One of the biggest changes in the industry over the last ten years or so has been the makeup of the labor force. Most pallet recycling shops now hire mostly Hispanics in the production part of their business. This has led to language barrier problems in some facilities especially as employees come and go. This could lead to accidents and production problems if you don’t develop a way to overcome the language barrier.
It all starts with proper training. Don’t try to train a non-English speaking worker on multiple tasks at once. Realize that whatever time it takes to train an English speaking employee could take much longer with a person who speaks a foreign language. Thus, it is best to train one skill at a time to avoid confusion or possibly overwhelming a worker. Use hand signals, other employees with foreign language abilities, or training videos to instruct non-English speaking workers. Keep the worker doing the skill he knows until he masters it. Correct issues as they come up. You can also have a new non-English speaking worker shadow an employee who speaks the same language. But be careful. You don’t want to rely too much on non-managers to train your new workers.
Remember that as the employer it is your responsibility to ensure that a worker knows safety procedures and works in an efficient manner. The language barrier can cause problems. At the same point, non-English speakers can be among the most productive employees based on their work ethic and attitude toward the job.
You can use safety posters translated into the appropriate foreign language. You can also use visuals to demonstrate key concepts that you may not be able to explain verbally. Some manager in your shop should be responsible for seeing to it that every employee is receiving proper training and communication in a way that they can understand.
Some pallet companies have brought on mid-level managers or foremen with bilingual skills to help solve this problem.
One of the most critical steps is to get communication down right from the beginning. If employees develop bad habits early, they get much harder to break over time. Be aware that just because someone acts like they know what you are saying, they may not. This may be a way to cover and try to save face in front of the boss. Give instruction and then stand back out of the way and watch what they do. If they don’t do it right, they didn’t get it, even if they nod their head in agreement.
I long for the golden age of recycling when English speaking workers with arms the size of Popeye were much easier to find. These guys knew how to produce, and there was no language barriers. Now, some of the most productive employees you may have may not speak English. Like all businesses, things change, including the workforce. Smart pallet shops will keep an eye out for the best, hardest working talent and will not let a language barrier get in the way. You just have to remember that you can’t be truly successful unless you find a way to conquer the language barrier problem.
