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Multicultural workforce

How a Tower of Babel can be your Tower of Strength

25% of London's population was born abroad (National Census 2001/bbc.co.uk)

So it shouldn't surprise you if much of your workforce, and many applicants for your jobs, are from backgrounds where English is not spoken as the first language. A 2007 report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has highlighted the characteristics of recent immigration, in terms of both the countries of origin and the skills they bring. Some industries have particularly high concentrations of migrant labour, such as:

Construction
Hotels and catering
Food and drink

While candidates and employees with English as a second language may often be very well qualified for the job, communication problems may arise - especially where complex language and technical jargon are used. These can be compounded by colleagues' and line managers' lack of understanding of their cultural background and of the challenges for new and recent migrants in understanding how things work in the UK - and in your company. We’ve outlined some guidelines, which will help you to tackle these issues and enable these employees to flourish within the workforce.

Working with the World

The Working with the World training module has been piloted during 2008 by RLN London with a range of businesses, helping managers, team leaders and employees to work more effectively together in a multilingual, multicultural environment. It focuses on the development of the key elements that are essential in developing intercultural skills:

• communication skills, including listening and being able to express yourself clearly;
• social skills, including building relationships and being comfortable in unfamiliar settings;
• interpersonal skills, including being able to respect other people and their ways of doing things.

You can find out more in our overview document or by contacting RLN London.

Other Projects

RLN London has been involved in business improvement projects relating to languages in the workforce. The reports of these projects cover findings and recommendations which may also apply to your workplace.

Heathrow Talking to the World

Language skills: the bricks and mortar of site communications

Managing in a global city