08 Jun
How to overcome multilingual internal communications barrier in a Hybrid Workplace
One of the challenges of having a hybrid workplace is communication. Many of us have swiftly transitioned into new ways of working, balanced our working hours around caring and household needs, and conversing with our colleagues through technology has somehow unwittingly revealed the gaps in our communication.
Also, organizations are growing more multinational- most employees are now more likely to work with colleagues from other countries, which can sometimes result in embarrassing cultural blunders. When it comes to internal communications, working with people from other nations might be difficult. Even if the workplace has an “official language,” there may be miscommunications from time to time.
It’s tough to offer guidance, clarify expectations, or provide performance evaluation to people with whom you cannot communicate effectively due to language barriers.
Without a proper communication channel, it is difficult to understand what others are trying to convey. Communicating with a multilingual workforce has always been very difficult, but with the corporate world growing more digital, is there any way to bring the multilingual workforce together?
The digital platform is the key to combine the hybrid workplace into one unit
Digital communication is vital for any business. Employees can no longer rely on their colleagues if they have any doubts to clarify or wait for an event to get to know their overseas colleagues. Internal communications technology can connect and engage the multilingual workforce to its best. So the question arises now, how can the intranet unite the hybrid workforce together in this digital era?
Ways to cut down multilingual barriers in the hybrid workplace
- Combat language barriers: Assuming every employee speaks the same language is a big blunder one is making. Reports say that around 90% of employees face language-related issues in their daily work, and organizations need to utilize translation services to eliminate the linguistic barrier. It is helpful if you’re on more complex ideas, company policies and their benefits, and new announcements. Translators can assist in comprehending and clear up mistakes and miscommunication.
- Cultural barriers: Cultural differences can lead to workplace conflicts. Even minor concerns that you may not notice can lead to severe problems between people if they are not handled. For example, in certain places, speakers will choose to use direct language that may be misinterpreted as impolite in another culture. Global leaders must go above to build a culture that embraces everyone’s uniqueness.
Internal communication depends on creating relationships built on trust and mutual understanding. Launching cultural awareness training for the entire workforce is the best move to understand cultural diversity and sensitivity. It will enable the hybrid workforce to understand the culture and values of their colleagues. The intranet can play a vital role in providing cultural awareness training to the hybrid workforce. Centralizing the training-related materials and documents in one place will facilitate easy access, saves time, and improve the employee experience.
- Strengthen relationship: Many employees feel difficult to connect to their international peers due to cultural and language barriers. Building relationships globally has proved to be difficult, especially in the pandemic. The social groups and communities in the intranet can be a great aid to the employees in cultivating the global bond. It lets the workforce share their ideas, interact and break down the barriers with other employees dispersed across the globe.
Also, learning a few words and phrases in their language if you want to communicate successfully and create rapport with your staff. Nothing says more about how much you respect your colleague’s language and culture than your desire to learn from them. - Different time zones: Your employees work in different time zones. Scheduling a meeting and sharing important updates is a crucial task altogether. Posting a video, update, and important announcements on the intranet will be a great help to the global employees. They will not miss any critical updates and can go through them according to their convenience. Employees can react and comment on the meeting updates resulting in improved employee engagement.
- Relevant internal communication: There is a lot of information that is being conveyed to the hybrid workplace staff. An individual going through the updates in the intranet which are not relevant to him tends to miss out on important updates. Leverage your intranet the most by personalizing the content and aiming for the right audience that finds it most relevant. Targeting the right audience is crucial, especially to the hybrid workforce who are likely to have different experiences based on the location, job role, and much more.
To Conclude
Language and cultural difficulties may be aggravating at times. They can even lead to disagreements between the parties. In a multilingual workplace, this is unavoidable, but encourage your staff to be as courteous as possible. Put an end to any mockery or jokes regarding someone’s capacity to communicate in another language right away. It can lead to strained working relationships, as well as embarrassment in the work environment. Your surroundings should be as welcoming as possible.
Leveraging your intranet is the best viable way to combat multilingual barriers, especially during the pandemic. The multilingual feature in Mesh is available both for content translation and the entire intranet interface translation in real time, providing an easy and smooth experience for the global employees. Strengthen internal communications and cultivate an inclusive work culture that welcomes employees from all countries and backgrounds.
Since you are here, take a look at Mesh, our next-gen employee experience platform- built on personalization at the core. It offers to deliver a lifetime experience through its features and varied business application integrations.
If you would like to know more about Mesh, please contact our digital workplace consultants for a personalized demo.
Poonam Chug is AVP - SaaS Strategy & Business. She has worked in various areas, right from designing and executing sales & account management strategies to reengineering digital workplace solutions. With her determined focus on our mission and progressive approach, she has achieved customer delight in the space of AI, Knowledge Mining, Content & Collaboration, Virtual Assistants, RPA and more. Backed with a deep understanding of customer needs and technology, she leads the SaaS business unit with an upshot of maximizing revenue while ensuring customer satisfaction.
Poonam Chug