Having hard conversations with your employees is part of the job. Many of these conversations have to do with improving their different abilities, including language skills.
Though there’s nothing wrong with that, you need to do it with sensitivity and empathy and while being aware that they’re giving it their all. We’re sure you’ll do that because you care about your workers.
Nonetheless, you might still wonder: How to tell my employees that they need to work on their second language skills? Because caring about them doesn’t mean you know exactly how to address this topic.
Well, here are some tips to talk to your employees about their language skills with respect and true care.
Don’t Do It Publicly
Calling employees to your office might sound scary to them or like something is off. But the truth is, that isn’t always a bad thing. There can be many reasons to do this, such as:
- Congratulating them for something
- Giving them a raise
- Offering them another position
- Discussing a new project
- Or having a constructive conversation about areas they can improve in, like their second language skills.
For this case, you shouldn’t talk to them about their language problems in front of everyone! Because they might feel shy or bad about it, since you’re talking about something they’re missing.
You don’t want to make them feel humiliated. Even when you’re kind, it’s a tough conversation for them at first. So, it’s better to do it privately. If later they decide to tell others what you discussed, that’s okay; it’s their decision. But as a first instance, you should discuss this in the office.
Be Specific
Try to be as specific as you can when discussing their language skills. They probably have specific areas on which they should focus.
Maybe they need more jargon related to their job industry. Or perhaps their pronunciation needs some training. Or maybe their listening skills aren’t sharp enough, so they need to improve that.
Tell them in detail what you think they need to work on, which areas of the language. This will make it easier for them to look for customized classes according to their needs. If not, they might feel like they don’t even know which things to begin practicing.
It will also make them feel like not everything is bad; there are just some areas of improvement.
Let Them Know That It’s Okay Not to Be Perfect
Let your employees know that it’s okay if their language skills aren’t sharp enough yet. Sure, you’d like them to work on that, but you understand that it’s not easy and they won’t master the language overnight.
You should also let them know that it’s okay not to be perfect now or later. They should strive to improve, but that doesn’t mean they have to be perfect.
For example: Some people still have an accent, but if you understand what they say, then that’s great, and it’s fine if there’s an accent. Or, if you want them to improve their vocabulary for business, that doesn’t mean they should know every single word.
The point is that they’re working hard on their language skills.
Highlight the Positive Aspects as Well
This is a very important one. When speaking to your employees about their language skills, you should also mention the positive aspects. We bet your employees have some language abilities that are great. So, ask them to work on what they lack but don’t forget to highlight the things that they do well.
For example: Perhaps their pronunciation isn’t that good yet, but maybe they have a wide vocabulary. Then, say that!
Let’s say they’re a foreign person whose mother tongue is different from the one everybody speaks at the workplace. So their second language is your first language. Then, highlight the good things that come with them speaking another language fluently and being bilingual.
Just like you would sit down with them to discuss the things they need to improve, you can also congratulate them on the good things. One thing doesn’t exclude the other.
If you do this, they won’t feel too sad or like you think that everything is wrong. They’ll feel motivated and encouraged to keep studying. Because they’ll see that if they were able to master one language skill, they are able to master the others!
Recognize Their Improvement
You once called your employees into your office to discuss the things they could improve. Then, you must also call them and praise them when you see the results of that. When you see that they’ve upgraded their second language skills and achieved the goals you talked about.
This will make them feel like they’re also seen and recognized when they deserve it, and not only when they’re struggling. It might even make it easier for them to continue on that language learning journey, because they’ll know it’s paying off.
You could even recognize them every time you see an improvement, even a small one. This will keep them motivated. It’s good to have talks about things to work on with our employees, but it’s also good to celebrate them!
Never Discriminate
This might seem obvious but never discriminate. Language discrimination, accent discrimination, and culture discrimination happen sometimes in some workplaces. And it is not okay!
In fact, having a multilingual and multicultural workforce can make your company richer and better. There are many benefits to it!
You might need some of your employees to work on their second language skills if it’s necessary for their work. That’s okay.
But never make them feel less for not speaking their second language perfectly. You can talk to them about the room for growth that you find in their foreign language skills without discriminating against them.
- Don’t stop talking to them
- Don’t lower their salary
- Don’t talk badly to them
- Don’t insult them
- Don’t speak about their language skills behind their backs
- Don’t belittle their culture
- Don’t make them feel unintelligent
Overall, don’t mistreat them or make them feel unworthy of the job. Bilingualism can be just an area of improvement, not a reason to discriminate.
Offer Corporate Language Training as an Employee Benefit
When you tell your employees something they need to improve, it’s always good to show them that you’ll support them. This encourages and allows them to see that they’re not being thrown into the void.
One of the best ways to show your support in terms of improving your employees’ language skills is by offering classes.
This way, you won’t be leaving them to their own devices. You’ll be giving them feedback but also the tools to work on that feedback. Of course, the hard work of studying will be on their side. You’re a team and this shows it.
We’re aware that you might not be able to give language classes. Either because you’re not a teacher, you don’t know their target language very well, or you don’t have the time.
Don’t let that stop you! You have to hire a language teaching company focused on work and business. So the experts will be teaching all your employees, or the ones that need it, all about their target language. In fact, that’s what we do at Fluency Corp!
We offer corporate language training for you and your employees in more than 10 languages! All of our classes are customized to the job and your needs. So you’ll learn truly useful things for the workplace and your career.
With our Bellieu Method in which we base all lessons, you all will achieve language fluency! Because this method consists of encouraging students to speak in every class. So there’s actual practice!
Because we know how busy everyone at your office is, we offer online or onsite classes with flexible schedules. So you can choose the best fit for your agenda. Don’t waste any more time and contact us now for a free consultation.
