Enlisg as Second Language Issue

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I currently supervise a significant number of EEs whose primary language is not english. This makes for a very dynamic work envioronment, which I think is wonderful. However, some of our clients strongly disagree. While I care about customer service, I am not inclined to appease them or dismiss these EEs as incompetent based on their accents.

That being said, I have one EE who needs some serious improvement in his written language skills. He left me a note and I'm not sure if he's asking for a raise or a promotion to a higher position. I can address the question of a raise, it is simply "No" based on our company's current budget guidlines. If it is a promotion he seeks, his ability to write accurately would have to improve by a significant amount. How can I tactfully and legally tell him that? I can only think of: "The position you have inquired about requires the ability to provide detailed written documentation on a daily basis that is accurate and ledgible. It also requires an ability to follow written instructions with a high degree of accuracy." Would it be best to give him a written test?

Honestly, the position he inquired about requires a person to have excellent communication skills, both written and verbal. In addition, most of the directions given in this position come in written form, I would say 90%. It's a fast paced postion, and face to face explainations of everything just isn't possible. He's good at what he does, but this is a large barrier.

Any other ideas?

Don D

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Accents are one thing. An inability to read, write and speak English in an environment that requires those abilities is quite another. If the employee does not have the requisite skills for the job, you should tell him/her so. If you cannot even understand what he/she is asking for, I would agree that there is a problem either on the sending end of the conversation or on the receiving end.

Without getting off into the value of diversity or the political correctness of employment melting pots, some work environments do still have requirements that employees be able to read, write and converse in the English language.

moneyman

I have also seen many job descriptions wherein one of the qualifications/skills listed is the ability to read/write and speak English proficiently. For some positions, it might even be for safety reasons (like reading a warning). I think Don has good advice, just tell the employee that they currently do not have the skills for the job (if it really is the job that they are after). You may even begin with the note as an example, indicating how the written communication was not clear and that the job requires mostly written communications.

Betty I_O

I also agree with Don's advice . . .a written and oral English fluency requirement is permissible if required for the effective peformance of the position for which it is imposed or to promote the safe and efficient operation of the employer's business. We include the language requirement in all of our job descriptions for these reasons (in some, it is sufficient to read and speak English; in others, reading, writing, and speaking English is required).

Do you have an educational/tuition reimbursement program in place? Would the company pay for non-proficient English speakers to attend classes to improve their oral and written English language skills? In the past, we also have had some success working with a local language school and running on-site ESL classes (approximately one hour long), which employees could attend during working hours. We also obtained a grant at one point to have an ESL teacher on-site for one year.

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Betty I_O

Thank you for the great idea. We do have training funds available, although typically they have to be directly related to the health care field. It never hurts to ask though, and with the large number of employees at our company who's second language is English, it could only improve our quality of service to provide them with an opportunity to improve their skills. How on earth did you ever find and secure a grant for ESL training on site? That would be fabulous!

And thank you everyone for all your input. I have asked our HR department to address this issue through our ad postings and updating the job descriptions. The response was that I could not list a proficiancy in the English language in a job posting. I really don't know why, since I can list how many year of experience I require.

Thanks again!
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