Developing a bilingual workplace

Why develop a bilingual workplace?

• It gives staff an excellent opportunity to practice, develop and improve their Welsh language skills.
• Staff confidence will increase as a result of using the language regularly.
• The employer is regarded as one that treats staff with respect and courtesy whatever their language of choice.
• It strengthens the link between the language of the workplace and the language of the community.
• Increased use of Welsh in the workplace leads to an improved bilingual service to the public. 

Small powerful changes

Recording language skills: Do you know who in your organisation has Welsh language skills? Talk to your employees to find out. Record their current skill level and see who is confident in using those skills.

Installing Welsh grammar and spelling software on computers: This can be of great help to Welsh speakers (for both speaking and writing), to increase self-confidence when using the language. Here is a summary of all the software packages and resources available to help you use Welsh.

Raising awareness: Are your staff aware that your organisation supports the Welsh language? Let your employees know that there are opportunities for them to develop their Welsh language skills.
 

• Make sure your staff are aware that certain aspects of your work can take place or be done in Welsh.
• Let everyone know who the Welsh speakers are within your team.
• Celebrate and encourage the members of your staff who are learning Welsh.
• Inform any new staff members during their induction process that Welsh is important to your organisation.
• Make it easy for everyone to identify Welsh speakers and learners. Order Iaith Gwaith badges for any of your staff with Welsh language skills to wear by emailing: post@cyg-wlc.cymru.

Medium-term changes

Why not learn a little Welsh or encourage your staff to learn?

Several excellent courses are available online which are suitable for all levels of ability.

The National Centre for Learning Welsh is responsible for the Welsh learning sector. The Centre supports and encourages everyone who wants to learn the language.  A number of different learning pathways are available to employers and staff keen to learn Welsh.

Making the language prominent in your workplace

• Put up bilingual signs in your office / gallery / workshop. If needed, hire a translator to assist you with this work.
• Create a list of key terms in Welsh for your particular work setting, with phonetic spellings as a pronounciation guide.
• Consider purchasing a Welsh dictionary for the office. Why not also consider subscribing to a Welsh language magazine or arranging a language coffee session for staff who are learning Welsh?
   

Ensure that some of your main documentation is available in Welsh, such as your induction pack for new staff, contracts etc. It is easy to find a professional translator to help you with this.
 

Job advertisements

• When recruiting volunteers or new staff members make Welsh language skills desirable or essential.
• When recruiting, it is very important to think about the language used in the job advertisement. Consider creating bilingual job adverts. 
• Further advice on staff recruitment can be found here. 
• Remember to advertise job opportunities in the Welsh language media. For a summary of these outlets click here.

Longer-term changes

Welsh Speakers as Members of your Board

If you have a Board, make it essential (or at least desirable) that at least one Board Member has skills in Welsh. This can be an effective way of changing the ethos of an organisation and ensuring that language considerations are evaluated at a strategic level. Again, when recruiting for a Board Member remember to produce a bilingual advertisement as well as proactively publicise any such opportunities in the Welsh language press.