Workforce Language Services

Workplace diversity is a term thrown around a lot, but what does it really mean?  The Society for Human Resource Management released the results of a survey about diversity in the workplace yesterday, and found that managing diversity in companies can be difficult, especially when there is no common definition of what diversity means or when companies solely focus on ethnicity and gender.

Some notable findings from the survey:

– Small companies–99 or fewer employees–are the least likely to have an official definition of diversity– Public/government organizations are more likely than private non-profit and for-profit organizations to define diversity.

– Some 75 percent of HR professionals said that, from a strategic perspective, leveraging the diverse talents of the workforce was extremely important to their organization; they would like to see greater emphasis made on the positive relationship between diversity and business results.

Furthermore, the study found that many diversity policies focus more on compliance, and are therefore more likely to be reactionary rather than be borne of a true desire to capitalize on the special skills and characteristics that each employee brings to the company. 

To read the entire article, click here. 

Language use has become such a contested area because of immigration debates and the influx of Spanish-speaking newcomers to the U.S.  But for little ones in a suburb of Boston, learning a language is fun and exciting rather than threatening.  Up to two dozen families take part in a Spanish-language program run by volunteers at the Arlington Public Library.

For the Harders and other families, Spanish story time offers a fun way for their children to interact with other youngsters eager to learn about other cultures or, in some cases, celebrate their own. Through books, dance, and music, the children delight in new discoveries, learning the Spanish words for common vegetables like potatoes and asparagus, and sharing with others the rich beauty of their own heritage.

As adults across the nation push for English-only policies, these preschoolers are being taught what riches can come from exploring other cultures and celebrating the acquisition of a new tongue.

To read more about the program click here.

Two factors have restaurant owners worried in Oregon: young workers are not likely to stick with restaurant work, making them unreliable hires; and the government continues to crack down on those who hire illegal workers. 

Although experience isn’t necessary, Richards says most applicants have some. A revolving door could become costly.

“Training becomes an issue when you have to repeatedly train a new employee,” he says. “With the slowdown in the economy, the last thing you want to do is spend time training somebody.”

While chasing after younger workers can create headaches, the matter of foreign workers could have ramifications.

Portland attorney Rich Meneghello, who advises ORA members, says the Federal government is gearing up for another run at cracking down on illegal immigrants via mismatched Social Security numbers. Agriculture, hospitality and construction are the primary parts of the mismatched numbers, where the government indicates workers are possibly supplying employers with phony Social Security numbers.

The government announced 3,104 Oregon employers had employees with mismatched numbers last October.

With all the zeal surrounding immigration issues, it will be interesting to see how employers in various industries respond to the shortage of workers caused by increasingly strict policies designed to flush out illegal workers.

Read full article here.

The amazing cultural diversity in Toronto is cause for celebration, with more than a hundred languages being spoken in the city, but it also causes challenges for police when fighting crime.

But a recent article in an Ontario newspaper higlights some of the creative ways that Toronto police are attempting to bridge the divide between non-English speakers and their ability to access safety resources and navegate the justice system:

In recent cases, such as the shooting of innocent bystander Hou Chang Mao, Mills created an online video appeal in Mandarin, English and Cantonese. In a recent human trafficking ring investigation involving women from Eastern

Europe, lured to Canada then forced into the sex trade, Mills videotaped a Russian-speaking officer encouraging more victims to come forward that was posted on websites frequented by Russian Canadians.

He said technology is helping break down the walls of silence.

“I think it is really useful. It’s just going to take a little while to penetrate into getting to the right places in the community,” he said.

I’d love to see American police departments attempt innovative solutions to cultural and language barriers as the Toronto P.D. has. 

An article in last month’s L.A. Times details a program called EMPLEO, which educates workers on their legal rights as employees, regardless of immigration status.  The U.S. Department of Labor will investigate charges of nonpayment of wages without inquiring into whether the victim is legally allowed to work in the U.S. 

The L.A. branch of the Department of Labor seems to be truly enlightened when considering the rights of immigrants:

“We don’t ask the question,” said Priscilla Garcia, an assistant district director for the department’s West Covina office. “We just make sure that the laws are enforced properly and that employees are receiving their entitlement to minimum wage and overtime.”

The Mexican and Central American consulates in Los Angeles said they play a critical role in the program because they have long advocated for immigrants living in the U.S. States and have gained the trust of their communities. Immigrants may be wary of going to U.S. authorities because they fear deportation or losing their job or because they don’t know they have the same labor rights as Americans.

Compare this to what occurred in Rhode Island when an illegal immigrant appeared in court for a workers’ compensation hearing when he sliced his face open with a chainsaw while on the job:

On the day of a scheduled hearing, however, immigration agents arrested Velásquez outside the J. Joseph Garrahy Judicial Complex in Providence. According to Velásquez, Gorman was standing nearby and called out, ‘Now Edgar, I’m sending you back to Mexico — I have no use for you now,’ and said, ‘Edgar, adios,’ as agents placed Velásquez in handcuffs.

The young man returned to Mexico under “voluntary departure,” which is not as serious as a deportation, and was subsequently granted a humanitarian visa so he could return for a hearing.

Velasquez has since returned to Mexico, and his story serves as a stark contrast to the more enlightened response to workers’ complaints in California.

To read the complete story, click here.