Communication and Training as Retention Tools - English and Spanish Translations

 
   
 

Beyond Salary: Communication and Training as Retention Tools

Jill K. Bishop, PhD, Workforce Language Services

For many industries, one of the biggest challenges is hiring and retaining good workers. Annual turnover in the foodservice industry averages well over 100%, and given that the costs associated with replacing just one hourly worker average $2400, turnover is a serious problem with serious financial consequences for your club.

The direct and indirect costs of employee turnover include:
» Pre-turnover costs (low productivity, absenteeism)
» Separation costs (administrative tasks, unemployment claims)
» Vacancy costs (increased overtime, temporary employment)
» Replacement costs (advertisements, interviews, administrative costs)
» New hire training costs (company policies, job-specific training)
» Productivity differential (lower initial productivity)

Replacing workers takes money, time and energy – all of which can be put to better use by focusing on retaining those workers instead. And it’s not only salary that influences whether workers will stay or go; communication and training are key elements to employee satisfaction.

Communication
Immigrants of various backgrounds comprise 1 out of 7 of all US workers, and 25 million adults are considered among the LEP (Limited English Proficient) population. With a high percentage of native Spanish-speakers in the foodservice industry – a majority in the back of the house – finding ways of communicating effectively with your workforce is crucial. Some suggestions:

» Consider offering an onsite job-specific Spanish course or half-day “Survival Spanish” workshop for your managers. In just a few hours, participants can learn how to compliment employees, conduct basic training and respond to medical emergencies in Spanish, as well as learn about some of the cultural differences that often underlie tension and conflict in the workplace. While this leads to increased efficiencies, perhaps even more important than that is the potential for relationship-building. If employees feel their managers respect and value them enough to learn about their language and culture, they will reward them with increased loyalty.

» Provide incentives for your club managers that take the initiative to learn Spanish on their own

» Ensure that all employee manuals, recipe guides, training materials and other internal documents are translated into Spanish.

» Encourage your hourly employees to learn English. Whether you provide onsite job-specific English training, offer a bonus for improving their English or simply recognize them for completing a community-based English class (for example, bring a “graduation” cake to an employee meeting or celebrate this accomplishment at shift change), do whatever you can to support them in their efforts to learn English.

Communication is not just about learning one another’s language. Whether there’s a language barrier or not, communication involves educating employees about the company and its expectations, answering their questions and making them feel part of the team – and being willing to hear their honest feedback about how you, as an employer, are doing.

New hire orientation presents a perfect opportunity to make employees feel welcome and educate them about club’s expectations, culture and opportunities for advancement. Don’t make it just about the employee manual and paperwork; get them excited and set them up for success at your company from day one. Studies show that the more time companies spend doing orientation, the lower the turnover rate. According to People Report, companies that conduct 1-2 hours of orientation average close to 120% annual turnover, while those that do 2-4 hours average 105%. What about companies that spend over four hours on orientation? Their annual turnover rate averages only 86%. At $2400 to replace one employee, assuming 30 employees, the difference between 120% and 86% turnover adds up to almost $25,000 per year. Why watch that money walk out the door every year?

There is also a correlation between turnover rates and the frequency with which companies conduct job satisfaction surveys. Companies that never conduct such surveys average 117% turnover. Those that conduct them annually experience 108% turnover, while those that conduct them twice a year experience only 89% turnover. Of course employees need to feel that their concerns are truly being heard and acted on, so follow up – and work together to find solutions that will benefit both sides.

Be sure to have a bilingual staff member available when conducting orientation for Spanish-speaking employees, and show them that their opinions matter by providing a translation of employee surveys, as well as any results you may post.

Employee Training
You have a talented pool of loyal, hard-working employees that know you, know your club and know your members. Why go outside to look for supervisors and managers, when you can tap your current employee pool?

Lack of growth opportunities (or perceived lack of opportunities) can be a major contributor to employee turnover. Are your employees aware of the potential career paths available to them? Do they know what is expected of them in order to move up? Are you facilitating this process by identifying high-potential employees, cross-training them in different roles and helping remove any barriers to advancement? If you’re not, you should, or you’ll see these employees looking for growth opportunities elsewhere.

Employee orientation is a key first step in training, but on the first day, when everything is new and unfamiliar, employees don’t yet know what questions to ask, despite being given the opportunity. Days or weeks later, however, when concrete questions arise, they may feel uncomfortable approaching a manager to ask. And if there’s a language barrier, they will likely be even more hesitant to ask. Be sure to set aside time a few weeks into a new employee’s tenure to follow up and see what questions he or she has. This offers you an opportunity to answer questions, clarify procedures and develop a sense of trust with that employee. Again, have an interpreter with you if you don’t speak the employee’s language.

Aside from orientation, there are numerous training opportunities for employees of all levels. Whether for a few hours or a few days, show your commitment to them by taking employees out of their roles and into the classroom to train them in new procedures, new policies and new tasks. Make explicit what they need to learn to be promoted, and also make explicit your commitment to promoting internally when possible. If English is the only thing holding them back, offer to hire a tutor or help them pay for a community college class. Internally promoting your people raises morale and loyalty and saves you recruiting time. You may feel the financial pressure of this additional training, but the investment will come back to you many times over in the long run. Many people worry that if they invest money in training their workers, they’ll take what they’ve learned and use it to get a better job. This may happen for some, but not for most. And think about the consequences of not training them: less engaged, unproductive employees who you’ll either end up terminating or who will leave regardless. Focus on the long-term goals of your club, as well as the goals of your people.

Retaining good workers is not just about paying them more than your competitor; it’s about creating relationships and building loyalty through investing in them and their professional development. Of course pay is important, but it’s just one element in the decision-making process of whether they will invest back in you as an employer.

Jill K. Bishop, PhD is President of Workforce Language Services, LLC, which offers onsite, industry-specific English as a Second Language and Spanish training, cross-cultural training and translation services. A Linguistic Anthropologist, she has taught English and Spanish around the world and has researched, written and lectured extensively on the subject of language and culture. Workforce Language Services is dedicated to bridging language and culture in the workplace, thereby enhancing overall business profitability, creating opportunities for employee advancement, increasing respect across cultures and strengthening our communities. More information is available at www.workforcelanguageservices.com.