Thoughts on inclusion – language skills at the workplace

Although I work mainly with technology, I’m also very passionate about enhancing diversity and inclusion at the workplace. For this reason, I am part of PwC Finland’s Inclusion Team. Our aim is to create initiatives and organise events that promote valuing diversity and inclusion in our work community. 

In this blogpost, I will be sharing my thoughts on what inclusive language is and how we can be better at it. 

Accessible language

At PwC, we work with people coming from different language and culture backgrounds. We should take this into account in our daily communication, and make sure the language is as accessible as possible.

Communications should be easy to read and fast to grab, especially when they are aimed at people with different learning styles and linguistic background. When interaction becomes easier, cognitive overload can also be avoided. I urge you to pay attention in making language accessible even in the midst of busy work projects!

Choosing a language in different situations

Being able to choose a “suitable” language or communication style for a certain situation is an important skill that helps you to understand the other person better, may it be a peer coaching session, afterwork beers or a sales event. 

Various exchange programmes, international projects and voluntary work are good opportunities to practise new languages. At PwC, together with the Inclusion Team, we organise a Language Café where our employees can get to know colleagues and learn new languages. These events have proven to be very successful and we plan to continue them in the future.
 

Taking different learning and communication styles into account

Some of us learn by reading, others by listening. The same applies to communication styles. For some, it is more natural to interact face to face, while others prefer writing an email. Finding the right balance between different communication and learning styles can be difficult  – especially if you work as a team leader. Being able to clearly communicate your own preferences and be curious about the different learning styles of your team members, can make you more efficient as a team. 

Alexandra Shtromberg
Tax and Legal Technology Consultant, PwC Finland 

Alexandra's blog is part of the Thoughts on inclusion blog series, where we discuss the themes of incluison and diversity in the workplace from different perspectives.