Does NZ have a workplace literacy issue?

Five national organisations have made a public appeal for support amid claims a million Kiwis don’t have the basic skills needed to participate in work, education and every-day life.

The Industry Training Federation, Business New Zealand, English Language Partners, the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions and Literacy Aotearoa launched its ‘Stepping Up to Better Working Lives” campaign yesterday, urging employers to address the issue.

“Good literacy and numeracy skills are essential to participate fully in society,” said Josh Williams, CEO of the Industry Training Federation.

“The one million New Zealand adults with low literacy and numeracy skills are on the back foot socially and financially, with limited work options and earning potential,” he added.

Nicola Sutton, chief executive of English Language Partners, also pointed out that low levels of literacy and numeracy among staff can lead to miscommunication increased safety risk.

“Communication is the key to talking to customers and colleagues, and understanding instructions so that mistakes costing time and money are reduced,” she said. “Workplace safety is also important to manage well.”  

According to Sutton, employers with migrant workers should be particular tuned-in to the problem as employees with limited language skills may have trouble assimilating into both the workplace and the wider community.

“It’s more than just using the right vocabulary; knowing what’s appropriate and the right tone to use is equally important,” she said. “This mix of language and culture can make it challenging for newcomers to ‘fit in’ at work and in their local communities.”

Sharon Scott, national HR manager at Waste Management, is among the Kiwi companies pushing for greater levels of literacy and numeracy in the workplace.

Last year, the firm won the Skills Highway Award at the Diversity Awards New Zealand for its efforts building confidence and skills across the workforce – however, Scott says it’s not an easy process.

“The thing with literacy and numeracy is that it often takes a lot of courage to admit you’ve got problems in that area because people tend to make an assumption that everyone can read and write,” Scott told HRD.

“One of the main challenges in rolling out the initiative was framing it in a way that wouldn’t make employees reluctant to sign up and wouldn’t come with any stigma attached,” she added.

More information about how Scott successfully rolled out the initiative can be found here.