When you get them right, great diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) strategies transform businesses, and language proficiency plays a crucial role. We know that investing in DE&I initiatives promotes a sense of belonging and connection, and ultimately delivers stronger business results. Whether you’re looking to boost profitability, staff attraction and retention or performance, proactive DE&I initiatives are central to overall business success.
This blog is adapted from our PDF article of the same name. Download that version here.
Implementing a commitment to DE&I alongside expertly designed language training and development will also:
- Widen and diversify your talent pool.
- Foster a culture of ongoing learning.
- Boost employee engagement, loyalty and trust.
- Improve team morale, mental health and well-being.
- Help generate fresh ideas and new perspectives.
- Develop problem-solving and decision-making skills.
- Build better relationships with customers and help you gain better customer insight.
- Enhance your brand and company’s reputation.
That’s quite a list, and it can all be catalyzed by building language proficiency.
Leaders are committing to building better cross-cultural communication and English language proficiency because they understand that better language skills mean a stronger, more meaningful DE&I strategy for their organization.
How to embed effective language learning that supports DE&I in your organization
- Make it clear that language learning for all is a top-level commitment as part of your DE&I initiatives.
- Communicate the benefits and advantages of ongoing language learning and development, along with the link between language and crosscultural understanding and inclusivity.
- Support a diverse recruitment strategy by embedding language assessment in your talent acquisition initiatives. Measure candidates’ current language skill levels in a fair and equitable way using a resource such as Versant by Pearson. (Pearson TalentLens has developed a set of inclusive best practice assessment steps for HR professionals to incorporate over time.)
- Implement and embed easy-to-use and accessible language resources in your learning and development initiatives. Platforms such as Mondly by Pearson are flexible, relevant and engaging and give employees autonomy on their learning journey.
- Create excitement to promote buy-in. Make language learning part of your company culture and experiment with ways in which to do this.
- Communicate milestones and progress, gain inclusive and regular feedback, celebrate successes and always promote a culture of collaboration.
There will always be challenges associated with implementing, embedding and promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in a company. But by prioritizing language learning, you will propel business growth throughout your organization—unlocking international opportunities, improving internal and external communication, enabling better collaboration, and turbo-charging your talent acquisition.
At the very heart of a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive environment lies a multi-level commitment to better communication, in all the various forms it takes across your organization. Prioritizing language proficiency is one of the most dynamic ways to reinforce DE&I in your business.
If you found this article interesting and want to learn more, download the full PDF version. It features what to focus on as a leader and more about how language learning powers DE&I efforts.
Find out more about how language training and assessment can drive your business forward by checking out our resources for HR professionals, including articles, whitepapers and research.