Using a variety of different visual and audio learning methods during the orientation process makes the information given more likely to be retained and understood. Fluent speakers usually have a more effective form of learning, but some of the employees reading could have literacy problems, or not even be reading in their own language.
Illiteracy in the Workplace
Figures from 2016, reveal that approximately 32 million American adults are considered illiterate and about 14% cannot read or write at all. For roles in the construction sector there are specific forms of training, such as OSHA safety compliance which are adequate for a new worker to be employed. Therefore, it is important for details included in a company handbook to be provided in a form of learning which doesn’t depend on literacy.
English as a Second Language
The George Washington University has also estimated that English is the second language of 10% of its students. If it is not provided in their native language, relevant information may not be correctly understood. This is most important in the case of learning the correct health and safety measures.
Research by the Irish Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has revealed higher injury rates in non-Irish nationals working in the construction industry. Many employers believe that foreign workers have an inferior understanding of important health and safety measures. It has also discovered a better understanding in details heard in spoken English compared to written.
Supplying workers with a range of different languages to choose from, available as an audio learning or visual form of learning will not only help to confirm that information is correctly understood but also save a lot of time in training and the retention of important details.
More Senses Affect More Areas of the Brain
There are different methods by which all learners find it easier to retain information, so it is important to satisfy the needs of audio or visual learners. Providing an audio learning transcript to read while listening, can be a benefit for both; with the ability to re-read or rewind parts that may not have been fully understood the first time.
The more senses included, the more areas of the brain are affected, therefore the more likely it is that important information will be remembered. Reading and/or listening to these audio learning programs, along with reading these sections out loud is a way of combining three different methods of learning. Researchers have confirmed that it is easier to retain details if your brain can link any words read with another one of the senses.
For instance, GoContractor provides the option of using the text Auto-Reader, helping workers solve many of these problems. Users can make their selection from 24 different languages and a range of accents. By simply clicking on the Audio button any details, which are not already understood, will be clearly read out.
This form of learning makes it easier for companies to provide sufficient and faster training for workers from a range of different locations, carrying out different jobs and perhaps speaking another language. Resulting in workers being able to begin a lot earlier, costs associated with learning will be decreased. The more informative the orientation, the less time other members of staff will have to spend teaching new workers, before they are capable of performing their job efficiently.
