Basic Skills Impediments to Communication Between Management and Hourly Employees

Abstract

Print-communication demands in most businesses have increased. At the same time, demographic and economic trends are forcing employers to hire employees with lower skill levels. These trends will continue well into the next decade. Increasingly, businesses are recognizing the economic consequences of print communication problems. A first step is realizing that there are a variety of problems that call for differing solutions. A few workers need long-term support to move from virtual illiteracy to productive skill levels. Many more workers need to have basic skills training integrated with regular job training if training is to be effective. Finally, industries are increasingly focusing upon areas where mistakes are made or promotion is blocked. In such areas, solutions range from short-term targeted training to redesigned documents and job performance aids.