Improving employee retention with language learning

Improving employee retention and increasing their satisfaction in the workplace is crucial and a great way of ensuring this is through language learning. Through increased training opportunities, such as learning how to communicate in another language, cultural barriers can be broken down, collaboration is encouraged, confidence is improved and more growth opportunities will arise.

Why employee retention is important

Retaining staff members has an array of benefits for both employees and the business. Losing a talented employee can have a direct impact on a company with both the cost and time of recruiting a replacement. An employee who has been in a company for a longer period of time will have developed skills, experience and contacts that are specific to your business, something that can take years to perfect as a new starter. So how do you retain your best employees? Ensure they feel valued. Provide training opportunities, adopt a positive company culture, and offer great benefits. A great place to start is offering the chance for your employees to learn a new language. Allowing them to broaden their skillset, improve communication and boost confidence.

How does language learning help to retain employees?

Promotes an inclusive culture

Global employers can often see large turnover rates, especially when staff only speak one language because they find it difficult to communicate with the wider team and can find the role somewhat isolating. However, by helping them learn a new language these communication and cultural barriers can be broken down, encouraging a more inclusive culture. As well as this, it helps to promote diversity, making people feel more comfortable and included. Through communicating inclusivity within a workplace, a truly effective global culture can be introduced, making your business an enjoyable place to work.

Encourages wider collaboration

Collaboration and communication are so important within any business, this can be enhanced with language learning. It can often be difficult within a global business for people to fully collaborate if there is a language barrier. By removing this, staff will work together more efficiently, fostering stronger working relationships, resulting in a happier, more productive workforce who wants to stay within the company.

Opportunity for growth

Not only does language learning help employees in their current roles, but it also provides new opportunities for growth. Whether that be for working abroad, a promotion or to improve their CV. Learning a new language is a tangible skill that they can take with them wherever they go, both professionally and personally. As an employer who promotes employee growth, you’ll not only gain highly skilled employees but also their loyalty - an invaluable benefit.

Adopting a wellbeing strategy that incorporates language learning will help to invest in your employees, leading to company growth, increased team spirit and loyal employees. Not only will this help to improve employees' professional development, but their personal lives too. This leads to staff members becoming more satisfied in the workplace and will be more inclined to stay in the business.

Download our ebook to discover how you can create a language learning community for your business.