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The Literacy Challenge

You may think you know your employees really well.  But do you?

Tricks to Fool Everyone

I spent nearly 30 years in the sign business and no one ever knew that I could barely write. I knew all the tricks to fool everyone.

Any time I has to fill out forms for taxes or time sheets, I would be too busy or forget to do them while I was at work. That way I could take them home and do them. If there was a work order or report I couldn't take home, I usually used cheats or catalogues to look up words I needed and would always manage to do it when nobody was around to see.

If there was a dinner meeting, I would make reservations at peak time, near the back of the restaurant, so I could walk past people and see what they were eating. I would always find an excuse to order last so I could hear what everyone else had ordered, and then order the same as someone else, or ask for a special.

Any person with literacy challenges has a similar story.  In fact, 15% of adult Canadians would have these kinds of challenges. 

Many people have better literacy skills than this and can read more but may still be challenged by understanding and using the information that they read.

Here are some clues to help you decide if your employees would benefit from workforce training:

  • Takes reports home to read.
  • Gets colleagues to fill out forms.
  • Has trouble with time sheets.
  • Finds spelling difficult.
  • Writes messages that are difficult to understand.
  • Had not read the safety manual.
  • Asks about mixing chemicals rather than reading the information on the label.
  • Has an accident even though warning signs are posted.

27% of Canadians have literacy skills at this level.  What is more, 80% of these people do not even realize that they have a problem with literacy.  These are undisputed facts that come from the International Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (IALSS), 2005, of which Canada was one of the participants. 

To read MCL’s response to IALSS click here

Employees can do a self-administered test to check on their skills through the Essential Skills Indicator or http://measureup.towes.com/ which is a test of workplace skills.