Workforce Language Services

A study released today from UnitedHealth Group’s Evercare(R) organization and the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) finds that more than one third of Hispanic households (36 percent) have at least one family member caring for an older loved one –a larger percentage than all U.S. caregiving households which is 21 percent (one in five), according to the Evercare Study of Hispanic Caregiving in the U.S. The study, the largest comprehensive look at Hispanic caregivers, also revealed that caregiving caused a major change to the working situation of Hispanics, which could have dramatic personal implications as the current fiscal crisis continues to unfold in the United States. Additionally, the emotional and physical tolls of caregiving might also impact the local and national economies, given that more than eight million Hispanics provide care to older loved ones nationwide.

This is the first paragraph from the announcement of a study of Hispanic caregivers posted on Market Watch.  The implications for organizations and companies are interesting.  An inclusive, culturally competent business will need to consider the high percentage of Hispanics that care for family members.  Finding the balance between honoring Hispanic employees’ commitment to family and on-the-job productivity is important, especially when creating culturally competent personnel policies. 

To read the rest of the announcement, which includes a description of the research methodology used, click here. 

In April, the Workforce Language Services blog posted an article about how language barriers at pharmacies can prove dangerous for non-English speakers in New York City.

CVS and Rite-Aid recently announced that they will provide translations into six major languages of prescription information.  The Newsday.com article mentions the probe that the Mayor’s office launched along with an advocacy organization:

 Cuomo’s office launched an undercover investigation after Make the Road by Walking New York, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit that advocates for low-income New Yorkers, complained that pharmacies “routinely fail to advise non-English-speaking customers in a language that allows them to understand the purpose, dosage and side effects of their medications,” according to the release.

State law requires pharmacists to “personally provide information about prescription drugs to all patients, orally and in writing,” the release said.

The article also mentions that “spoken translations” will also be provided in these six languages.  Unfortunately, there are no further details about exactly how these spoken translations will be disseminated.  Will they have recordings?  Increasing their bilingual pharmacy staff? 

A Wisconsin Law Journal article nicely outlines the process for becoming a certified court interpreter.  Dawn Maldonado shares her experience in becoming an interpreter:

It took Maldonado several months to crack the regular rotation of interpreters in Milwaukee and she along with others involved in the profession suggest that while the “freelance” job can be lucrative, it takes more than a bilingual tongue to succeed.

“It is your own business and it is up to you to (find) your clients and make them happy,” said Maldonado, who has provided Spanish interpretation since 2001. “But I think it is tough and a lot of people fall off because they don’t understand the legalese, which is a big part of the job.”

This article points out a few of the stumbling blocks to becoming a Spanish-English court interpreter: there are far more Spanish-English interpreters in Wisconsin than there are cases; many candidates will need advanced study in not only interpreting but also legal terminology; and the freelancing aspect of the work may make it difficult to make a living interpreting.

I’m pleased to see Wisconsin’s certification process clearly described.  I also find it refreshing that this article is a bit more tempered than others that I’ve seen, many of which make it seem that there is an unfilled need for Spanish-English court interpreters.

Click here for the entire article.

An article from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University gives a comprehensive overview of how to create a culture of inclusion and respect for diversity in the workplace.  The article makes the point that implementation of diversity policies must permeate the entire organization from the top to the bottom and from recruitment to retirement.  There are also several examples of successful measures in various companies, such as tolerance statements:

A younger generation will continue infusing the workplace with a more accepting attitude toward diversity, but in the meantime not all employees will leave their prejudices at the door. Knowing that, companies such as TXU and Merrill Lynch have created tolerance statements. Such statements prohibit favoritism or hostility based on age, gender, race, sexual orientation, or disability. More importantly, they outline specific consequences for violating that tolerance policy.

The article also uses the Cox Business School as a case study in successfully preparing youth to compete in the ever-widening global marketplace.

To read the complete article, click here.

As Chicago’s very own President Elect starts choosing who will work with him, it comes as no surprise that many advocacy groups are pushing for a more diverse administration.  A New America Media article describes the conflict between the nature of Washington D.C.’s reliance on insiders (many of whom served during the Clinton administration) and the message of change that was so salient during Obama’s campaign.

While the choices for upper-level positions are more publicized, some feel that lower-level positions may be more critical:

Falcon believes that lower level positions are in some ways more critical for building diverse leadership, especially for the future. Latinos in particular are the most underrepresented racial-ethnic group in the federal government, he noted, making up less than 8 percent of its workforce despite being over 13 percent of the civilian labor force.

“The true test of how inclusive Obama will be of Latinos during the transition will come in second- and third-tier positions in the federal agencies, in positions like undersecretary, program directors and so on,” Falcon said. “Latinos will have to take a hard and cold view of this administration and be ready to hold his feet to the fire. ‘Si, se puede’ needs to now become, ‘¡Y si no, maceta!’ [’And if not, we’ll chop your head off!’]

That’s certainly a strong choice of words and I hope that the message is less of an ultimatum than it sounds and more of a reminder to make sure that this administration truly represents the people it was elected to serve.

A recent Chattanooga Times Free Press article discusses the barriers to accessing the services of financial institutions for Latinos, 56 percent of whom are currently “unbanked”:

Building trust between the community and financial institutions is one of the main priorities of those working with Hispanics, financial officials say.

“We want them to trust financial institutions so they will feel comfortable coming to our credit union and eventually to other institutions,” said Stacy Johnson, Hispanic member development director with the Holston Methodist Federal Credit Union.

From June 2007 through the end of October 2008, the credit union opened 191 accounts, most for Hispanic clients, Mrs. Johnson said.

But the increase of Hispanic clients at other banks has not been as dramatic, said Keith Sanford, executive vice president with First Tennessee Bank.

The article states that First Tennessee Bank started offering Spanish classes to its staff, providing translated materials, and hiring bilingual staff in an effort to reach more Hispanics.  But to truly overcome the trust issues that make many Latinos wary of banks, these institutions need to do more community outreach and one-on-one financial literacy.  And even more important, when providing financial literacy education to new customers, institutions should be very careful about not pushing their products and services under the guise of educating. 

To read the entire article, click here.

The Poughkeepsie police force faces many of the same issues that other communities have as they try to reach out to Latinos.  Community policing is always a difficult task and very rarely done well, but this PD is taking steps to foster a better relationship with Latino residents.  This will help the police as Latinos feel more comfortable reporting crimes and in turn create safer neighborhoods.

Truly engaging in dialogue with police about neighborhood issues can sometimes be difficult as I have learned from a few years working with both police and at-risk youth.  But the Poughkeepsie police chief made the right decision when he put one of his officers in the Association for Hispanics to Obtain Resources and Assistance (with the cute acronym Ahora which means now in Spanish).

The Association for Hispanics to Obtain Resources and Assistance is an advocacy group for the local Hispanic community. Susan Balutis-Mallory, AHORA’s board president, said many local Hispanics who are struggling with a language barrier may feel comfortable going to another agency first to report a crime or ask for help. This hesitancy is compounded by the fact that some members of the local immigrant community come from countries where the police are feared and distrusted.

“I think it’s difficult for some members of the Hispanic community to come to the police when the person at the window doesn’t speak Spanish,” Mallory said.

To read the entire article, click here.

Another article in the same online paper describes the increasing presence of Latinos in the area and the positive impact they have had on the city:

North believes the Hispanic community is an integral part of larger redevelopment efforts in downtown Poughkeepsie and elsewhere.

“This is evolution, in my mind,” North said of changing business demographics. “It’s a renaissance. It’s rebirth.”

The fed’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently met to discuss the dearth of Latinos employed by the federal government.  Noticeably absent?  The Office of Personnel Management!  Due to infighting between these two departments and red tape, the federal government hasn’t been able to truly address the fact that Hispanics are underrepresented in the workplace.

This Washington Post article describes the difficulties in getting all the parties to the same table, but the best quote comes a VP of policy:

“The federal government must do more than simply attempt to eliminate overt discrimination if it is to significantly increase the representation of Hispanics in the federal government,” it said. “To achieve the goal of a workforce representative of all segments of society, therefore, federal agencies must pay special attention to all of the barriers to Hispanic employment.”

Pew Hispanic Center’s newest demographic report breaks down Latino population growth since 2000:

Since 2000 Hispanics have accounted for more than half (50.5%) of the overall population growth in the United States — a significant new demographic milestone for the nation’s largest minority group.

Furthermore, the maps detail where growth is taking place and the areas in which there were previously few Latinos that are now seeing the arrival of Hispanics. 

By following this link, you’ll be able to read the entire report, check out Pew’s interactive maps detailing changing settlement patterns, and find more specific data broken down by country. 

One of the biggest arguments against a gentler, more humane approach to illegal immigration is that immigrants, both legal and illegal, are a net drain on the economy.  And as jobs evaporate and the U.S.’s economic climate worsens, this is one of the most common and loudly voiced arguments against immigration.  But reports from two universities, one in NY and another in Nebraska, find that immigrants are net contributors to the economy:

A report by Adelphi University’s Center for Social Innovation suggests that both documented and undocumented immigrants are net contributors to Long Island’s prosperity. After subtracting what local governments in Suffolk and Nassau spend to provide services for immigrants, Long Island still receives a net benefit of $1.07 billion. The study also found that immigrant spending power added $10.6 billion to total Long Island output and generated 82,000 jobs in 2006.

New York is far from alone in benefiting from immigrant productivity. The Office of Latino/Latin American Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha also found that immigrants give more than they receive and help create jobs. In 2006, immigrant spending in Nebraska generated more than 11,800 jobs there, according to a recent study.

To read the entire article, click here.