Globalization has brought many benefits, like widening the talent pool of any industry’s workforce. However, companies now face the conundrum of having employees who are not fluent in English. Diversity in the workplace is celebrated and even encouraged.
Still, the language barriers are a roadblock to effective communication. Any business owner who knows anything will know that communication is the key to efficient performance. Thus, any obstacle to effective and stable communication must be quickly addressed.
This issue is mainly prominent in large corporations or organizations with a diverse workforce. Even small to medium sized enterprises might have employees who are not proficient English language speakers.
What are these companies and businesses to do? Get rid of these employees? That would not only be morally wrong, it would also amount to throwing away talent. The onus is on the company to help employees improve their English language skills.
Identifying Communication Challenges
It is logical for English to be the language of choice in a workplace setting. When some employees are not able to speak or understand the language or lack proficiency in doing so, challenges arise.
Misunderstandings in the Workplace
A language barrier is unsustainable in the workplace, as it can lead to confusion and misunderstandings. In a workplace where employees deal with sensitive products, any slight misunderstanding leads to potential hazards.
There is also a reduction in efficiency for tasks or projects. Simple instructions may be misinterpreted, impacting the quality of work and overall productivity.
Inability to Speak During Meetings
Moreover, limited English proficiency can hinder effective verbal communication during meetings, discussions, or presentations. Employees may struggle to express themselves clearly, hindering their engagement and participation. This can block collaboration and the free flow of ideas within the team.
Failure to Get Important Messages Across
Of course, English is not only spoken; it is written and read. Employees with poor English skills may struggle to compose emails and reports or document data accurately. Unclear messages also make it challenging for colleagues to comprehend important information. When handling a crisis, the language barrier can also cause hiccups in response and damage control.
Missing Out on Workplace Relationships
The final challenges language barriers bring are psychological and emotional. The language barrier may contribute to social isolation, as employees feel hesitant to engage in informal conversations or team-building activities. This isolation can hinder the development of strong relationships in the office. This reduces teamwork and morale.
Advantages of English Language Skills
English serves as a global business language, so English language skills matter for employees of any company that wants to remain relevant in the market.
International Business Relevance
English skills facilitate effective communication and collaboration between employees, clients, and partners. It is often a common thread among associates from diverse linguistic backgrounds.
Thus, proficiency in English enhances a company’s ability to engage in international markets and navigate cross-cultural interactions.
Access to Resources
English is the predominant language of the internet and in the spaces where many business resources are traded. Employees with strong English language skills can efficiently access a wide range of information, industry updates, and data.
It is the language of choice for lucrative deal selling, as well as professional and technical discussions.
Professional Credibility
Workplace English skills also boost an employee’s professional credibility. Clear and articulate communication skills are fundamental, whether in written documents or verbal interactions. Communication is also the basis for interview skills that foster a positive impression in a job interview.
Career Advancement
In many industries, career advancement is closely tied to effective communication. Employees with proficient English language skills are better positioned for leadership roles.
From navigating complex tasks to instilling confidence in strategic visions, learning English gives an employee tools for advancement.
Tailored Language Training Programs
Any basic English language course might seem sufficient to give employees an understanding of the English language. However, a lot of language training materials and programs are too general to meet particular needs.
This is because they need to reach a broad market and do not cover the details of teaching workplace English skills. As a result, staff members will have lots of experience saying hello and placing restaurant orders rather than learning how to converse in pertinent business language.
The solution? Tailored training that targets the business English and language skills a company uses. Of course, this means proper research to identify what any employee needs to improve their communication skills.
This includes training on how to close a business deal, how to interact in trading offices, and other important workplace English. Employees in the trading team and those in charge of a company’s stock management especially need training in corporate lingo.
Workplace Language Training Initiatives
A language training initiative must focus on relevant business English. That is the first priority. Employees can attend general language classes to improve their English language skills. The company has to prioritize workplace English in order to get the employees up to speed.
The Building Blocks to English Language Mastery
Training initiatives must target building employee confidence. This is because language learning depends heavily on confidence. Confidence is necessary for employees to try to apply what they learn, making conversations in English.
Developing what experts refer to as compensatory linguistic abilities is one area where employees can quickly acquire confidence. Gaining proficiency in these methods is possibly the quickest path to enhanced language abilities. These efforts pay off as employees become more fluent in their use of business English and of the English language in general.
Creating a Language-Friendly Workplace
Any efforts to help train employees who are not fluent in English language skills start with other employees. They have to welcome any new employee, giving them the space to grow their proficiency in business English. This involves engaging their new colleagues in conversations and communicating in a way that allows the learner to absorb and respond.
Some employees might feel that this might be beneath them. The development team must impress on such employees the need to eat humble pie, as it were, for the benefit of the whole company. Having the support of others also helps employees deal with all the pressure of learning and quickens the development of language skills.
Digital Tools and Resources
Time spent teaching employees how to communicate is also time lost, so programs have to impart as much knowledge of business English as possible.
A special introductory program can be prepared by tech support ready for employees from a particular language background. This can prove a useful tool to help induct them on such short notice.
The importance of visual learning cannot be overlooked. If employees can watch videos with tutorials and guides on the English language, they will be able to learn more efficiently.
Promoting Lifelong Learning
Self-study techniques are advantageous when used in conjunction with teaching languages. Employees will keep up their continuous language learning skills in their spare time, as they do in basic language lessons. Employees can further their education with low-cost, long-term English lessons to support their in-work training.