The modern workplace is constantly evolving and undergoing a paradigm shift in performance management. The focus is now on fostering a culture of continuous learning and development, rather than merely holding employees accountable. It is particularly important to prioritize this shift when it comes to enhancing language and communication skills within your team.
It is important to connect performance management with language learning goals, as English skills are highly valued by both employees and businesses.
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So, you have identified a lack of English language proficiency within your team, and want to implement a performance management plan for the professional development of your staff.ÌýNow let’s look at how you can use your performance management system to effectively address this gap and support employees in their career advancement.
It is important to understand your business's needs and aims before setting language learning goals. You need to determine whether you want to improve skills like technical written English for documents, spoken English for customer service, or prepare your team for a new market.
By aligning individual language learning goals with business priorities, your performance management plan becomes a strategic tool that benefits both employees and the overall business.
Example: Make your customer service more effective by improving the team’s spoken English.
To get an idea about your team's current language proficiency and personal preferences, you can conduct surveys and individual interviews. By gathering information about their confidence levels, preferred learning styles, and objectives, you can create a customized language learning plan that motivates them to achieve their goals. This approach ensures that your team members actively participate in shaping their language development. One way to evaluate language proficiency is by using assessments such as Versant tests.
Example: Build your employees’ confidence when doing workplace tasks, such as presenting in English, by expanding their business English vocabulary.
An effective performance management system is crucial for achieving success in any organization. It is essential that managers possess the necessary tools and expertise to provide unbiased appraisals. In the context of language learning, this means ensuring that all employees have equal access to opportunities for developing their Workplace English skills.
A positive and supportive work culture encourages managers to conduct appraisals that contribute to the growth and development of all team members.
Example: Offer Business English skills development to every employee.
Language skills require consistent practice, making continuous feedback essential. Conduct baseline skill assessments using tools like Versant by ÃÛÌÒapp and complement them with interactive language learning platforms like Mondly by ÃÛÌÒapp. Establish a continuous feedback loop to monitor progress and set realistic goals for employees, using each performance review as an opportunity to review and refine language learning objectives.
Example: Improve your team’s language retention with daily practice in the Mondly by ÃÛÌÒapp app.
Use this checklist to ensure that progress is being measured effectively and that the corporate language program is suited to the business and your employees’ language needs.
Integrating language learning into your performance management system is a strategic investment. It benefits both your employees' development and the success of your business. By aligning individual goals with business needs, understanding your team's preferences, ensuring fairness in appraisals, and maintaining continuous monitoring, you can create a performance management system. This system addresses language skills gaps and also fosters a culture of perpetual learning and improvement.
Not sure where to start for your organization? ÃÛÌÒapp offers language learning solutions for work to help boost your employee's language skills.
Want to learn more? Read the long-form article for more or explore our language learning and assessment tools for businesses.
You might also be interested in our post 'Language proficiency and succession planning: Developing future leaders'
In the fast-paced world of business, there is one undeniable fact that holds true: employees are the key to success. Their commitment and expertise propel organizations towards their objectives, which is why investing in a learning culture is essential. The advantages are numerous and include improved staff retention, increased productivity and the goal of higher employee engagement.
Language is not only a tool for communication but also a means to explore and comprehend diverse cultures, traditions, and perspectives. Europe, with its vast array of languages, is a prime example of this linguistic diversity. Each year on September 26th, Europe observes the European Day of Languages, which is a day solely dedicated to celebrating and embracing this linguistic richness.
Europe is a magnificent tapestry of languages, with over 200 spoken throughout the continent. This diversity is a symbol of the rich cultural heritage of each nation and reminds us of the intricate historical, social, and linguistic elements that mold our identities. The European Day of Languages inspires people to cherish and honor this linguistic heritage.
September 26th marks an important date for celebrating linguistic diversity and promoting multilingualism. This day commemorates the adoption of the "European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages" by the Council of Europe in 1992, a crucial document that recognizes and safeguards the linguistic rights of minority languages spoken within European countries. By celebrating the European Day of Languages on this date, it renews our commitment to supporting the rich diversity of languages and cultures that make our world a more vibrant and fascinating place.
The European Day of Languages offers language learners a chance to participate in language exchanges, which is an exciting opportunity. During such exchanges, learners from diverse backgrounds partner up and teach each other their native languages. This not only helps improve language skills but also promotes intercultural understanding.
Various European cities offer language workshops led by enthusiasts and experts, providing an introduction to different languages.
Storytelling is an incredibly effective tool for learning languages. Libraries, schools, and cultural centers hold multilingual storytelling sessions, where stories from different cultures are shared in their original languages. This helps both children and adults to better understand and appreciate the beauty of linguistic diversity.
Cinema provides a wonderful opportunity to explore different languages and cultures. Throughout Europe, foreign films are often shown with subtitles, enabling viewers to fully immerse themselves in new linguistic worlds.
Museums often showcase exhibitions highlighting the linguistic and cultural heritage of various regions, providing insight into the history and traditions of different languages.
Cafés and restaurants might offer special menus featuring diverse cuisines and multilingual staff – a delightfully tasty way to explore languages and cultures.
Language-based games and competitions, such as crossword puzzles and spelling bees, are organized in schools and communities to provide a fun and educational way to celebrate language.
If you are a teacher hoping to celebrate this occasion make sure to on what to do.
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Just like the European day of Languages, we at ÃÛÌÒapp Languages are fully committed to empowering and celebrating language learners and educators alike. That's why we are now supporting French, Italian, and Spanish language learning with the Global Scale of Languages (GSL). With these new language learning frameworks at your fingertips, you can confidently design curriculums and personalize learning pathways to help fast-track your learners’ progress and help your learners be themselves in French, Italian and Spanish.
Whether you're a teacher, a language learner, or simply someone who appreciates the beauty of languages, the European Day of Languages and the GSL provide exciting opportunities to explore, learn, and enjoy the rich tapestry of Europe's linguistic heritage.
