Recent events have highlighted challenges related to the illegal immigrant workforce in the United States. Many of the immigrants at the center of the debate are from Mexico in numbers well above 10 million. This discussion focuses expressly on the reality that Spanish-speaking immigrants, whether legalized or not, are a significant presence in the U.S. workforce, especially in certain industries. The fact that these immigrants are associated with low paying, physically demanding jobs is a given. For many in the United States the protests, boycotts, and debates have brought a population to the forefront of American discourse that, for all intents and purposes, has been operating in the background of our economy as a relatively invisible class.
10 COMMON CHALLENGES
1.Effective written communication of policies and procedures that Spanish-speaking employees can relate to and understand
2. Identifying professional or trade-related development opportunities
3. Recognizing the value and individuality of the workers
4. Aligning the workforce with the company's vision, mission and values
5. Encouraging and incorporating employee innovations and suggestions
6. Handling chronic absenteeism and/or tardiness
7. Instilling employee commitment that mirrors their loyalty to one another
8. Lack of participation in company sponsored English as Second Language courses
9. Explaining the importance of each worker's contribution to the company's success so they become more confident and creative
10. Understanding how divisions among language groups and/or geographic country of origin impact teamwork
There are no easy solutions and the answer is not to throw blame on one party, country, group or one another. Employers can benefit from learning about cultural differences to improve their organizational culture through processes that build on the strengths and values of their employees. Before an organization can clearly see the potential of Spanish-speaking employees, it is important to understand certain key cultural reference points.
All generalizations by definition have exceptions and this discussion does not pretend to accurately describe every person who speaks only or primarily Spanish. But there is value in considering common cultural phenomena influencing work behavior. It is important to understand that the separation between religion and individual identity, collective culture and government do not exist or are much fuzzier for Spanish-speakers than for mainstream Americans. The great majority of Spanish-speakers are Catholic and the values of the Church are woven through every aspect of society. Immigrant Spanish speakers in the United States are going to experience ongoing culture shock due to this.
This is not to say that everything Latin American Governments or citizens do is in line with Catholic values. However, it does provide a societal frame of reference that, while not always practiced, underlies all communication and action. Employers might be mindful of religious holidays and ceremonies that may disrupt production schedules. As members of a collectivist culture, Spanish speakers value not only immediate family but also extended family and related activities. Thus, employers might consider the importance of family commitments when examining leave policies and other benefits.
Spanish-speaking people are not homogenous and are, in fact, very sensitive to divisions based on skin color, heritage, education, and socio-economic status. North American values that have evolved through the course of U.S. history, such as gender equality, freedom of religion, and a ?pull yourself up by your bootstraps, you can be anything you set your mind to be? mentality are not instantly understood by Spanish-speaking workers. It is much more common for such individuals to see themselves as members of a certain class with parameters that limit educational attainment, employment opportunities, and earning potential. Some Spanish-speaking workers have distrust of official institutions and policies due to more overt ethical issues pervading law enforcement, government and businesses in their countries of origin. This can result in employees that would be much more likely to simply walk off the job and disappear than to report harassment or suggest ideas that would improve productivity and reduce frustration. Sharing strong clear organizational values, building trust and fostering open communication in the workplace can all function to increase employee trust and participation.
Immigrant Spanish speakers tend to have a very strong collective sense of humor. They are masters at idiomatic expressions, sayings, wordplay, stories, and jokes. They often make time pass much more quickly, whether doing a boring task or taking a long car trip, through verbal repartee. This implies a tacit preference for social contact and verbal face-to-face communication over individual work and other communication methods like email or memos. For instance, a great deal of cultural knowledge has been transferred via oral traditions such as corridos or folk songs that used to convey news and events, but now more often have political undertones. Also, everyone in Mexico knows a great number of rancheras or other traditional songs that provide a unifying sense of identity. There is no such phenomenon in the US today.
The above list of challenges and the cultural reference points shared here are meant to illustrate the complexity of the Spanish-speaking workforce. In Part II of this article we delve more deeply into business strategies to further maximize the contribution and development of immigrant workers.
Can employers see beyond recent immigration issues to tap into the needs of the Spanish-speaking workers and find mutual economic opportunity? Success will require much more than translating worker manuals into Spanish or providing English-as-Second-Language courses. In order for companies to positively affect their bottom line, they need to understand how to effectively relate to their Spanish-speaking staff and create organizational cultures that are fully inclusive. As is often the case, many aspects of cultural identity or societal prejudice are unconscious or assumed without question. It is therefore important to call employers? attention to organizational assumptions and societal concerns that are likely to have a negative impact on the motivation and commitment of a large number of employees and, in turn, on the bottom line.
There are many social variables that affect native Spanish-speaking workers. Consider the generation gaps that exist between older Spanish-speaking workers and those who may have come here as children with their parents. Consider how the different schedules required by employers here make it so families do not share as many meals together. Familial relationships, patterns, and roles are all changed as a result of immigrating to a different country.
Realize that Spanish-speaking people in the U.S. have to turn more often to formal social services than they would in their home country because they do not have the extended network of family and long-term family friends to rely upon. This is humiliating for many of them.
Another issue to be aware of relates to personal pride leading to covering up a lack of English understanding or compensating for illiteracy. There are safety implications involved as well as consequences attached to lower productivity and employee satisfaction.
For native Spanish speakers, English is much less nuanced and not nearly as rich as Spanish for conveying vivid images, strong emotions, or stories. It is critical to consider this when translating materials since literal translations rarely communicate concepts and may lose readers? attention. They may figure they have a better chance of success through trial and error rather than reading a manual of instructions, which has safety and accuracy repercussions. Supervision that occurs in very dry, impersonal language will be less likely to connect, motivate, and influence Spanish-speaking employees? behavior.
For companies that experience some or the majority of these problems in their organizations, it is not a hopeless situation. With focused attention on what has worked well, companies will often find low cost or no-cost solutions to address inequities, dismantle cultural barriers, and increase the productivity, retention, and contributions of native Spanish-speaking employees. The same activities will also make organizational culture stronger, more fruitful, and more appealing to employees over all. It will take effort, commitment, and a genuine willingness of leadership to change the status quo.
Successful companies use their vision, mission and values to guide decision-making and to inspire workers? commitment and loyalty. Evidence shows that companies that live their values build bottom line success--cultural capital is the new competitive edge.
As intercultural employers, companies can identify employees? personal values, their perception of the current organizational values and the ones they desire to see operating in the workplace. This will help the organization identify opportunities and obstacles to the creation of an inclusive organizational culture that takes into consideration the values and aspirations of immigrant workers. Doing so will address how Spanish-speaking employees are often left out of the decision-making process and only receive directives based on decisions that have been made without their participation.
When organizational values are collectively identified and shared, they not only provide guidelines for acceptable and unacceptable behaviors, but also direction for decision making. More importantly, they support the organization in creating a future that responds to the needs and wants of the workforce. When selecting core organizational values, businesses may consider safety and innovation, or may focus on relational values such as trust and openness, and/or operational values like cost reduction or productivity. These values will guide the selection of corporate strategies that best accomplish the mission and purpose of the business, and will be integrated into the human resources systems and operational processes, so as to institutionalize the cultural transformation.
The next step is to identify behaviors that support the chosen values. Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a powerful technique that can be used for this task and for creating a positive future. AI focuses on what is working rather than dwelling on what should be fixed. It is a distinction that separates organizations which go in circles around constraints and wonder why they cannot move forward, while others build upon a continuously more inclusive core of strengths. AI affirms and builds on what is positive and strong in the organizational culture and focuses people's energies by involving them in the process of defining the future of their organization.
If immigrant workers are going to be fulfilled, motivated and productive, they need to live their values in the workplace, and feel they are valued and appreciated. They must be involved and experience that their contributions matter. Thus far Spanish-speaking workers have been an underdeveloped resource, and as the United States grapples with the details of immigration policy, employers would be wise to reassess their largest capital cost of labor through identifying ways in which these employees can reach their full potential, and thus contribute more effectively to output and the bottom line. Ideally, we will collectively do the same to provide efficient avenues for productive citizenship as well.
Marissa Perez has sinced written about articles on various topics from Cars, Apply for Grants and Finances. This article was written by Marissa Nordstrom Perez and Yolanda Bonadona, principal partners in EqualValor. EqualValor is a bilingual consulting firm based in the Southwestern US that helps organizations build and sustain a values-driven culture that tap. Marissa Perez's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.