Masonry Magazine October 2005 Page. 43
The risk of communication breakdowns in your operation. I would hazard a guess that in many labor markets, having a bilingual person who knows nothing about construction may actually be more valuable to your operation in the long-term than a highly skilled person who does not speak Spanish.
The long-term savings from leaping the communication hurdle are impossible to gauge. What I can say anecdotally is that companies I see that succeed in using Spanish-speaking workers tend to have a fairly well developed bilingual capacity in-house. Also, project managers and forepersons who can communicate to either English- or Spanish-speaking workers are particularly valuable.
Business owners and managers may even want to consider investing in training their personnel to speak a second language. At first glance, the educational expenses may seem off the beaten track and a weak investment to some readers. In my analysis, the savings from potential liability claims, delays and cost overruns are dramatic when compared to the modest expenses for tuition in either English as Second Language (ESL) classes or Spanish classes. In addition, this type of investment in workers can help to build loyalty and increase worker retention as you will be directly providing skills that give your workers a "leg up" on the competition.
Immigration and language issues present special challenges to the construction industry. Owners and managers need to recognize and respond to this challenge to succeed in today's construction industry.
Timothy R. Hughes, Esq., is the principal of the Northern Virginia law firm of Hughes & Associates, P.LL.C. He specializes in construction litigation, corporate and business related representation, and complex civil litigation. He may be reached at tim@hughesnassociates.com, or by phone at (703) 671-8200.
NOTE: This article is not intended to provide legal advice, but to raise issues on legal matters. You should consult with an attorney regarding your legal issues, as the advice you may receive will depend upon your facts and the laws of your jurisdiction.
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