Why Language Learning Should Be Part of Your Employee Benefits?

Did you know that only 18% of US citizens are bilingual, whereas 53% of people across the EU are? These numbers are a good way to highlight how beneficial language training courses are for companies to offer to their employees. Offering corporate language training is a way to stand out above the crowd in terms of employee benefits. When potential employees see that you are dedicated to helping them grow professionally, especially with language learning, it makes you a more desirable employer. Companies like Preply Business offer flexible ways to train your workforce in languages, with plenty of options for business language courses.

In this article, we will be discussing several reasons that language learning should absolutely be a part of your employee benefits. Believe us when we tell you that there are plenty with which to justify the investment!

1. Working Relationships: Learning languages as a team can be a great way to improve working relationships between coworkers. It can create fun learning and bonding experiences as employees work together to master their business language training. The rise in team spirit that can be found through language training courses will boost the mood of the whole company, and everyone knows that happy employees are productive employees. You will also run into less miscommunication between coworkers if they are all able to speak effectively with one another. This will make everyone feel like a part of the team since they can all speak with each other more easily.
2. Employee Confidence and Mental Skills: Studies have shown that about 70% of employees claim that learning a new language for their job has helped them feel far more confident in their day-to-day tasks, as well as in their job performance. Confident employees will also be more willing to take on new tasks for the company. If they are able to learn a whole new language, foreign or corporate, think of what else they accomplish. When it comes to mental capabilities, it has been shown that studying any kind of language improves problem-solving, memory recall, focus, and so much more!
3. Creativity: This one tends to get overlooked often as an employee benefit of language learning, but it is very important. As new pathways in the brain are being formed, new doors will open and new ideas will flow, giving a new perspective on company activities! When employee creativity rises, things like cool innovations in the workplace, new ways of making work easier, and new product ideas can start to form. If you want a breath of fresh air in how your company thinks and operates, adding language learning to your employee benefits is a great way to start.
4. Employee Retention: Offering language learning as part of your employee benefits is a great way to stand out from the crowd when it comes to finding and retaining quality employees. If potential employees see that your company is interested in upskilling and reskilling employees, it looks great. Current employees that you decide to upskill will also be far more loyal and likely to stick around and try to move up within the company.
5. Diversity and Cross-Cultural Understanding: One of the big benefits of language learning for employees, something that will grow along with these skills is the feeling of diversity and a deeper level of cross-cultural understanding. Having a company-wide business language training course makes it easier for those of different backgrounds to feel involved and welcomed as part of the workforce. Diversity and inclusion (D&I) are two of the most important aspects of a company environment, at least, they should be. Recent workplace studies show that 83% of millennials joining the workforce are more involved and happier in their job when D&I is heavily featured and celebrated. With millennials making up the majority of the workforce currently, this is a great thing to invest in as an employee benefit.

So, let us recap everything that we have covered here today. Offering language learning as an employee benefit will help improve many aspects of your company and your employees’ lives. There will be an uptick in employee confidence, cultural understanding, creativity, and working relationships between your employees will grow and develop as they all embark on this journey of language learning together. You will also find that your employees will feel a deeper sense of loyalty to the company because they will know that you are taking care of their professional development.

We appreciate you taking the time to learn with us today, and we hope this article has shown you how beneficial (no pun intended) language learning as an employee benefit can be. For more information on language learning, business, and employee success, check out our blog and we will see you next time!