Why your performance management strategy needs language learning

Samantha Ball
Two business people both looking at a computer screen, gesturing and smiling.

The modern workplace is constantly evolving and undergoing a paradigm shift in performance management. The focus is now on fostering a culture of continuous learning and development, rather than merely holding employees accountable. It is particularly important to prioritize this shift when it comes to enhancing language and communication skills within your team.

It is important to connect performance management with language learning goals, as English skills are highly valued by both employees and businesses.

Performance management strategies and language learning
Play
Privacy and cookies

By watching, you agree ɫèAV can share your viewership data for marketing and analytics for one year, revocable by deleting your cookies.

Get in touch to find out how we can support your organization's language needs

Identifying a gap

So, you have identified a lack of English language proficiency within your team, and want to implement a performance management plan for the professional development of your staff.Now let’s look at how you can use your performance management system to effectively address this gap and support employees in their career advancement.

1. Map individual learning goals to business needs

It is important to understand your business's needs and aims before setting language learning goals. You need to determine whether you want to improve skills like technical written English for documents, spoken English for customer service, or prepare your team for a new market.

By aligning individual language learning goals with business priorities, your performance management plan becomes a strategic tool that benefits both employees and the overall business.

Example: Make your customer service more effective by improving the team’s spoken English.

2. Understand employees' language learning needs

To get an idea about your team's current language proficiency and personal preferences, you can conduct surveys and individual interviews. By gathering information about their confidence levels, preferred learning styles, and objectives, you can create a customized language learning plan that motivates them to achieve their goals. This approach ensures that your team members actively participate in shaping their language development. One way to evaluate language proficiency is by using assessments such as Versant tests.

Example: Build your employees’ confidence when doing workplace tasks, such as presenting in English, by expanding their business English vocabulary.

3. Fair performance management

An effective performance management system is crucial for achieving success in any organization. It is essential that managers possess the necessary tools and expertise to provide unbiased appraisals. In the context of language learning, this means ensuring that all employees have equal access to opportunities for developing their Workplace English skills.

A positive and supportive work culture encourages managers to conduct appraisals that contribute to the growth and development of all team members.

Example: Offer Business English skills development to every employee.

4. Regularly monitor progress

Language skills require consistent practice, making continuous feedback essential. Conduct baseline skill assessments using tools like Versant by ɫèAV and complement them with interactive language learning platforms like Mondly by ɫèAV. Establish a continuous feedback loop to monitor progress and set realistic goals for employees, using each performance review as an opportunity to review and refine language learning objectives.

Example: Improve your team’s language retention with daily practice in the Mondly by ɫèAV app.

Workplace language program checklist

Use this checklist to ensure that progress is being measured effectively and that the corporate language program is suited to the business and your employees’ language needs.

  1. Are individual language learning goals aligned with business priorities?
  2. Do managers feel equipped and supported to deliver fair and effective appraisals?
  3. Is suitable and progressive learning technology in place to support the learning process?
  4. Is progress monitored and assessed all year round?

Integrating language learning into your performance management system is a strategic investment. It benefits both your employees' development and the success of your business. By aligning individual goals with business needs, understanding your team's preferences, ensuring fairness in appraisals, and maintaining continuous monitoring, you can create a performance management system. This system addresses language skills gaps and also fosters a culture of perpetual learning and improvement.

Not sure where to start for your organization? ɫèAV offers language learning solutions for work to help boost your employee's language skills.

Want to learn more? Read the long-form article for more or explore our language learning and assessment tools for businesses.

You might also be interested in our post 'Language proficiency and succession planning: Developing future leaders'

ɫèAV Language learning solutions for Work

More blogs from ɫèAV

  • A man sat on a bench outdoors holding a phone smiling

    Translating sayings into English – with some funny results

    By Steffanie Zazulak
    Reading time: 3 minutes

    We all use phrases to express our emotions and feelings. These are known as idioms – an expression with a figurative meaning that differs from its literal meaning. Sometimes they don’t appear to make any sense at all and this is because they have evolved to mean different things.

    We’ve previously looked at some of the strangest English phrases – where they came from and what they mean. But these quirks of speech exist in many different languages. Here, we take a closer look at some common phrases and you’ll see that translating your favorite sayings into English can produce some amusing results.

    Not my circus, not my monkey

    This idiom, “nie mój cyrk, nie moje malpy”, is used by Polish speakers to state that something is not their responsibility or “not my problem”.

    An English phrase with a similar meaning is: “Tell it to the hand.”

    Not all doughnuts come with a hole

    This English translation of the Italian phrase “non tutte le ciambelle riescono col buco”, is a reminder that things do not always turn out the way we expect. A “ciambelle” is a round cake that is popular as a treat in Italy.

    An English phrase with a similar meaning is: “You win some, you lose some.”

    The raisin at the end of a hot dog

    This Icelandic saying, “rúsínan í pylsuendanum”, acknowledges that it’s not usual to find a raisin at the end of a hot dog – so sometimes you might find an unexpected surprise at the end of something.

    An English phrase with a similar meaning is: “Out of the blue.”

    I’m not hanging noodles on your ears

    This Russian saying, “вешать лапшу на уши”, means you’re not trying to fool someone, emphasising that what you’re saying is true – even if it appears to be a surprise.

    An English phrase with a similar meaning is: “I’m not pulling your leg.”

    As clear as dumpling broth

    A sarcastic saying from Germany, “klar wie Kloßbrühe”, means that something is not at all clear – because dumpling soup is not at all clear or easy to see through.

    An English phrase with a similar meaning is: “Clear as mud.”

    Pay the duck

    This Portuguese phrase, “pagar o pato”, is used when someone takes the blame for something they didn’t do.

    An English phrase with a similar meaning is: “Be the fall guy.”

    Give pumpkins to someone

    We’re not sure why giving pumpkins to someone became such a bad thing in Spanish-speaking countries, but this idiom, “Dar calabazas a alguien”, means that you reject someone.

    An English phrase with a similar meaning is: “Show them the door.”

    To let a frog out of your mouth

    This Finnish saying, “päästää sammakko suusta”, is uttered when someone accidentally says something they shouldn’t have. There’s an animal-related English phrase that is similar, but it involves cats...

    An English phrase with a similar meaning: “To let the cat out the bag.”

    Not the yellow from the egg

    The German idiom “nicht das Gelbe vom Ei” literally translates to "not the yellow from the egg," and it is used to express that something is not particularly good. This phrase often implies that while something may be acceptable, it falls short of being excellent or ideal.

    An English phrase with a similar meaning: “It's less than perfect.”

  • Man and a woman stood together smiling

    6 more strange English phrases explained

    By Steffanie Zazulak

    In a previous blog, we shared somestrange English phrases that might have left you with some questions. The English language is full of peculiar phrases that can even confuse fluent speakers. In today's post, we'll take a look at a few more such phrases to help you expand your repertoire.

  • teenage boy studying with headphones on and with a laptop

    Why should I learn English?

    By Steffanie Zazulak

    English is the second most widely spoken language – it is estimated that nearly two billion people worldwide can speak English at a useful level. That means they can hold a conversation with other English-speaking people.

    A report by the attests the importance of the English language to the world, and says thatsecond-language English speakers far outnumber fluent English speakers. It also recognizes how being able to speak English can give individuals a competitive edge over others. If you're asking the question, "Why should I learn English?", read on to find out more...