Do you employ non-native English speakers? Six tips to improve relations

Just over 4-minute reading time

By Mary Boza Crimmins

Learn from Teachers 

Here’s what teachers know that employers of non-native English speakers must know. Just because employees speak English conversationally does not mean they efficiently process learning and directions. In education, there are two acronyms: BICS and CALP*. BICS is social language. An employee may banter, joke, and engage in conversations in clear English. However, they may not have reached CALP, which is the ability to focus on critical thinking and problem solving when communication is in English. 

The cognitive skills to fully understand the information presented in a second language may still need to be further developed. It can take 5 - 7 years to reach a proficient level. Often miscommunications are made worse by the person providing directions because assumptions are made, especially when the procedure is second nature to the trainer. 

Strategies to Use 

The workplace, like the classroom, must be set up to ensure the employee has the support needed. These strategies are also applicable when developing all new employees or introducing employees to a new skill or process. 

1. Avoid Idioms 

The task may be a “piece of cake for you,”  and you may not want to resolve a problem by “putting lipstick on a pig,” but these idioms evoke word pictures that lead to a disconnect. Furthermore, the employee is unlikely to ask for clarification due to not wanting to appear rude or ignorant. 

2. Identify Specialized Terms 

Identify specialized terms used in your workplace and explicitly teach their meaning. Even for native speakers, insider language can cause confusion. My husband and I speak the same language (for the most part). Yet imagine my confusion when he explained a change in the floor plan. He works for a  boat dealership, so “floor plan” refers to using lender money to finance inventory. Do you appreciate my confusion as I imagined my husband rearranging boats on the showroom floor? 

3. Implement Inspections 

Implement a system in which inspection is required of completed tasks while employees are gaining mastery of skills. This is an excellent opportunity for immediate feedback, something organizational psychology researchers Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton** find many employees crave. 

4.  Have Directions Repeated, Repeated 

Ask for directions to be repeated. Recently the crew replacing my roof trashed all of the gutters when only the front ones were to be replaced. The error probably could have been avoided if the foreman had taken a few minutes to walk through the job and asked the crew to reiterate the directions. A little time for clarification, including inviting questions, avoids costly mistakes.

5. Use Effective Strategies 

Use effective teaching strategies when developing employees, such as breaking down directions into manageable steps and using visuals, including signage.   

6. Establish a Positive Culture 

Perhaps most importantly, develop a culture where leaders and supervisors get to know their team, including correctly pronouncing individual’s names. Global management consultants, McKinsey and Company, emphasize that “compassionate leaders…foster more loyalty and engagement by their team.” Assuming is inconsiderate as each individual's needs, abilities, interests, and dreams are not being taken into account. 

Power Productivity Booster

An employee may sound fluent but thinking in a second language requires more energy and can lead to frustration. Putting these six classroom tips into practice improves employee relations. As Gostick and Elton* state, “Research leaves not the slightest doubt” that team members “feeling understood, accepted and secure is a powerful productivity booster.” 

As a professional educator and businessperson, I’m the ideal person for you to delegate your writing, research, organization, and projects to. Read a few testimonials from valued clients.

*BICS Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills and CALP Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency are phrases developed from the research of Professor Jim Cummins on language and literacy development of English language learners. 

**Anxiety at Work by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton