Employers Must Work to Communicate with Non-Native Speaking Employees
Business managers who do not work to bridge language barriers with their employees risk miscommunication. They may also lose out on valuable opportunities to develop their workers' commitment, motivation and loyalty, according to the Agri News.
In particular, managers with Spanish-speaking employees are encouraged to increase their communication with workers. Labor management consultant Felix Soriano, president of Pennsylvania-based APN Consulting, LLC, recently advised farmers who employ Spanish-speaking laborers. He suggested they increase their feedback and be clear about their expectations, the news source reports.
Effective managers must make the time to communicate well with their employees, Soriano added. Managers may be surprised at how much a bit of effort to learn a single Spanish word each day can benefit their workers. Moreover, encouraging their employees to learn a single English word each day can facilitate mutual understanding, according to the paper.
As of July of 2009, there were 34.5 million Spanish-speakers in the U.S., according to U.S. Census data.
Employers can also choose to use automated translators and online translation tools to translate their workers' Spanish to English communications.
