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THE WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACT OF 1998

Among the key elements of a work force development system, the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) recognizes the need for, “basic literacy as a key element of contribution in the labor force and national life, especially in view of the large number of non-English-speaking adults in the workforce.” (Kaufmann and Wills 1999)

The purpose of WIA is to recognize the need for basic literacy. The training provided must be related to labor market needs and combines literacy education with occupational training (ibid.).

In summary, the WIA suggests employer investment in services designed specifically for work force development that would coincidentally meet the English-language instruction and literacy needs of the LEP population.

In return for employer investment is a better educated workforce, improvement of overall communication, customer service, retention, morale, and safety.

Learn how you can support these programs, and in return improve your business.

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I came across a wet surface while visiting a bathroom in Del Taco. I wish someone would have told me, “Excuse me sir, the floor is wet,” before I slipped and fell on the hard plastic linoleum surface.

Many times, I have walked on a wet and slippery surface where no sign was placed or no one had communicated to me that the floor may be wet and potentially dangerous. A simple phrase that can break this pattern is “Wet floor.”

Here is a list I have compiled of important hospitality phrases for LEP team members.

10 Important phrases you can teach LEPs  in order to improve customer and employee safety:

1. Wet floor
2. Be careful
3. Look out
4. Watch out
5. It’s hot
6. It’s sharp
7. Watch your head
8. Call 911
9. Is there a doctor
10. I feel sick. I need to go home.

Before you do these activities, you may need to have someone translate the word or phrase that you are focusing on. We recommend that you focus on one phrase per week.

Ideas for training employees to use safety phrases:

• Make it a daily chant at huddles or group meetings
• Play a game of charades
• Create bingo cards
• Put the “phrase of the day” on the wall or above a wall calendar where everyone can see it.
• Have employees model a scenario using these words
• Use small multiple choice quizzes
• Have employees draw comics of scenarios
• Create worksheets with easy activities like word searches and crossword puzzles
• Contract a professional ESL instructor and ask them to provide content with this list of words

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I have been working with businesses for five years now training immigrants and Limited English Proficient (LEP) immigrant employees. Most of the team members that I have trained are Spanish speakers from Latin America.

I have been very successful at creating relationships with the employees that I have worked with, and have discovered 10 ways to make your business more successful as far as morale and retention by developing stronger relationships with LEP employees.

“At the heart of successful retention programs are relationships.”-Low Wage Workers in the New Economy, By Richard Kazis, Marc S. Miller

Here are some different ways to develop relationships with LEP and Hispanic team members and increase employee retention and morale.

1. Greet Limited English Proficient (LEP) team members

Learn their names. Find out about their ethnic backgrounds. Treat them individually. Latinos or Hispanics are warm affectionate people who respond very well to a smile and a kind word.

2. Break Bread

“It’s hard to remain enemies once you have broken bread together.” When I do my trainings, I sometimes stop at the local Mercado or Panadaria in order to supply my trainees with some Pan Dulce, also known as sweet bread. Donuts will suffice.

3. Say “good job” to your team members.

If they speak Spanish, you can say, buen trabajo, pronounced: bwen tra-BA-ho.  Recent research by the American Psychology Association indicates that positive reinforcement creates a desired chemical response to the brain. This response is a powerful form of behavioral motivation. Trainers, teachers, and managers, use this motivational tool to get positive results.

4. Find out your team members birthdays and put them on a wall calendar.

If it is in the budget, plan small parties in order to congratulate them on their birthdays.
Find out the days of ethnic celebrations. Remind them of different American celebrations, and explain to them through a translator the significance of these celebrations.

5. Share your stories

You may need a translator, but start your next meeting by saying, “You would not believe what happened to me the other day…” and take it from there.

6. Be careful of the language you use

Be careful not to use degrading terms. The word “Chicano” should be avoided at all times. Never call your employees niños or children. Instead refer to them by their names and name titles.

7. Offer your team members extended trainings in subjects that will increase their overall skill level.

As public institutes dissipate, you may want to refer to private ESL training. The most effective trainers will come to your establishment and offer relevant training to whatever your business demands. Weekly one- hour trainings are usually efficient as long as they are simple, direct, relevant, engaging and effective.

8. Listen

As you grow closer to your LEP team members they will share serious information with you. Sometimes, they will have issues with simple solutions. A little effort to help can go a long way, so always listen.

9. Commit yourself

Make sure that you apply at least one of these techniques regularly, and you will definitely improve your relationships with your immigrant, or LEP team members.

Author: Wyatt Chambers ESL teacher/ trainer

Comments, questions? email: wyatt@englishsolutions.biz

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We want our employees to give their best effort, take pride in their work and move quickly, all while offering customer service with a smile, but we do not have the money available to offer our traditional bonuses and raises.

How can we get our employees to this perfect state of absolute motivation?

The motivation level of your workplace indicates the direction, intensity and duration of high performance. As motivation increases, so can the desired work performance.

If you have identified desired productive behaviors, such as,

• generating new business,
• maintaining customer loyalty,
• and creating new innovations.

You can use rewards as the pathway to higher motivation levels. You may already have traditional reward systems in place such as:

• salary,
• bonuses,
• benefits, and recognition.

What about times when money is tight, when bonuses and salary increases are not possible?

The good news is that money is not the only effective reward. In fact, many will argue that money alone is probably an ineffective reward system.

Organizations need intangible rewards to completely fulfill the needs of their employees — needs like

• recognition,
• achievement,
• affiliation,
• and growth.

So what can you do? Explore intangible rewards. Provide opportunities to grow and develop through training, mentoring, and involvement in social organizations. Do you work with Limited English Proficient LEP employees? Consider English as a Second Language training for your employees.

With ESL training, English is the reward. ESL training will benefit employees at work and in their home lives. When you have implemented an ESL training program, make sure you add incentives, like a certification program. Be proactive in your workplace. Get help with ESL training.

Wyatt Chambers from English Solutions provides his experience and ideas about English as a Second Language Training for businesses.

Much of this article was also contributed by The Persimmon Group.

Newsletter

Hispanic or Latino, Which is Politically Correct?

The United States government has chosen the word Hispanic to be used on all their paper work, including Census forms, but some private individuals and small businesses prefer the word Latino, so which is the correct term?

“According to a poll conducted by Ohio State University the term Latino is gaining acceptance among Hispanics. However, another poll conducted by ‘Hispanic Trends’ reported that a significant majority of Hispanics still prefer the term Hispanic.” –Lahle Wolfe, about.com.

In order to make a conclusion as to the term best used for your business, it would be worthwhile to examine the meaning of the words and their origins.

The Definition of Hispanic

The term Hispanic has been misrepresented in its reference to race. The term Hispanic classically refers to a person’s geographical origin, as in Central and South America, originally called Hispania. In some cases the term ‘Hispanic’ is simply used to describe any person that is Spanish Speaking.

The Definition of Latino

The term Latino, generally refers to countries and cultures that were influenced by the Romans during and after Roman rule, including Italy, France, and Spain. Since most of the Americas were at one time colonized by Spain, the term Latino applies to central and South Americans as well.

In conclusion, either term is acceptable to use in order to refer to Central and South American immigrants, as long as you know for certain that they are from Central and South America.

Since it can be quite difficult to know which term to use, a greater emphasis should be on what terms not to use; that is, those that are always considered politically incorrect. For example, the word “Chicano,” is historically a condescending term, or in some cases is represented by a political movement. Unless you are Mexican yourself, this term should always be avoided.

Important Points to Remember

The difference between Latino and Hispanic:

• Latino generally refers to countries (or cultures) that were once under Roman rule. This includes Italy, France, Spain, etc. Brazilians are considered to be Latino, but are not considered to be Hispanic.
• Hispanic describes cultures or countries that were once under Spanish rule (Mexico, Central America, and most South America where Spanish is the primary language).

In American-English, Latino has come to be equated with Hispanic and is often used interchangeably without offense. However:

• Latino: When referring to gender neutral, identifying both men and women, use Latino.
• Latina: When specifically referring to women, use Latina.

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“In study after study, emphasis on continuous training programs has been found to reduce turnover, improve customer service, and increase profit.” Moving Hotels to the High Road, Bernhardt et al.

There are things that guests ask limited English employees daily, like, “Where is the pool, where is the ice machine, where is the gym?” When your employee respond to these questions inappropriately, they may cause clients to become frustrated.

A simple phrase that can break this pattern is “follow me please.”

This phrase can take the burden off of the employee to speak English and direct it to the item at hand, finding a location. If an employee totally does not understand the client, with the phrase, “follow me please,” the employee can take the client to someone who is fluent in English.

Here is a list I have compiled of important hospitality phrases for LEP team members. With these phrases, you can organize huddles, or short training sessions. You can also post a word of the day on the bulletin. We often play bingo games, or do songs and dances using these phrases. Model how an employee should talk to a guest, with a smile, eye contact, and a friendly tone of voice. Whatever you do, the only non effective thing is to ignore the problem, so get proactive now!

Here are the 10 important phrases your employees NEED to KNOW:

1. Good morning, welcome to the example hotel.
2. My name is example
3. May I?
4. May I assist you?
5. Follow me please
6. Anything else?
7. It’s over there.
8. Thank you
9. Your welcome
10. It’s a pleasure

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