ImprovIng lIteracy In the workplace

13 million 15 year olds and 55 million adults in Europe have difficulties with reading and writing. This affects all aspects of their daily lives, from education and health to employment. Your employees or colleagues may be part of this group.

Impact of lItEracy dIffIcultIEs In rElatIon to thE workplacE

DID yoU know?

Given the right support, almost everyone is able to develop good literacy skills, and you can be a part of this.

Impedes writing reports and reading safety instructions

Hinders innovation

Reduces productivity

lItEracy chanGEs lIVEs! act now to makE a dIffErEncE In othErs’ lIVEs.

Limits individual capabilities

Show and discuss the course options in their neighbourhood by contacting a local literacy organisation. Keep in touch to stay updated about further support they may need and whether they have started a course.

reFer anD

Follow Up

This product is part of ELINET, a project funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views of its authors only, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained herein.

Apart from referring a potential literacy learner to courses of an external party, your company can take up the following opportunities:

> make literacy a subject that is openly spoken about

> offer time off work to attend literacy classes or organise training in the workplace for your employees

> train a member of staff to work as a literacy mentor, offering one-on-one support to others

> rewrite your texts into ‘easy-to-read’ texts

other opportUnItIes

For more information, including country reports and good practice examples, go to www.eli-net.eu.

Elinet-folder1-employers-105x297-v2.indd 1 04-01-16 16:30

start the conversatIon

It is important to approach your employee/colleague in a sensitive and supportive manner and to check whether you’ve read the signals correctly. You might try starting the conversation with:

During the conversation it is important to use positive reinforcement and ask questions in a non-confrontational manner. Direct your attention to your employee/colleague and not to yourself: instead of telling him/her what to do you ask questions and listen carefully to the responses. Through reflection of the responses with further questions, you trigger your employee/colleague to disclose his/her literacy difficulties and his/her motivation to improve their literacy skills.

If your employee/colleague discloses that he/she struggles with reading and writing, make sure to explain that:

> They are not alone - a lot of other people also struggle> It is never too late to learn and learning can be fun> Improving their skills has a lot of benefits> You and your company will support them in developing

their skillsBe aware of coping strategies and signs that could indicate that your employee/colleague might have literacy difficulties. They may: > Ask you to verbally explain written texts you

provide them> Ask you to fill out forms for them> Have no wish to apply for a desk job> Give you verbal instead of written reports> Not follow safety instructions

act now

recognIse the sIgns

literacy difficulties can be found throughout society. as employer or colleague, you are in a unique position to address this issue people often feel uncomfortable talking about.

within companies regular work meetings, evaluation interviews and performance reviews take place. during these sessions you may notice that your employee/colleague struggles with reading and writing. this might impede their ability to follow instructions, complete forms or write reports. here’s how you can help.

“this print is a bit too small for me to read.”

“how can I support you to make your job easier?”

“I haven’t got a pen, could you write it down?”

“I haven’t got time to fill in a form right now.”

“I think reading and writing skills are important for all employees, would you be interested in attending some training together with your colleagues?”

“let’s work through this form together...”

Elinet-folder1-employers-105x297-v2.indd 2 04-01-16 16:30