It’s been more than a decade since “English-Only” workplace rules had their 15-minutes of infamy in the media. In the end, the bottom line was that U.S. employers must tread very, very carefully when implementing any type of English-Only Rule or face a national origin discrimination claim under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Check out this Fact Sheet from the Department of Labor for the official regulations on English-Only Rules). Litigation today rarely arises from a formal, written “English-Only Rule,” but rather from situations where supervisors verbally tell employees to “speak English!” often combined with other types of harassment or discrimination based on national origin or immigration status.
As the global nature of our economy has grown, stimulated by new technologies that bring us closer, a new phenomenon has started to arise: the opposite of English-only rules. Multilingual employees are often sought after and prized in the workplace for their ability to communicate with multilingual customers as well as business partners in other countries. But employers around the world are facing a crisis: rampant employee disengagement. A recent Gallup Poll revealed startling statistics: only 15% of employees worldwide are engaged in their job. That means 85% of employees are not engaged at work, negatively affecting productivity and the bottom line. Savvy employers are starting to use language as a way to improve employee engagement and productivity.
How can language act as a resource to improve employee engagement? Census data shows that 18% of U.S. Citizens – nearly one in five – speak a language other than English at home. Even those who speak English in addition to their native tongue have varied degrees of English-language skills, and often feel more comfortable communicating and learning in their native language. When required to “get by” as best they can in English, these workers can easily become part of the disengaged majority.
Offering both multilingual and Limited English Proficient employees training, manuals, guides, instructions, and the like in their native language (even where English communication is necessary, at times) provides numerous benefits:
- Showing multilingual and LEP employees that you care increases productivity. One company in Chicago provided Spanish-language training for management. After completing the course, managers reported huge improvements in communication and a 15% increase in productivity.
- Decreasing safety-related incidents. Various studies estimate that between 25% and 33% of construction site accidents is language-barrier related. In recent years, construction, manufacturing, meat packing, hospitality and many other industries have seen a sharp rise in the number of Hispanic, Eastern European and Asian workers. In the U.S., according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, nearly one in six workers is foreign-born. When safety instructions, warning signs (i.e., Danger! Live Wire!) are difficult or impossible to understand due to language barriers, accidents happen. Where employers take active steps to protect the health and safety of their workforce, workers are more likely to stay engaged.
- Reducing employee turnover. Everyone knows it’s far less expensive to retain an employee than hire and train a new one. Employers who demonstrate that they value their employee’s language skills and/or happily accommodate language challenges earn employee respect and loyalty. This results in decreased turnover. Longevity in the workplace often results in overall increased productivity. Teams stay together for the long-haul, learning to work together to get things done in the most efficient ways possible.
It’s unrealistic to expect an employer to train all employees and managers to speak and read every language that their coworkers speak. To capitalize on the employee engagement benefits of communicating with employees in their native languages, then, employers can turn to language services. Employers seeking to engage with their multilingual and/or LEP employees can translate employee manuals, safety instructions, hazard signs and the like, offer training videos subtitled or recorded in other languages, and providing access to interpreting services.
Not sure where to start? Vocalink Global’s The InsideOut solution focuses on enterprise support for the multilingual workforce. Let us help you capitalize on Interpreting, Translation, and Localization services to connect with your employee base on a whole new level.
