Globalisation has paved the way for companies to access the global workforce and do business worldwide. The pandemic has further accelerated the rise of remote work, drastically changing the business landscape.
Today, many businesses engage with multilingual employees working in different parts of the world. But how do you ensure these employees effectively communicate and collaborate?
Provide corporate language training programs as a great way to enhance and foster employee engagement! Start with offering English! It’s the standard global language widely understood and used for business communication, from the West to the far East.
Fret not; this blog shares the importance of corporate language training. Read on to learn some innovative approaches for implementing such programs as shared by expert business executives.
The Importance of Corporate Language Training for a Global Workforce
The world has become a global village where companies do business with each other, no matter where they are. Employees across the globe work together via virtual offices. The proof is in the numbers:
- The global business process outsourcing (BPO) market could grow from $280.6 billion this year to $525.2 billion by 2023. It’s projected to expand at a 9.4% compound annual growth rate or CAGR. (Grand View Research, 2023)
- The global gig economy market was worth $355 billion in 2021 and could reach $873 billion by 2028. It’s forecasted to achieve a CAGR of 16.18%. (Business Research Insights, 2023).
- The number of employees choosing remote work increased by 24%, while those who prefer in-office work decreased by almost 25%. Those opting for hybrid work setup rose to over 15%. (Owl Labs, 2022)
As such, adapting to the changing work landscape is necessary. Since employees work worldwide, you must improve the workplace experience and encourage employee engagement.
Enter corporate language training offered to remote workers. Does this help?
Providing such a program is vital for improving employee interactions. However, there is more to this than meets the eye. Its benefits are multifold, as follows:
- Enhanced Communication: This training program improves your employees’ language proficiency. However, it also helps you manage your remote team’s communication styles and business practices.
- Improved Collaboration: A language training program helps boost work interactions. With high language competency and improved communication style, your remote employees can work together towards common business goals.
- Guaranteed Cultural Sensitivity: A language training program often goes beyond developing communication skills. It also includes cultural orientation to promote cultural sensitivity for better interactions and minimise conflicts among remote employees.
- Enhanced Employee Engagement: Sure, a language training program seeks to improve communication and collaboration among remote workers. However, the ultimate goal is to drive employee engagement for business success.
- Improved Customer Relationships: A language training program doesn’t only benefit your employees. It can extend to your customers since your remote workers can communicate and serve them better.
- Increased Productivity and Profitability: A language training program helps improve employee interactions. Effective communication lets your remote workers get things done without the need for productivity detox. That can lead to productive outputs, bringing in more money for your business.
- Business Growth and Expansion: Having remote employees all over the world is a sign of business growth and expansion. Offering language training programs to improve employee communication and collaboration can further contribute to your overall success.
Expert Employee Engagement Tips: How To Implement Corporate Language Training
Every business aspires to have a great place to work. However, achieving this objective can be all the more challenging if you employ remote workers. Not when you offer language training programs to improve their interactions!
Not sure how to implement corporate language training for remote employees? Learn from the innovative approaches and expert tips below.
1. Start with Setting Clear Objectives
When planning to implement language training for your remote employees, start with setting goals. Ask yourself what you aim to achieve from this:
- Is it to develop the English language competency of your remote employees?
- Is it to promote workplace diversity for attracting and retaining global talent?
- Or is it to enhance employee engagement for improved communication and collaboration?
Goal-setting at the onset can align your language training program with your objectives. Ultimately, this training will make sense for your employees and business in general.
2. Employ Qualified Language Instructors
Remote employees who undergo online training will learn English, Spanish, or other languages directly from instructors. That said, look for mentors who aren’t only proficient in the language but also good at teaching. Ultimately, hiring qualified instructors is key to training success!
Ryan Hammill, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Ancient Language Institute, suggests leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and extended reality (XR). “While qualified mentors facilitate language training, AI bots can aid your virtual training for remote employees. Likewise, use virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) for immersive experiences and enhanced learning.”
3. Offer a Wide Range of Language Programs
It’s best to provide your remote employees with various language programs. Aside from English training as the universal mode of business communication, offer other languages as well. For example, teach Latin languages or Arabic dialects if your business deals with various stakeholders in Latin America or Arab nations.
Of course, factor in where your stakeholders are located. Consider how the learned languages will help your employees, customers, and vendors interact. The ultimate goal is to ensure effective business collaboration for your overall success!
4. Include Cultural Training Programs
Corporate language training aims to help remote employees acquire the language and boost their competency. However, that isn’t always the core business objective. As mentioned above, you offer this program to encourage employee engagement, improve business communication, or promote workplace diversity.
What better way to achieve your objective than to include cultural orientation as part of your language training?
First, cover culture and tradition that impact communication style and business practices. Also, promote inclusive language by avoiding words or expressions that can be biassed and discriminating. Ultimately, the goal is to understand and accept each other’s differences.
5. Offer Practical Language Application
Learning the language from mentors virtually is one thing; applying what you’ve learned is another. Including practical application in your language program as part of the training is best. Doing so helps them practise what the mentors have taught them in real-life business settings.
Volodymyr Shchegel, VP of Engineering at Clario, recommends offering a practical language application. “They say the best way to learn the language is to use it. Trained employees should try to speak the language as much as possible. While the training provides the basics, practising the language leads to proficiency.”
6. Conduct Language Progress Monitoring
Your corporate language training should include constant monitoring. This step will gauge your students’ progress and help improve your programs further. Even after the training, their immediate supervisors should monitor employee communication and collaboration.
Linda Shaffer, Chief People Operations Officer at Checkr, believes that language confidence can impact employee engagement. “Many remote employees don’t want to participate in a company due to language barriers. Breaking these barriers is one of the first few steps to promoting engagement. Conducting language training and progress monitoring is key to bridging the gaps.”
7. Promote Continuous Learning Opportunities
The best workplace cultivates a culture of continuous learning, which applies to language training as well. Even after this, you should continue to provide your remote employees with learning opportunities.
For one, you can offer soft skills training to improve their communication, listening, or negotiation skills. You can also provide leadership training like the Lean Six Sigma certification. Lastly, you can hold training programs to enhance knowledge and hone skills like digital marketing, content writing, or web designing.
Final Words
Globalisation has led to the rise of BPO, the gig economy, and remote work. However, online interactions among remote employees can result in a disconnect, leading to all sorts of problems. Enhancing communication and collaboration is critical to boosting employee engagement and ensuring overall success.
What better way to ensure the abovementioned than to offer corporate language training programs?
Consider the expert tips shared by business executives above for implementing such programs. Set clear goals, hire qualified instructors, offer various programs, and ensure constant monitoring. All these will lead to a boost in employee engagement and business success!
Not sure how to implement corporate language training for remote employees? Learn from the innovative approaches and expert tips below.
1. Start with Setting Clear Objectives
When planning to implement language training for your remote employees, start with setting goals. Ask yourself what you aim to achieve from this:
- Is it to develop the English language competency of your remote employees?
- Is it to promote workplace diversity for attracting and retaining global talent?
- Or is it to enhance employee engagement for improved communication and collaboration?
Goal-setting at the onset can align your language training program with your objectives. Ultimately, this training will make sense for your employees and business in general.
2. Employ Qualified Language Instructors
Remote employees who undergo online training will learn English, Spanish, or other languages directly from instructors. That said, look for mentors who aren’t only proficient in the language but also good at teaching. Ultimately, hiring qualified instructors is key to training success!
Ryan Hammill, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Ancient Language Institute, suggests leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and extended reality (XR). “While qualified mentors facilitate language training, AI bots can aid your virtual training for remote employees. Likewise, use virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) for immersive experiences and enhanced learning.”
3. Offer a Wide Range of Language Programs
It’s best to provide your remote employees with various language programs. Aside from English training as the universal mode of business communication, offer other languages as well. For example, teach Latin languages or Arabic dialects if your business deals with various stakeholders in Latin America or Arab nations.
Of course, factor in where your stakeholders are located. Consider how the learned languages will help your employees, customers, and vendors interact. The ultimate goal is to ensure effective business collaboration for your overall success!
4. Include Cultural Training Programs
Corporate language training aims to help remote employees acquire the language and boost their competency. However, that isn’t always the core business objective. As mentioned above, you offer this program to encourage employee engagement, improve business communication, or promote workplace diversity.
What better way to achieve your objective than to include cultural orientation as part of your language training?
First, cover culture and tradition that impact communication style and business practices. Also, promote inclusive language by avoiding words or expressions that can be biassed and discriminating. Ultimately, the goal is to understand and accept each other’s differences.
5. Offer Practical Language Application
Learning the language from mentors virtually is one thing; applying what you’ve learned is another. Including practical application in your language program as part of the training is best. Doing so helps them practise what the mentors have taught them in real-life business settings.
Volodymyr Shchegel, VP of Engineering at Clario, recommends offering a practical language application. “They say the best way to learn the language is to use it. Trained employees should try to speak the language as much as possible. While the training provides the basics, practising the language leads to proficiency.”
6. Conduct Language Progress Monitoring
Your corporate language training should include constant monitoring. This step will gauge your students’ progress and help improve your programs further. Even after the training, their immediate supervisors should monitor employee communication and collaboration.
Linda Shaffer, Chief People Operations Officer at Checkr, believes that language confidence can impact employee engagement. “Many remote employees don’t want to participate in a company due to language barriers. Breaking these barriers is one of the first few steps to promoting engagement. Conducting language training and progress monitoring is key to bridging the gaps.”
7. Promote Continuous Learning Opportunities
The best workplace cultivates a culture of continuous learning, which applies to language training as well. Even after this, you should continue to provide your remote employees with learning opportunities.
For one, you can offer soft skills training to improve their communication, listening, or negotiation skills. You can also provide leadership training like the Lean Six Sigma certification. Lastly, you can hold training programs to enhance knowledge and hone skills like digital marketing, content writing, or web designing.
Final Words
Globalisation has led to the rise of BPO, the gig economy, and remote work. However, online interactions among remote employees can result in a disconnect, leading to all sorts of problems. Enhancing communication and collaboration is critical to boosting employee engagement and ensuring overall success.
What better way to ensure the abovementioned than to offer corporate language training programs?
Consider the expert tips shared by business executives above for implementing such programs. Set clear goals, hire qualified instructors, offer various programs, and ensure constant monitoring. All these will lead to a boost in employee engagement and business success!
Author: Catherine Schwartz – HARO & Content Outreach
Photo credit: Matheus Bertelli
