Spanish is the second-most spoken language in the country, so you will likely hire employees who are more comfortable with Spanish as opposed to English. Even if your Spanish-speaking employees speak English well, they’re likely to understand things more easily in their native tongue. Hiring HR consultants who speak Spanish can benefit your business in a number of ways.
Document Translation
Think of the documents you provide for your employees when they’re hired, when company policies are changed and when it comes to departments like payroll. In the rare event an employee doesn’t act according to company guidelines, you want to know they originally understood those guidelines. If they understand everything the company expects of them as well as what the company hopes to provide for them, you’re less likely to have misunderstandings.
Providing these documents and employee handbooks in Spanish makes them immediately more accessible to native Spanish speakers. Spanish versions of company documents open a dialogue, allowing equal opportunities for your employees to ask questions and make suggestions for improving company practices.
Bilingual Training and Tutorials
Not every company practice is documented on paper, and many people learn better from in-person lectures and visual training instead of by reading. This is why you offer seminars and tutorials. If it’s a company practice to have consultants do training and tutorials, provide them in Spanish as well. You can find a bilingual consultant to give two versions of the same session, or hire a consultancy to run an English and a Spanish version of the session concurrently.
It’s essential the investment you spend on consulting provides the maximum takeaway value. Your employees should get the most possible out of training and tutorials you provide. Take no risks, and offer at least one Spanish-language session for each event. This also encourages your employees to ask questions and engage with the speaker as they may feel more comfortable speaking in Spanish than English.
The Benefits of Consultants
Hiring a full-time, on-staff HR worker who speaks both English and Spanish isn’t feasible for many companies, particularly the companies with a smaller staff. Even if you do have a bilingual staff member, you can’t pile every translation and bilingual task on one person who has plenty of other projects on their to-do list; your employee will fall behind with their work, and they may not be able to give translations and Spanish-speaking events their full attention.
It’s more efficient to rely on a professional employer organization or HR consultancy. You pay only for the services you need, as you need them. You have access to an entire staff of professionals who can divide their expertise among translation, Spanish-language tutorials and training tasks as well as drafting, editing and planning these documents and events.
Once you establish a relationship with a PEO, you open your business to the many benefits of outsourcing. Rely on experts to handle the tasks that keep your company running behind the scenes while you and your employees focus on the company’s mission.
Engage Interest
If you’re not sure if your company requires Spanish-language versions of company documents, tutorials and training sessions, ask your staff. You may be surprised to learn how many of them welcome the idea. Consider both your present and future employees when making the decision. When hoping to hire attractive candidates, having Spanish-language resources could be that edge your company has over the competition.
Hiring HR consultants with Spanish language skills who can translate company documents, and provide training and tutorials in Spanish will not only make your company more welcoming, but will increase overall understanding and productivity. Using consultants allows you the flexibility of calling in experts whenever you need their assistance, without spending the money to hire a full-time bilingual HR team.
About the Author
Lillian Dorrance is the owner of a small business and a National PEO client. She’s noticed productivity skyrocket since she began including Spanish-language versions of company documents and events. She recommends visiting this website for more information.
Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono
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