Many organizations recognize the value of improving their communication strategy with their Hispanic workforce.  One of the ways they do this is by  translating company policies and procedures as well as safety information into Spanish. This is especially useful for many non-English speaking, front line Hispanic employees.

It is important however; to monitor how the information is transmitted to first generation Hispanics in the workplace.  Before proceeding with the translation effort, make sure that the translator’s skills and Spanish fluency  meet the intended needs of the production employees.  There is no room for doubt or error when you’re attempting to communicate crucial issues such as safety guidelines or production goals.

The problem with most translated materials however, is that they don’t take the end user into account. Often, the literature is translated at a level of Spanish that few front line employees can understand. We need to be mindful that most first generation, front line Hispanic employees have less than a public school education. There are also a considerable number whose level of  literacy in their own language is somewhat limited.

Unfortunately, most translated material ignores this important fact as it contains language that is meant for a high school or college level audience. The literature they receive is of little value to the production employees as they attempt to decipher the meaning of  unfamiliar words.

Ideally, the translated literature and training courses should be provided in Spanish and in line with their level of literacy and communication skills.

There have been many instances where Hispanic employees have asked me to clarify numerous points from the Spanish literature they received at orientation meetings or company mail. Some of the literature the employees received contained important information that pertained to medical benefits, company retirement plans and other relevant employee issues. A few employees were too embarrassed  to ask for clarification and just gave up reading.

Unfortunately, many companies are investing a great deal of time and money by attempting to deliver valuable messages that are not understood by their intended target audience.

Whether verbal or written, first generation, non-English fluent Hispanics in the workplace have special communication needs. When you take the extra effort to communicate in friendly, easy to understand Spanish, you are delivering a very powerful message. You are letting your Hispanic workforce know that you genuinely care about their professional growth and specific learning needs.

I think we can all agree that it’s important for English speaking management to look for opportunities to help gain the trust of non-English fluent Hispanics in the workplace. As a team leader, the challenge is to find creative ways to make yourself known as a friendly and “approachable” boss. One way to do this is to regularly get out of your office and take a walk inside the production area.

Don’t let the language barrier prevent you from making a human connection with the front line employees. On the contrary, you can turn this apparent handicap into a wonderful opportunity to earn the trust and respect of first generation Hispanics especially those with limited English language skills.

Take this as a personal challenge by learning workplace specific Spanish key words and sentences. Communicating in Spanish, even if it’s just a few words, will work like magic in developing healthy working relationships between you and your Hispanic workforce.

For example; you can start by learning to say the greetings in Spanish such as: “Buenos dias” – “good morning” (boo enos /dee as)
“Buenas tardes” – “good afternoon” (boo ehnas /tardes)
“Cómo está usted”? – “how are you?” (komo /estah /oos ted)
“Que tenga un buen día” – “have a nice day” (keh /tenga /oon /boo en /dee ah)

You can learn to interact with the Hispanic employees by learning to say simple sentences such as:

“Cómo se llama usted”? – “what is your name?” (komo /se /yama /oos ted)
“Me llamo William” – “my name is William” (meh /yah mo /William)
“Gracias por su buen trabajo” – “thank you for your good work” (gracias /por /sue /boo en /trabaho)
“Aprecio sus esfuerzos” – “I appreciate your efforts” (ap reh see oh /sus /es foo air sos)

You don’t have to be fluent in Spanish. A little knowledge can certainly go a long way. It makes all the difference in the world if you can say these and other simple words and sentences in Spanish. You can also involve the employees by asking them to teach you other words. Bit by bit, you can add more words to your workplace Spanish vocabulary.

This effort on your part, clearly demonstrates to the Hispanic employees that you’ve devoted the time and effort to learn and; that it’s important for you to attempt to communicate with them. Don’t worry how you’ll sound. Of course you’ll speak with a foreign accent and you’ll probably sound strange to both, yourself and the Hispanic employees. But that doesn’t matter at all! The important thing is that you’re trying and you can be sure that your efforts will be sincerely appreciated.

One of my most memorable experiences I had was when a production manager took the time to deliver an entire announcement in Spanish to the production crew. He planned this event by asking a Spanish speaking supervisor to translate his prepared announcement into Spanish and to write it down so that he could rehearse it. He practiced it numerous times until he felt fairly comfortable enough to deliver it over the company’s public address system. When he did, this made an enormously positive impact on the production crew and; they remembered this for many months afterwards.

The attempt to connect is what really matters. Your sincere efforts to communicate will create a lasting and positive impression with first generation Hispanics in the workplace.

Change is the one constant in today’s workplace. Job responsibilities will continue to evolve whether we embrace change or not. To a large extent, the true character of leaders is determined and observed in the ways they adapt to the sudden fluctuations in the workplace.

It’s quite remarkable how many team leaders find it so difficult to say a simple “thank you” for a job well done. Workplace studies have shown that more than 80% of employees do not receive praise for the work they do. Interestingly enough, this is a much larger problem when dealing with Spanish speaking production employees.

While conducting leadership workshops for English speaking team leaders and supervisors, I sometimes ask the participants why they are so hesitant to give positive recognition to their Hispanic team members. The reason offered may surprise you. They refrain from providing positive feedback due to the cultural expectations associated this “significant event”. Rather than accept and welcome the constructive feedback, first generation Hispanic employees may respond in a way that may surprise or derail the well-meaning team leader or supervisor: “If you’re happy with the work I do, why don’t you pay me more?”

The cultural assumption by the Hispanic employees is that when good work is recognized by their bosses, it should be automatically followed with an increase in compensation otherwise, why even mention it in the first place? This expectation may at times, prevent many team leaders from giving recognition to their employees. Instead, they wait for the yearly performance appraisal when it’s customary to financially reward the employees’ level of performance.

It’s important to deal with the cultural perception first generation Hispanics have towards receiving recognition. Leaders should always look for opportunities to give recognition especially those who excel in their everyday work duties and responsibilities. If you want to have a motivated workplace, it’s vital to spend one-on-one, quality time with the employees and to tell them how much you appreciate their individual efforts.

The danger of not giving positive feedback results in missed opportunities for enforcing desired workplace behaviors and developing the team members. Regardless of employee expectations, the lack of positive re-enforcement also makes the employees feel that their extraordinary efforts are not valued. Also, when employees do not receive positive recognition for their efforts, they don’t know if they are meeting the basic expectations of the job.

Before giving praise or recognition, the supervisor or team leader should make it clear that the purpose of the meeting is to express appreciation for the individual’s job performance and not to discuss salaries. Over time, this effort will pay off and the front line Hispanic employees will understand that there is a distinct difference between positive feedback, which is given on a regular and spontaneous basis and; yearly performance reviews.

If the employee persists in linking this discussion to money issues, the supervisor can calmly and confidently remind and refocus the employee on the reasons for giving recognition. Once this message is accepted as part of the company’s culture, it paves the way for opening up another channel of positive and healthy communications in the workplace.

The pressures of production goals, deadlines and everyday workplace issues often influence how we communicate with others. As we know all too well, communicating with each other is often difficult even when it’s in the same language.  How much more so when we’re communicating with non-English fluent Hispanic employees?

In training sessions I’ve conducted over the last 20 years with first generation, front line Hispanic supervisors, I have observed one major behavior. They do not ask questions!  In fact, they will at times say or give the impression that they understand something when in fact; they don’t. This is especially true among the males in the group.

Why the charade? Because they fear they might appear “unintelligent” in front of their bosses or “weak” or “inexperienced” in front of their peers. As they move upwards from front line employees to supervisors, they feel they’re expected to suddenly “know” how to manage, lead and organize.  When they fall short of these skills due to lack of training, they’re hesitant to ask for help.

There are certain guidelines that we as leaders can adopt so that our communication process with Spanish speaking employees is delivered with greater impact and accuracy. We can start by attempting to develop a culture of trust by encouraging the Hispanic employees to ask questions and seek clarification when they are in doubt. Achieving this communication milestone is one of the most powerful things you possess as a team leader.

When first generation Hispanic front line employees don’t ask questions, please don’t assume they understand. Communication errors affect not only the efficiency of the production line but safety issues as well.  Team leaders should use every available opportunity to create an environment that promotes clear communications by encouraging them to ask questions and by politely and respectfully checking for understanding.

Involve the English speaking employees as a source of training or mentoring. Be aware of your own communication style, its effectiveness and be ready to make adjustments along the way. It is also vital to be patient with their learning process. Allow a reasonable amount of time to teach the skills required and repeat the learning concepts often. This is a communication technique that will pay off many times over.

By following these steps to clear communications, the Hispanic front line employees will appreciate your sensitivity to their special workplace communication issues and learning needs.

A few years ago, the HR manager of a food processing company asked me to design and deliver ESL classes for the front line, non-English fluent, Hispanic employees. His organization was committed to teaching basic English conversational skills to the employees in the production line.  The company’s long term goal was to attempt to promote individuals from within the organization and; equipping them with English communication skills seemed to be a wise starting point.

The ESL plan was communicated to the production employees and when we felt the program was ready and suitable for their workplace learning needs, we asked the production supervisors to announce the dates of the upcoming classes and; to provide me with a list of those who decided to attend. The response was overwhelming and I was excited at the opportunity of introducing an ESL training program to employees from three different work shifts.

The logistics were ironed out. The training rooms were prepared and I was ready to receive the new Hispanic employees. The workbooks, paper and pencils were neatly placed on the tables and ready to be used. The English instruction was primarily structured around the workplace vocabulary.  The goal was to teach the employees to speak to their supervisors about their workplace issues and needs in English. The employees simply had to attend one hour classes, twice a week.

The day of the classes arrived but the employees did not. I waited in the empty classroom and I was puzzled about how so many employees could have said “yes” to the classes and a resounding “no” to attending.

After some discussions with the HR manager, supervisors and a few employees, the answer became abundantly clear. What I learned has served as a useful landmark lesson that I will never forget.

First, it’s vitally important to visualize the layout of this food processing company. It consisted of two buildings, separated by a large, unpaved parking lot. The “office building” contained the training rooms and the administrative staff. On the other side, was the plant building where the employees ran the machinery and produced the food products from raw material all the way to shipping.

For the Hispanic employees, going to the “office building” was like going from one cultural world to another. It was a place where they felt as outsiders in unfamiliar territory. They were not ready or willing to go to a place where they felt, they didn’t belong.

Armed with this newly found knowledge, I was given the go ahead to set up the ESL classes in the production building. Since there were no training rooms available, the only option was the cafeteria. With HR’s help, we were able to obtain a few cubicle dividers and and we sectioned off a corner of the cafeteria and turned it into a makeshift classroom. I appeared with a flip chart a few minutes before the start of our first ESL class.

The results were astounding! Within a matter of days, the classes were filled with enthusiastic employees ready to learn English. The classes were a resounding success and the interest remained high.

From this valuable experience, I learned the importance of taking on a mission. The intent was to improve the working lives of the employees by providing them with the communication skills that would allow them to integrate more successfully in American work life and society. Initially, when that plan didn’t materialize, everyone could have said “OK, we tried, let’s pack up and try something else down the road”. Instead, we decided to dig in and find out why such a valuable service was not being accepted.  The effort truly paid off.

Lesson: The best intentions by management must first take into account the cultural needs and sensitivities of the employees.

The workplace is an arena of forced relationships. Under ordinary circumstances, personal social circles are created voluntarily. People choose their friends and acquaintances  by making a conscious choice.  People also decide if they wish to maintain a friendly relationship or end it. In the workplace however, these rules don’t apply.

In the workplace, people from different ethnic cultures and backgrounds come together. Unlike social circles, workplace relationships are for better or worse, imposed upon us. You meet your team members and bosses at random without your approval, opinion or choice. Out of necessity, you must learn to co-operate and collaborate in order to function as a successful and productive work team.

The 5 Most Important Points to Know about Training First Generation, non-English fluent Hispanics in the Workplace

Communicating with a different culture such as first generation, non-English fluent Hispanic employees is often a challenging task because our communication styles are processed through our own built-in language and cultural filters. It’s important to develop a training method that is more practical and applicable to their learning styles and preferences.

Here are the five most important points to know about training first generation, non-English fluent Hispanic team leaders, supervisors and front line employees.

1. First generation Hispanics in the workplace are known for not raising issues or asking questions. Even when they don’t fully understand the instructions given, they will often remain silent. Hispanic males in particular, will generally not attempt to ask their bosses for clarification. They prefer to learn through trial and error or by watching or asking one of their trusted team members. They justify this behavior because they fear they might appear “unintelligent” in front of their bosses or “weak” or “inexperienced” in front of their peers.

2. The instruction methods used to teach first generation Hispanic employees are also crucial.  Conventional teaching principles such as those employed by the major training and development organizations often fall short from their expected learning objectives. In American style training methods, the trainer often presents the workshop by introducing a concept in a lecture format followed by a set of “key principles” that fortify the particular concept. The instructor then divides the class into teams and turns them loose to practice the skills with each other. The groups usually prefer to be independent and rely on the facilitator only when they get stuck.

More often than not, this training method is almost always ineffective when applied to first generation Hispanic employees. In a learning environment, this group wants and needs constant guidance not sudden independence.

3.  Involve the English speaking employees as a source of training or mentoring. They can help to promote a culture of appreciation and trust. The team leaders can help to ease the tension first generation Hispanics experience during learning curves by making every learning opportunity a time to foster growth and trust!

4. During a training session, always be aware of your own effectiveness and the impact you are having as a trainer. Be in touch with the way you are communicating your messages, your delivery style and body language. Different cultures interpret certain physical actions differently and sometimes not so favorably. Above all, be patient and let the learning process sink in through the use of real life examples and much needed repetitions during the skills practice sessions.

5. Always assume that your instructions or suggestions will not be carried out as perfectly as you would like the first time the skills or concepts are introduced. Remember that repetition and patience are the two most powerful tools in your training arsenal especially; when teaching a new skill to first generation, non-English fluent Hispanic employees. Be prepared for mistakes, nervous reactions and learning bumps. Training sessions are excellent opportunities to demonstrate your outstanding leadership abilities.

Front line Hispanic employees are often thrown into their new workplaces before receiving the adequate, introductory training. The challenges and pressures involved in learning a new skill as well as their inability to adequately communicate in English makes Hispanics in the workplace feel doubly vulnerable.

By following these steps to clear communications, first generation, Hispanic employees will appreciate your sensitivity to their special communication issues and learning needs.

While delivering a series of leadership development workshops to first generation, front line Hispanic supervisors, one of the participants asked: “why aren’t our bosses taking this class?” A few of the participants nodded approvingly at the bold remark and waited for my response.

The not so subtle implication was that they believed those in leadership positions are disconnected from them. They would obviously like to see their bosses adapt the skills and behaviors they’re learning in the workshops.

It is the role of the facilitator to engage the participants and encourage them to get involved in the learning process.  One way is to ask them to further explain some of their remarks, findings or opinions.  Facilitators should also be aware of how these seemingly innocent and legitimate concerns such as the one mentioned earlier, can and do derail a training session.

This question obviously indicates a legitimate concern on the part of the employees. In reality however, this question is actually a statement. What the employees actually want is an opportunity to air their grievances and use the facilitator as a medium to relay their overall dissatisfactions with their direct leaders and their management.

The biggest mistake the facilitator can make is to ask the class to clarify and explain further why they feel this way. In no time, the workshop will spiral out of control and change from a learning session into a gripe session. Giving the employees the airtime to complain about their bosses, even if the grievances are legitimate is destructive for two reasons. First, you lose the teaching momentum; second, the blame game has never been effective in solving problems. What you are left with; is a frustrated group of participants that have disrupted the learning process.

This situation demonstrates the participants’ frustration level and as a result, they fail to grasp the reason and purpose of the training sessions. If they are allowed or encouraged to get stuck in the “griping session”, they will lose an opportunity to learn the skills that may actually have the possibility of helping them overcome their particular work related issues. By resorting to these tactics, they are bailing out of the learning and sabotaging the possibility of adopting new skills.

The facilitator must be vigilant and take necessary steps to manage this situation before it becomes a learning disaster instead of a skills building workshop. It’s vital to move on with the purpose of the training program and encourage the participants to work on themselves first before trying to correct or attempt to change the behavior of others. It is important to convey that they have the power and ability to contribute to his/her personal growth by learning to apply process based skills and effective behavior patterns.

Sexual harassment perceptions vary from one culture to another. In the United States, there has been a steady evolution of legal changes aimed at protecting individual rights in the workplace. The center piece of the sexual harassment debate is to protect the employees from “unwelcome sexual advances, offensive verbal or physical conduct and actions that unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance.” The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, (EEOC) has ruled among other things, that employees should not be subjected to an intimidating, hostile work environment.

In the American workplace, management has a pretty well defined knowledge of what constitutes sexual harassment. Even so, violations still occur. When a different culture is involved, there are additional complications. For example, first generation, non-English fluent Hispanics have a different perspective on how they relate to the opposite sex and; they have a different understanding of the issues that relate to sexual harassment.

Of course it can be argued that sexual harassment violations occur at every level of the organization and it does! The point here is that cultural differences create different behaviors. There are countless examples where other workplace cultures consider kissing co-workers, standing close while speaking, touching, patting and intimate conversations as completely acceptable. While those behaviors may be permissible in other cultural circles they are certainly not tolerated in the American workplace.

Let me give you an example. In one particular workplace, a group of front line Hispanic employees wished to listen to a popular radio station while they worked in the production area. They felt that having music in the background while working, would help to brighten up their day. When their management considered this request, they agreed. They thought that this was a low cost investment and; if it would make the employees happy, it might also improve morale. They proceeded to connect the employees’ favorite radio station to the PA system in the production area.

In addition to the popular tunes, part of this Hispanic radio station’s programming included a comedy segment that was sexually suggestive in nature and replete with “chistes rojos” or not so clean jokes. While the men had a good laugh, many of the women felt uncomfortable with the radio program and found the humor to be offensive and in poor taste. Since they could not leave the work area, they felt as if they were forced to hear the radio show.

When their sentiments were relayed higher up in the organization, the management team immediately ordered an end to the radio broadcasts in the production area. They also launched a Sexual Harassment training program for all the front line employees. Over time, this proved to be a very wise decision.

What was revealed in the training sessions was quite remarkable. Most of the first generation Hispanic males had no idea that some of their everyday actions and words were having a negative impact on the female co-workers. For example, some of the men believed that they were just being friendly and sociable when they greeted the female employees by putting their arm around their shoulder. There were other examples mentioned of inappropriate behavior that are too numerous to mention.

During the training session, the majority of the Hispanic females had an opportunity to express how uncomfortable they felt with this invasive and definitely unwelcome behavior. They also expressed that they were afraid or hesitant to report this behavior for fear of retaliation or job loss. Needless to say the sexual harassment training was an eye opener for all the participants and it certainly helped to educate the front line employees in becoming more aware of the consequences of their actions.