The benefits

At VCH we enjoy a wide variety of cultures and languages as part of our workforce. Imagine the relief of a patient with very limited English language skills when they discover the nurse, physician or other provider who can help close the communication gap in a time of vulnerability.

The challenge

Employees with multi-language skills bring great value to the patient experience and to the clinical team but this comes with its challenges. Common language connects people. Employees who share a common non-English language are comfortable conversing with one another in their mother tongue, but the effect for English-only patients or team members can be one of alienation. In the same way that a common language can unite people, the use of a language that is not common to all involved can be divisive and create disunity in a group.

“It may seem harmless at first but we have heard from staff directly that speaking different languages at work does not promote a collaborative work environment,” said Wayne Balshin, Executive Director of Employee Relations.

The solution

Clear and open communication is part of a respectful workplace and is key to safe, quality care. It’s important that all employees communicate in English when working with other employees and when caring for English speaking patients and clients unless the patient/client/resident requires a different language.  Break times are a good time to enjoy conversing with others in a language other than English. Using English for all work related activities demonstrates respect for colleagues and ensures staff members don’t feel excluded or gossiped about.

VCH is committed a multicultural environment as well as creating a respectful workplace for our employees, patients, clients and residents. To support this, an English-at-work guideline was recently added to our Respectful Workplace policy.

More information is available on the Employee Relations intranet.