they work for—your (and their) “why.”

Diversity and Inclusion

Nearly 60% of companies that revised their EVPs this year emphasized diversity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives. Do you have diversity initiatives in place to bring underrepresented talent into your company? Are underrepresented employees being promoted at the same rate as their majority peers? Whatever platforms you are sincerely using to give light to social justice issues, make those efforts visible whenever possible.

For too long, a sense of complacency has set in among many businesses who built their employer brands on the assumption that employees either will want to work for them because of their reputation or, in some cases, because they have no other choice.

While the pandemic has closed doors, it has also opened new windows of opportunity, leaving workers more engaged and energized about their careers than in previous years. The future may be unknown, but it holds the chance for people to grow, rethink their priorities, and reflect on what they want their professional lives to look like in the long term.

Consider rethinking your Employer Brand to attract and retain those looking for new career opportunities, flexibility, and stability to grow and increase their value can make them more viable for the future, which may help employees stay longer.

At Workplace Talent Solutions, we help HR professionals solve the challenges they face with their entry-level employees. If you want to learn more about how you can make your entry-level employees more viable for the future, or if you could use some help identifying some strategies and resources to sort out whatever is keeping you up at night; we want to help! Schedule a free, 30-minute “Strategy Call” with us at this link: https://calendly.com/workplacetalentsolutions/30min.

New Hire a No-Show?

Mon, 05 Jul 2021 19:59:35 GMT

Try Pre-boarding.

In the current job market, job seekers have the upper hand. Because there are so many open positions, job seekers are receiving multiple offers. This has led to an increase in “ghosting.” If you aren't familiar with the term, “ghosting” is the word used for new hires who don’t show up for the first day of work and don’t bother to communicate that they aren’t coming. Studies show 1 in 5 new hires fail to show up on the first day. Ghosting is especially high in low-wage, high-volume hourly positions. And, of course, the job market right now has led to higher rates as well.

Much of the ghosting happens because job seekers receive a better job offer from another employer. Or some candidates only accept a job offer to use as leverage to negotiate better compensation in their current position. And other new hires disappear after only a few days in their new job because they realize the job was not what they expected.

Ghosting can be costly for a company. It’s very disruptive when your teams are expecting a new member, but the member never shows. This can lead to delayed projects and other negative production results. It can be frustrating and cause a decline in employee morale. And, of course, the company must start the hiring process all over again.

Rather than becoming upset at the no-show, employers need to think of creative ways to revamp their hiring and onboarding processes. It’s no longer about the employer choosing the employee. It’s about the employee choosing the employer. Employers need to shift their mindsets to accommodate this change. One way to ensure new hires show up on the first day is to be intentional about pre-boarding. Pre-boarding, which can last 1-3 weeks, is the process of engaging a new hire before their first day. Here are some strategies and ideas to consider to lower your chances of new hires ghosting on the first day.

1. Over Communicate

Once you interview a candidate, communicate with them regularly and frequently, every day, ideally. Be clear about the hiring process. What is the process they should expect from their interview to their first day? And then stay in touch with them, communicating exactly where they are in that process.

Respond in a timely manner. Now is not the time to take a week or two to get back to the candidate. Respond with a job offer the next day or even the same day. If you take too long to respond, candidates are likely to move on to another offer.

If you feel you don’t have the time to communicate every day with a new hire, consider automating your communication. Many HR systems offer onboarding and talent acquisition features. Systems like Bamboo HR or Paylocity can help save your HR staff time in communicating with new hires.

2. Manage Expectations

It should be clear to your new hires what their responsibilities will be and what your company culture is like. Give them a tour before their first day. Introduce them to future coworkers and supervisors. Start building connections before their first day.

More than anything, start building a personal relationship with the candidate. The more connection you have with them, the greater their obligation to your company will be. They will have a harder time ghosting on the first day.

3. Vet Out No-Shows

There are several things you can do to vet out job candidates’ commitment. During the job interview, ask candidates about their job search. Ask how many other positions they’ve applied for and if they have any other offers. You can also ask them what they would do if their current employer offered them a 15% pay increase to stay. Their response or how much time they take to consider it will communicate to you how committed they are.

When you are ready to offer the candidate a position, call and review the job offer with them on the phone. Use this as a chance to gauge their enthusiasm. If you can, ask them if there is anything else they’d like to negotiate. This gives you a chance to beat other offers the candidate may have.

You can also use other steps in the pre-boarding process to gauge the commitment of the new hire. Schedule uniform fittings and paperwork before the first day. If the candidate doesn’t show for one of those appointments, you will be less likely to expect them on the first day. It also is a great way to stay connected with the candidate during the pre-boarding process.

And, if after all of that, the candidate still is a no-show, start by giving them a call. It may just be a misunderstanding of when they were scheduled to come to work. Have a conversation about what happened and if there was an understandable problem, give it another shot.

In the current job market, the chances of a no-show new hire are high. However, being intentional with your pre-boarding process will significantly decrease those chances. Remember, you aren’t choosing them, they need to choose you.

The Importance of Giving and Receiving Feedback

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 16:02:48 GMT

Do your supervisors take time regularly to give and receive feedback from employees? Giving and receiving feedback is often overlooked, yet it can be a powerful tool for improving employee engagement and retention.

Feedback opportunities are essential for gauging the emotional state of your employees. According to this Forbes article, “When an employee holds back information out of fear of losing their job, their reputation, or a beneficial relationship, that tension doesn’t go away on its own. If a manager neglects to engage employees in positive, non-judgmental ways, the tension inevitably escapes elsewhere, usually in the form of gossip, sabotage, emotional withdrawal or, worse, anger.” Taking the time for consistent feedback can drastically improve the health of your company.

How often should feedback be given?

Employee feedback should be given regularly and consistently, especially when employees start with a new company or position. Feedback should become a vital part of the onboarding process.

During the first year an employee is working for your company, their feedback can be especially beneficial. Why did they stay with the company? What was confusing in the beginning? What information would have been helpful to know during the onboarding process? The answers to these questions will guide you in improving your onboarding system so your retention rates can continue to climb. Most employees who leave a company will do so within six months of being hired. Creating space for those new employees to give feedback can be valuable to your company.

In your onboarding system, here is a suggested schedule for giving and receiving feedback:

Day 1
Week 1
Month 1
Month 3
Month 6

Once an employee is established, feedback should still be collected regularly by the supervisor or manager. Not all feedback needs to be lengthy and formal. For example, there should be established times during the year when an employee has his or her performance reviewed. But, that should not be the only opportunity they have to give and receive feedback. Create a culture of feedback where employees and their supervisors have a one-on-one meeting at least every other week. Again, it doesn’t have to take long or be very formal. But it should always be prioritized and taken seriously.

What should I ask?

This is probably the most overwhelming part of asking for feedback. At times, it’s so overwhelming that the feedback opportunity is often never taken. The best thing you can do is have straightforward questions prepared to ask. One easy-to-remember, yet powerful tool, is the start/stop/keep framework. A supervisor can ask an employee, what should I/our company start doing to give you a better experience or empower you to do your work more effectively? What should I/our company stop doing? What should I/our company keep doing? The questions can be turned around and used to give feedback to the employee as well.

Here are some other great questions that can be used to simplify the feedback process, especially during onboarding:

What’s going well so far? Describe some of your best experiences.
Are you experiencing any challenges in particular that I can assist you with?
How can I help you learn and improve? How can the organization support your growth and success?
Do you feel you have the information, tools, and resources you need to do your job successfully?
Do you have any suggestions, or do you see any weaknesses in specific systems, processes, and procedures that the organization can improve?

In the end, what’s most important in the feedback process is to provide consistent, regular space for employees to share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns. Creating a culture of listening and giving honest feedback will improve employee morale and engagement. In addition, when feedback is given and received regularly, many issues are resolved early in the process and are easily handled before they grow into more significant problems.

How often do your employees have the opportunity to give and receive feedback now? What is one thing you can implement today that will improve your company culture?

6 Easy Ways to Improve Onboarding

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Mon, 31 May 2021 15:58:45 GMT

When you hire a new employee, what happens? What happens during the first day or the first week? Would you say you have an onboarding process or an orientation at your company?

Studies show that a good onboarding experience is essential if you want strong retention rates. Why? Because if you’re going to lose an employee, there’s a strong chance it will be in the first year.

20% of turnover happens in the first 30 days
38% of all new hires quit within the first year

Turnover early in the employee’s time at the company means higher costs for the company. Employees who leave in the first ninety days deliver little-to-no return on the investment made to hire them.

What is onboarding?

The onboarding process is a “systematic and comprehensive approach to integrating a new employee with a company and its culture, as well as getting the new employee the tools and information needed to become a productive member of the team.” (SHRM) It’s taking a long-term approach to getting the new employee acclimated to the company. It’s connecting them to the right people and resources and giving them the training they need to succeed.

Onboarding should be a strategic process of the company, and it should last for at least a year. HR departments tend to think that after all the paperwork is signed, the new hire is all set! But, the reality is, they are just getting started. Those first several weeks and months are crucial in helping your employee feel like they are a part of the team. An engaging onboarding process has a much more significant impact on the retention and engagement of the new hire than the traditional 1-day orientation process.

What are the basics of a good onboarding process?

There are many resources available to help you build a solid onboarding experience for your new hires. Here are some of the basics. If you don’t have anything in place, choose one thing you can start this week.

Offer good initial training for new hires. Make sure it’s thorough, clear, and taught by someone who knows what they’re doing. Also, it should be consistent from employee to employee.
Include an overview of what your company does, your mission, and, if applicable, the production process. Ensure employees understand who they are working for, why this company matters, and how they fit into the company.
Introduce them to others , and make sure they have a peer they can go to with questions. As new employees, they will have so many questions. And there are many questions they might not feel comfortable asking a supervisor, questions like, is anyone else new? What happens if I’m a few minutes late coming back from my break? They need peers to talk to in order to really feel connected.
Show them the options for moving forward in the company. Convince them from the beginning that there are opportunities to grow. This is especially important for millennials. They are looking for opportunities to grow and learn.
Include additional training within the first 6 months . This may be mandatory training, but it should also include training and guidance to help them become more effective and efficient at their job.
Have evaluations regularly. Make sure to discuss their interests and their hopes for the future. Begin to build an individualized plan for them.

If you don’t have an onboarding process in place, you can start small. Choose one thing that you want to improve on over the next few months. Give it a try and see how it works. Continue to build a system that will make your new hires feel welcome and excited.

If onboarding is new to you, we’d love to help. You can set up a free strategy call with us to brainstorm some ways to improve your onboarding process. You can quickly and easily set up an appointment at this link: https://calendly.com/workplacetalentsolutions/30min

We look forward to hearing from you!

Stepping Stones in Building Career Paths for Entry-level Employees

Mon, 17 May 2021 16:01:58 GMT

Career paths are essential to employee engagement, increased retention, and business growth.

In this article, we will outline the steps to building career paths for your entry-level workers and look at some of the benefits of creating career paths within your company.

What is a career path?

What is a career path? A career path is a plan of how an employee can move forward in their career at your company. Starting in an entry-level position, where could an employee move within the company? What skills and training are necessary for other jobs? How much time does it typically take to reach the next level? Developing career paths for employees will improve employee engagement and retention.

A career path provides employees with an ongoing tool to strengthen their skills and knowledge, leading to new or different positions within your company. In organizations with limited management and leadership positions, employees are encouraged to think of career paths horizontally and vertically.

Why should your company create career paths?

Career paths help your company:

Retain your best employees
Give employees a sense of purpose
Differentiate from labor market competitors
Decrease turnover
Attract younger workers
Increase expectations of future career/life fit

Steps to Creating Career Paths

Step 1 - Update or Create your Organizational Chart An organizational chart is a diagram that shows how your company is structured. It’s a graphical representation of the hierarchy and relationships of every person in your organization. If you do not have an organizational chart, there are many free org chart software programs available. You can check out the org chart software reviews at Best Org Chart Software 2021: Compare Reviews on 40+ Solutions.

Step 2 - Review each Job Description - List the key responsibilities, education requirements, and the hard and soft skills. Don’t forget to include any special projects or assignments associated with the position.

Step 3 - Create the Roadmap - This step will allow you to look at the bigger picture. Think about how an entry-level employee would advance through the company. Are there any horizontal moves necessary?

Each step along the career path may not lead to an advanced role. This may allow an employee to develop skills and knowledge within the company and find the right career. Recruit leaders to mentor and champion career development within the company.

Step 4 - Identify Training Needs - Conduct a training inventory assessment. Look at the training you currently have in place and document all in-house and outsourced training programs. Will your entry-level employees be able to advance their careers with the training you already have?

Step 5 - Create Training and Development programs - Now that you have identified the training needs, create an implementation plan that includes a timeline for training. Align the development plan with your business goals and create a budget.

Do you have the mentors in place to champion career development? Their role is critical if you want to create a “coaching culture” within your organization.

Step 6 - Document your Career Path Program

Documenting your career path program is extremely important. It should include:

Organizational Chart
Job Roles and Profiles
Champions/Mentors
Career Paths
Training Inventory and Schedules

Step 7 - Making Your Career Path Program Part of your Culture Your career path program begins with recruiting and will continue throughout the employment process. It can be included in the recruitment, interview, and new hire process. New hires can now start with the confidence that you are willing to invest in their career development.

Finally, make sure you work with marketing and communications to communicate the initiative organization-wide. Managers will need to be educated and trained on how to be effective career coaches.

At Workplace Talent Solutions, we help HR professionals solve the challenges they face with their entry-level employees. If you want to learn more about career pathways, or if you could use some help identifying some strategies and resources to sort out whatever is keeping you up at night; we want to help! Schedule a free consultation to find out how we can help.

Three Ways to Improve Retention Rates

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 14:27:32 GMT

Many human resource professionals are facing serious concerns regarding their workforce right now. According to SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management,) 46% of HR professionals say retention is their greatest concern. The top three challenges HR professionals are dealing with today are turnover, employee engagement, and succession planning.

At Workplace Talent Solutions, we’ve heard these concerns from many employers and HR professionals. Many companies are not only struggling to recruit employees, but they are struggling to keep them as well. High turnover causes many additional concerns in the workforce.

The Cost

One main concern with high turnover is the cost. For entry-level positions, it costs about $15,000 every time a company needs to hire a new employee. That number climbs with the skill level of the position. If turnover rates are high, the cost to a company can be devastating.

The high turnover rates also mean many employees are new. If onboarding and training and not done well, it can lead to many gaps in an employee’s understanding of the company and their work. More mistakes are made, resources are misused, and employees feel incompetent in their work. And each of those issues can contribute to higher turnover as well.

Lack of Workers

High turnover often means that companies are struggling to fill positions. This adds another dimension to the struggle. A shortage of skilled or entry-level workers means lost productivity. It also means existing workers will need to work harder to make up for the empty spots, leading to higher turnover once again.

It’s clear that it’s essential to address the issue of retention. It’s a costly issue, and greatly impacts a company’s bottom line.

Solutions

There are some solutions for companies, but it requires an investment up front. The good news is that the investment will quickly pay off. Since so many companies are dealing with these issues, any company who invests in improving these issues will immediately stand out among their competitors.

1. Onboarding

One of the most important things for a company to invest in is the development of a solid, onboarding system. A strong onboarding system will help your new employees start off on better footing and feel competent more quickly. They will make fewer errors. And they will feel more connected to the company overall, which means they will most likely stay longer.

A good onboarding system should have the necessary training for new employees clearly defined, and a schedule to ensure the training is completed in a timely manner. Onboarding plans should also include ways to connect new employees to their coworkers and supervisors. New employees should be introduced to the company’s mission and their role in the overall flow of the process.

2. Create Career Paths

What is a career path? A career path is a plan of how an employee can move forward in their career at your company. Starting in an entry-level position, where could an employee move within the company? What skills and training are needed for other positions? How much time does it typically take to reach the next level? Developing career paths for employees will improve employee engagement and retention. Employees want to work towards something. They want to know there is something more for them in the company beyond their current position. Defining what skills and training are needed for other positions will help employees envision a future in the company.

3. Provide Training

After creating career paths, begin to put together the training employees will need to move into other positions. Training serves multiple purposes. For starters, investing in training builds an internal pool of skilled employees to hire when skilled positions open up. Hiring internally eliminates the cost of hiring a new employee, plus, the employee is already familiar with the company. Also, training employees means they have a better understanding of their work in some capacity. Any increase in knowledge will benefit the company’s bottom line.

Growth and development opportunities are something that younger generations are looking for. According to a LinkedIn study, 94% of employees say they would stay at their company longer if their company invested in their learning and development. Investing in training means improved retention and improved employee engagement, and it also directly impacts your company’s ability to fill skilled positions.

These three components will significantly improve HR frustrations around hiring, recruiting, retention, and employee engagement. It does take time and effort to develop an onboarding system, career paths, and training opportunities. However, investing in any of those will quickly pay off for your company. Think about the cost of turnover, low employee engagement, and the lack of both skilled and unskilled workers in your company. Can you afford NOT to invest in these systems?

If your company is in survival mode and you are struggling to find the capacity to develop onboarding or training systems, Workplace Talent Solutions can help. We can help you create an onboarding system for your entry-level employees as well as develop growth and career plans for employees. We offer many training courses for entry-level employees, and our ties to the adult education field mean we can connect you with other resources offering the training you need for your employees. If you would like to talk with us about how we can help, set up a 30-minute strategy call and tell us what your challenges are right now. We want to help set your company up for success and solve the entry-level employee challenges you are facing.

The Three Rs of Employee Engagement- Recognition, Reward, and Retention

Fri, 26 Mar 2021 16:00:56 GMT

Looking back over my 30 years of professional experience in the fields of adult education and business, it was the times I felt valued, recognized, and rewarded for the contributions I made that motivated me to learn and achieve more. Through my company Workplace Talent Solutions, I get the opportunity to work with companies all over the greater Reading area to see their employees learn, grow, and advance in their careers through education and training. I firmly believe that lifelong learning is the key to career advancement both personally and for others.

In this article, I will cover a few simple ways to Recognize and Reward your employees, which can lead to improved Retention and ultimately greater employee engagement.

When it comes to employee engagement, many questions and challenges can swirl around in our minds. How do we recognize our employees in meaningful ways? How often do we recognize our employees? Are monetary rewards the most effective way to acknowledge our employee’s efforts for a job well done? Is there any value in recognizing our employees? Why spend valuable time and effort?

Psychology Today reported a crucial finding in a 2013 study that shows 70% of survey respondents said their most meaningful employee recognition had no monetary value - a substantial increase from 57% in a similar 2007 survey.

Overall, employees want to feel appreciated. Through consistent feedback and recognition, you are filling that vital emotional need to feel valued.

Recognition is a key to retaining your employees, and it is always well worth the investment!

Recognition doesn’t have to cost a great deal of money. Here are a few simple, low-cost ways to recognize an employee for a job well done:

Food - Who doesn’t love a pizza party? Dedicate a luncheon to a team or an individual and recognize the employee(s) in front of their peers. This makes recognition more meaningful and reinforces desired behaviors to the rest of the team.
Did an employee-run a marathon, donate blood, volunteer at an animal shelter, or buy a new house? Acknowledge personal achievements during meetings or in writing.
Call an employee to your office to say thank you. Since many employees assume that something is wrong when called to a supervisor’s office, they will be especially pleased to receive your honest gratitude for a job well done.
Use your company’s Facebook page to recognize team accomplishments. It’s a great way to show off your team to prospective clients and recruits.
Follow the five-minute rule . When you hear or see a positive comment about an employee, recognize that person in five minutes or less with a simple, heartfelt thank you.

"Brains, like hearts, go where they are appreciated."

--Robert McNamara, Fmr. American Secretary of Defense

Reward your employees with learning and development opportunities!

Have you ever considered rewarding your employees with opportunities for learning and development? Recognizing that each employee has strengths and potential can be the first step in creating a learning opportunity for your employee. What skills do they bring to the company outside of their current position? How can they develop those skills to further contribute to the growth of the company?

“Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What’s a sundial in the shade?”

-Benjamin Franklin

Retention is a process!

There is no quick fix to solving retention issues-you need a strategy! However, small efforts like recognizing and rewarding employees can increase retention and be an excellent place to start.

Workplace Talent Solutions is eager to partner with companies ready to grow and develop talent from their entry-level workforce. We can partner with you to recognize , reward , and ultimately improve employee retention who demonstrate outstanding potential but need some skill development.

For more information, visit our website at www.workplacetalentsolutions.com or fill out the contact form at https://workplacetalentsolutions.com/contact/ and tell us a bit of how you would like to reward your employees through learning and development opportunities. We are anxious to hear from you!

Smash my face in cake?!

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 17:01:23 GMT

I’ll never forget that funny and awkward moment when one of my students shoved my face into the birthday cake she had made for me. I couldn’t believe it. What had just happened? I was both confused and embarrassed. What was supposed to happen next?!

During the cleanup process afterward, I learned a little more about my student’s Colombian culture and their ways of celebrating birthdays. I grew up in a stoic German/Pennsylvania Dutch family. Birthday parties consisted of cake, ice cream, a few presents, some awkward games, but not much more. We cut the birthday cake and unceremoniously handed it out and ate it. We didn’t dance. We weren’t loud. We matter-of-factly ate our cake and moved on with life. Celebrations of any sort weren’t a big deal.

When I started teaching English as a second language, my birthday celebrations changed significantly. I began to learn traditions from around the world. My students threw birthday parties for me that included lots of food, dancing and music, laughter and loudness. It was so different from my own culture, but fun! And I loved it. Except the face-in-the-cake part. Apparently in Colombia, it’s customary for the birthday girl/boy to take a bite out of the cake without touching it with their hands. Someone behind them shoves their face into the cake. I learned that the hard way!

Recently I came across a “Dear Abby” letter referring to this face-in-the-cake tradition. Someone wrote to “Dear Abby” after seeing someone else have their face shoved into a cake. They were offended by the action and thought it was incredibly rude. Abby responded in the same manner commenting that it’s never OK for humor to come at someone else's expense. However, reading further, there was a comment from someone familiar with this cultural tradition. They explained the practice from their perspective and how this tradition was an accepted and expected part of birthday celebrations. The letter and comments revealed so clearly how cultural background and understanding affect our perception of others’ behavior and the way we respond to it.

Isn’t it interesting how our actions and behaviors can be so misunderstood when someone doesn’t understand our culture? We all look at the world through our own lens.

Lately there has been a lot of discussion about equality and racial differences. These discussions are crucial for our country to have! However, an assumption can be made that the differences we have aren’t important and shouldn’t receive any attention. And while there are many traits and characteristics that all humans share, there are also many things that make us different. Ignoring differences doesn’t benefit anyone; it only leads to more confusion and misunderstanding. The key is to understand the root of the differences and placing the emphasis in the right place. And most of our differences stem from our cultural differences.

So what is culture? If someone asked you to explain what culture is, would you be able to? Is it difficult? Or maybe you have a good idea, it’s just not very clear in your mind.

Many people think of race and culture as the same thing, but they are two different things. Race or ethnicity is based on physical characteristics, heritable traits, and geographic ancestry. The location or group of people we grow up with does not change our race or ethnicity. Our ethnicity may be reflected in our skin tone, language, hair type, etc. Race has become increasingly hard to identify since our society is becoming more diverse. There are so many people who don’t fit into one race. That’s why many researchers argue that the concept of race should be dismissed entirely.

Culture, on the other hand, refers to beliefs, values, and rules of conduct. These traits affect how we act, how we think, and how we perceive the world. Our culture will be reflected in what we believe is right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable. And our culture can change over time. Culture is something we learn from the group of people we are with. Culture is a set of values and beliefs that we share with a group of people.

Culture is what drives our behaviors. Misunderstanding someone’s behavior can lead to hurt, anger, or offense and breakdown in communication. (Think, smashing their face in a cake.) Learning to understand someone’s culture is a way of showing respect to them. It shows an appreciation for the ways that they may think or communicate differently than we do. Learning to understand the culture of another individual or group of people can help improve your relationship with them. It can help you to understand why they may behave a certain way or respond to situations the way they do. During my birthday celebration, I was stunned that my student pushed my face in the cake! In my family/culture, that would have been perceived as rude and mean, like “Dear Abby’s” response! Understanding that cultural differences were at play allowed me to look at the situation with humor instead of becoming angry or offended.

Cultural differences are becoming more and more common as our society becomes more diverse. How should we approach interactions with those who may be different than us? I believe the key is humility. We will never get it all right. We will make mistakes. There will be misunderstandings. However, being aware of the possibility of cultural differences allows us to take a step back and offer grace when we misunderstand or are misunderstood. Don’t take things so personally. Do your best to learn the values and beliefs of others. Maintain the posture of a learner.

There will be mistakes and blunders. But cultural differences are beautiful and can give us a new way of looking at the world.

What cultures do you see in your company or organization? What conflicts and differences have you seen between cultures? How can you approach interactions with more humility and grace in the future?

Brain Waste- Time is Not the Only Thing that Can Be Wasted!

Thu, 25 Feb 2021 16:59:45 GMT

What exactly is brain waste? Brain Waste is the underutilization of the skilled-immigrant population. You may have heard of a taxi driver who was once a doctor in his home country or a production worker who used to be an engineer. I had a student once who was working at improving her English language skills. She sadly told me one evening how hard it was for her to work in a low paying job at a local factory. “I’m at the bottom of the ladder again!” she told me. She had taught in a university in China and had felt accomplished and proud of her work. Coming to the U.S. was exciting, but difficult, since she had to leave behind not only her career, but also her feelings of dignity and self-confidence. That is an example of brain waste, and brain waste costs the U.S. economy tens of billions of dollars in forgone earnings and taxes annually.

Skilled immigrants may face several difficulties such as limited English skills, unfamiliarity with the U.S. labor market and the process of applying for jobs. They may also lack involvement in professional networks and difficulty getting their foreign-earned academic and professional credentials recognized and gaining professional licenses.

According to the 2016 Migration Policy Institute report Untapped Talent: The Costs of Brain Waste Among Highly Skilled Immigrants in the United States nearly 2 million immigrants with college degrees in the United States—one out of every four—are relegated to low-skilled jobs or are unable to find work. College-educated immigrants employed in low-skilled work miss out on more than $39 billion in wages. And as a result, federal, state, and local governments lose out on more than $10 billion in unrealized tax receipts, according to this study, which offers the first-ever estimates of the economic costs of brain waste.

Primary Employment Barrier: English Language Ability

Research finds that low levels of English proficiency are among the strongest determinants of brain waste. While three-quarters of college-educated immigrants reported they were fully English proficient during the period analyzed, those who spoke English “not well” or “not at all” were about five times more likely to be in low-skilled jobs than those who spoke only English.

Notably, findings of a report released by World Education Services and IMPRINT, a coalition of nonprofits that focus on helping immigrants integrate into the labor force. found that speaking English “very well” was highly correlated with the likelihood an immigrant was making at least some use of his or her higher education credentials in the workplace. Their analysis also found that earning a degree abroad— instead of at a U.S. college or university—places immigrants at a substantially higher risk of skill underutilization. Immigrants educated abroad may have some difficulty conveying to U.S. employers the quality of their education or the relevance of foreign credentials.

An additional challenge is a shortage of educational programs that teach professional and business English and that bridge skill deficits between what was taught abroad and the knowledge required in the United States.

Workplace Talent Solutions’ courses are uniquely tailored for employees who need to improve their understanding of business English and American workplace culture.

We partner with you to build foundational skills to develop your workforce. To learn more about our talent development programs and services fill out the contact form https://workplacetalentsolutions.com/contact/ for a free consultation. We look forward to hearing from you!

4 Myths About Investing in your Entry-level Employees

cathy@workplacetalentsolutions.com (Cathy Martin) — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 16:54:00 GMT

In manufacturing companies with a large number of entry-level production employees, retention is a big

issue. And many employers are unsure how to improve the retention rates of their employees. One way

to significantly decrease turnover is to invest in the training and development of entry-level employees.

However, many employers have questions and concerns about investing in training. Here are four myths

and why the investment into training and development really is worth it.

Myth #1: If I invest in my employees, they will leave my company and go work for the competition.

Retention is a concern for many employers. If you are going to put in the time and money to train an

employee in a new skill, you don’t want your competitor to reap the benefits. However, there is no need

for concern. Research has shown that employees who have opportunities to learn new skills and who

feel that their employers are willing to invest in their personal growth are much more likely to stay with

that company. According to LinkedIn’s 2018 Workforce Learning Report, 93% of employees stay at a

company longer if they have opportunities to grow in their careers. If you want to improve retention

rates, then investing in the growth and learning of your employees is a great way to start!

Myth #2 : It costs too much to train employees.

While the cost of training employees is high, the cost of losing them and re-hiring is even greater.

According to a Forbes article, the cost of replacing an entry-level employee is somewhere around 50% of

their annual salary. Training employees will improve your retention rates, saving you the cost of rehiring

another employee to take their place. In addition to the money you will save on improved retention,

there are other cost-saving benefits to training employees, especially entry-level employees. If you have

employees who don’t speak English well, investing in their language development will save you huge

costs related to safety concerns and incidents. And investing in basic skills training for entry-level

employees, such as time management, communication, interpersonal skills, etc., will immediately save

you in production time and decrease waste. So while it does cost to train employees, it will save your

company money in the long run.

Myth #3: My employees aren’t interested in learning.

Studies have shown that employees value growth opportunities, especially millennials. If your company

has difficulty getting employees to engage in training opportunities, the problem most likely lies

somewhere else. It could be that the training being offered isn’t relevant to the majority of your

employees. Or it could also be that the training was not explained well to employees and they aren’t

sure how the training would be useful to them. The key is to set up training programs and growth

pathways for your employees. Show your employees how each training opportunity moves them

forward on a pathway to greater success in your company. Find out what kinds of things your employees

are interested in learning. And on another note, by creating growth pathways for your employees, you

are also creating a pool of trained employees you can promote when higher level positions are open.

Myth #4: Training for entry-level employees isn’t available.

Training for entry-level employees is harder to find. A lot of employee training programs focus on

higher-level positions and specific skills for employees to learn. However, there are definitely

opportunities for your entry-level employees to learn and grow. To start, offer training specific to your

company. Make sure employees understand your company values and culture. Teach them how their

job fits into the whole production process. Show them the leadership structure of your company and

explain what each position’s role is. This will help to create a sense of belonging for your entry-level

employees. Invest in onboarding so that employees feel connected right away. You can also invest in

language training for non-English speaking employees. There are also online training programs that

focus on soft skills. At Workplace Talent Solutions, we offer online or in-person training in language,

leadership, and soft skills topics. We also provide a coaching service to employers and employees to

help them find the specific kinds of training they are looking for.

If you feel investing in your employees is something you want to pursue in the new year, we’d be happy

to help you evaluate your needs and help you create a plan. Feel free to contact us for a no-obligation

consultation. We’d love to point you in the right direction.

workplace-talent-solutions

Why Communication Feels So Different in a Multicultural Workplace

The U.S.: The World’s Most Direct Communicators

How These Differences Create Misunderstandings

Bridging the Communication Gap

1. Be Direct, But Explain Why

2. Learn to Listen

3. Adapt Your Follow-Up Approach

4. Educate Yourself on Cultural Communication Differences

The Bottom Line

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Teaching English to New Hires: Working Towards Seamless Integration

Benefits of Teaching English Words to New Hires

Strategies to Incorporate Language Learning During Onboarding

Announcing Our New Name: Multilingual Workforce

We have a new name!

Cultural Diversity: Understanding Shame and Honor-Based Cultures

Cultural Diversity in the Workplace

What is a Shame/Honor-Based Culture?

Shame/Honor-Based Cultures in the Workplace

Modifying Communication for Shame/Honor Cultures

The Value of Cultural Diversity

The Negative Side of Too Much Translation

Comparing Two Supervisors: Language Barriers and Workplace Culture

How Over-Reliance on Translation Can Undermine Company Culture

The Limits of Translation Apps and Services

Barriers to Employee Advancement and Organizational Growth

Strategies to Foster Communication Across Language Barriers

The Benefits of Career Pathways: A Gateway to Success for All Employees

Confidence: The Key To Effective Language Learning

Speaking and Listening vs. Reading and Writing

Confidence is Key

Ways To Help Immigrant Employees Build Confidence in Their English-Language Skills:

Lost Potential: How Language Barriers Lead to Underemployment for Skilled Immigrants

What is Brain Waste?

The Impact of Brain Waste

Next Steps for Businesses

Language Solutions: Translation or Training?

Consulting with Us: FAQs on Language Inclusivity Assessments

Closing the Gap: Understanding Oral and Print Skills in the Workplace

Empowering Success: Elevating Non-English Speakers' English Skills for a Unified Workplace

Career Paths: How to Get Started

One Strategy is Not Enough

Inclusion: Showing Your Employees You Value Them

FAQs about Workplace ESL

The Impact of Cultural Differences in the Workplace

6 Ways to Accommodate Employees Who Don’t Speak English

1. Utilize assessments

Unlocking the Career Potential of Non-Native English Speakers Through Learning and Development

Workplace ESL: A Unique Approach

Workplace Language

Customized Experience

Workplace Culture

Held On-Site

Preparing for the Workforce of Tomorrow

The Changing Workforce

The Workforce of the Future

Help! I hired someone who doesn’t speak English!

Retaining Employees by Building Better Bosses

High-performing managers are four times more likely to

retain employees than low-performing managers. -Annual Leadership Development Survey Report -Training Magazine

Offering Relevant Employee Training

Culture: The Unspoken Communication Barrier

Developing a Workplace Literacy Program

Step 1: Assessment

Step 2: Choose Training Options

Step 3: Logistics

Why Translating Documents Isn't Always the Best Solution

An Awkward Promotion (and other stories about overlooking literacy issues)

The Solution for Preparing Entry-Level Workers for Higher Skill Jobs

Rethinking Your Employer Brand in a Post-Pandemic World

What is an Employer Brand?

New Hire a No-Show?

Try Pre-boarding.

The Importance of Giving and Receiving Feedback

6 Easy Ways to Improve Onboarding

Stepping Stones in Building Career Paths for Entry-level Employees

Three Ways to Improve Retention Rates

The Three Rs of Employee Engagement- Recognition, Reward, and Retention

Smash my face in cake?!

retain employees than low-performing managers.
-Annual Leadership Development Survey Report -Training Magazine