Communicating with Hispanics in the Workplace

Developing Cultural Sensitivity with Employees

Oct 2, 2009

Many organizations are recognizing the importance of improving their communication strategy with their Hispanic workforce.

They are translating their policies and procedures into Spanish. Information pertaining to safety, production line issues, posters and signs are also being translated. This is definitely a positive step forward especially; for first generation, non-English speaking Hispanics in the workplace.

There are a few issues to keep in mind when attempting to convey information to front line Hispanics in the workplace. Since most first generation Hispanic employees do not possess a working knowledge of the English language, it is important that the managers or team leaders monitor how that information is being transmitted.

When companies rely on the expertise of a bilingual employee or translator, it's important to have a process for assessing the translator’s Spanish skills and fluency. In order to be effective at communicating vital information, it’s worthwhile to have someone who is not only competent and fluent in Spanish but is also keenly aware of the Hispanic employees' learning styles.

Choosing a Competent Spanish Translator for Hispanics in the Workplace

Unfortunately, sometimes companies are focussed on the task rather than the original, intended purpose. In many organizations, the problem with mosst translated materials is that they don’t take the end user into account. The literature is often translated at a literacy level way beyond that of the Hispanic employees. It's important to be aware that non-English speaking, first generation Hispanics have an education level at about the 6th or 7th Grade.

In addition, managers and team leaders should not be showing videos or distribute literature that the Hispanic employees are unable to understand. American produced videos, originally intended for a higher educated audience and dubbed into Spanish are a classical example. Leader-led training courses should also be provided in Spanish and in line with employees' level of literacy and communication skills.

Effective Cultural Communications with Hispanic Employees

When considering that the information the companies are trying to convey pertain to medical benefits, company retirement plans, safety concerns and a host of other crucial workplace issues, it makes good business sense to ensure that these valuable messages are transmitted in the Spanish language level the Hispanic employees understand.

Whether the communication is verbal or written, first generation Hispanics in the workplace have special communication needs. When managers take the extra time and effort to communicate in friendly, easy to understand Spanish, they are delivering a very powerful message. They are letting their Hispanic workforce know that they genuinely care about their professional growth and specific learning needs.

The copyright of the article Communicating with Hispanics in the Workplace in Employee/Management Relations is owned by Isaac Botbol. Permission to republish Communicating with Hispanics in the Workplace in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.