Employer Views on ESL

Writing Inaccuracy and

Academic Implications
Jim Hu
jhu@tru.ca

BC TEAL 2014
Richmond, BC

Overview
Introduction/rationale
Research questions
Study methodology
Results and discussion
Summary and Conclusions
Further research

1. Introduction
Purpose of the presentation
Report on a study of employers' perspectives on
writing inaccuracy of ESL employees and the
implications for academia.

Rationale for the study

Many ESL students have no interest in improving
writing accuracy (Ferris, 2002, 2011) because they
lack confidence in writing competence
rely too much on institutional support, and/or
have academic faculty not emphasizing language
accuracy while focusing on content (e.g., Hoare & Hu,
2012; Hu, 2000, 2010; Hyland, 2013).

However, as ESL writing instructors and/or

researchers, many of us believe writing accuracy is
important. How can ESL students and university
faculty be persuaded to pay attention to student
writing problems?

Ferris (2002, 2011) calls for research to explore

the views of prospective employers on
inaccurate and unclear writing to raise ESL
student and faculty consciousness of the
importance of language accuracy.

Studies on error gravity in terms non-academic

readers views prior to Ferris (2002) (e.g., Beason,
2001; Hairston,1998; Leonard & Gilsdorf,1990)
suggested that non-academics have an unfavorable
view of writing errors. E.g.,

Beason (2001): Although errors can impede meaning,

a more complex and equally important problem is how
readers use errors to construct a negative image of a
writer or organization (p. 58).

However, little research has pursued this issue

since 2001, especially re. ESL writing. Our study
responds to Ferris' call and contributes to the
research by examining employers' perspectives on
writing inaccuracy of ESL employees.

2. Research Questions
1. What are the expectations of employers regarding writing
accuracy of ESL employees?
2. What language problems do employers believe ESL
employees have in work-related writing?
3. How might writing inaccuracy affect the career opportunities
and success of ESL employees?

4. What are the implications for academia?

Defining terms
Language problems include those in the following categories:
grammar, vocabulary
spelling, punctuation, upper/lower cases
Academic/professional writing style (Hu, 2011), avoiding
a. contracted forms, e.g., isnt
b. colloquial expressions
c. choppy sentences, i.e., Ss w/ < 10 words each, in a row
clear expressions
concise expressions
Grammatical
Accuracy

Pragmatic
Appropriateness
On 3 dimensions of grammar, see
Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman (1999, p. 4).

Semantic
Clarity

3. Study Methodology
The study employed semi-structured indepth qualitative individual interviews with
ten managers and executives representing
six institutions in a small city and four
institutions in a metropolitan area in
Western Canada in 2012-2013.

Participants
Table 1: Administrators and executives interviewed
Participant Institution Type

Position

Gender

ESL Employees

Tourism

Manager

Female

Banking

Manager

Male

High tech

President

Male

Medical service

Director

Female

4+

High tech

HR Manager

Female

12

Law

HR Director

Female

20-25

Architecture

Managing Director

Female

Consulting Services HR Manager

Female

10

Education
Counseling

Associate Director

Male

High tech

IT Manager

Male

15+

4. Results and Discussion

1.1 What kinds of writing do ESL employees need to do for work?

Table 2
Part.

Institution

Kinds of Writing

Tourism

Report, website update, Facebook update, press release

draft, client business letters, newsletter articles, emails

High Tech 1

Internal emails, technical reports for products, drawings &

descriptions of drawing

Medical service

Handwritten notes in point form, clear & concise notes

High Tech 2

Basic emails, specification documents, point form notes &

diagrams, reports, ppt presentations, instant messaging

Law

Written communication, i.e. legal court documents

Architecture

Email, meeting minutes, design documents

Consulting Serv

Technical report writing, emails, memos, business writing

Ed Counseling

Emails, newsletters, online and print edition orientation

booklets

High Tech 3

Emails, procedural steps, status reports, error reports

1.2 What are your expectations or standards for their writing re. language
quality? Same for both ESL and NES employees?
Table 3

Part. Institution

Writing Expectations/Standards

Tourism

On par with NES; able to work independently

Banking

Error free; errors impact company negatively

High Tech 1 Higher standards than average when communicating

with the public; for internal documents, ability to
communicate message is most important

Medical
service

High Tech 2 When dealing with customers, the requirements are

higher. In tech support positions language proficiency is
more flexible.

Law

Standards are high for patient safety, e.g., in

documentation, email, assessment tools

Standards are high; for lawyers, we expect perfection.

1.3 Do you think writing correctly and clearly is important for success?
Table 4

Part. Institution Importance of Writing Correctly & Clearly

A

Tourism

Yesto constantly correct grammar adds more to the

workload of the (other) staff.

Banking

Yes, for external emails and loan-notes.

High Tech
1

Yes, very much. Includes grammar, lang. form, content &

ideas.

Medical
Service

Yes, the most common issue is we cant read the writing

[due to spelling, grammar, meaning problems] or
understand the abbreviations. Critical: clear
communication for patient care.

High Tech
2

To excel in the job and to excel in your career, most likely.

For a software developer, its less about communicating in
writing; its more oral and the quality of your work.

Consulting

Absolutely. Writing is our deliverable.

1.4 Do you think the ESL employees should write work-related English
with accuracy?
Table 5

Part. Institution Work-related English with Accuracy

A

Tourism

All areas are very important. Newsletters and articles

require employees to perform at high levels to maintain a
good image of the company.

Law

Yes. Its reflective of our work product overall. If a document

is filed in court with one digit or letter off, then it doesnt get
accepted. The implications are great in our environment.

Architecture

No. Wed like them to do as best they can. I expect them to

strive to improve over time.

Consulting
services

Yes. If they cant, then we dont typically hire them. We are

International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
certified; thats part of our quality system.

High Tech
3

Yes. It allows you to communicate more effectively and

makes everything more efficient.

1.5 If you have/had ESL employees, is/was their ability to write English correctly
and clearly ever a problem for them and/or you?
Table 6
Part. Institution

Ability to Write English Correctly & Clearly

Tourism

Yes, poor English standards (probably at grade 4/5 level); negative

impacts on work quality; negative influences to hire ESL students;
resumes not the best method.

Medical
Service

Yes. Report writing concernsspelling and grammar mistakes

not thorough enough.

Consulting
Services

Weve had to let people go because weve tried and tried and tried.
They had really good technical skills and we thought we could
teach them writing.

Education
Counseling

Yes. A co-op student built our online orientation. He had great

technical skills but poor English. This created problems down the
road because it was more effort to fix it than it was to just start from
scratch.

High Tech 3

Yes. Most of the errors are verbal; however, I have asked some
people to rewrite reports because of style issues, i.e. they didnt
write to the correct audience.

1.6 If you have/had ESL employees with writing problems, what types of
language problems do/did they have?
Table 7
Part. Institution Types of writing problems
B

Banking

Grammar, vocabulary, punctuation, idiomatic expressions and

professional writing style were all problems with the email
correspondence. Word order, clarity.

High Tech 1

#1: vocabulary, #2: grammar

High Tech 2

Clear expressions.

Law

Grammar and tense usage Singular vs. plural Clarity

Architecture Its usually grammar it might be vocabulary and spelling.

Professional writing style Clear expressions.

Education
Counseling

Grammar Vocabulary Professional writing style (i.e. informal,

abbreviations)

High Tech 3

Style issues, i.e. using jargon. Some vocabulary problems with

word choice, punctuation, grammar. Professional writing style
including writing for the appropriate audience.

1.7 Would you consider NOT hiring ESL employees in the future who make
frequent or systematic errors in English writing?
Table 8

Part. Institution

Not hiring ESL Employees

Tourism

Yes, because of past experience.

Banking

Yes. If there are errors in the content spelling, word

choice then those resumes are discarded. Attention to
detail is a red flag.

High Tech 1

For certain jobs, yes, for public and website jobs. For
internal, technical jobs, I dont have an issue.

Medical
Service

Significant concerns may lead to termination but most

likely would start with a learning plan.

High Tech 2

Yes, for grammar issues. For everything else it would

depend on the position.

Law

Yes, we would consider not hiring. Its [language

proficiency] a requirement of the job.

1.8 What would you suggest universities and university instructors do re.
language errors in ESL student writing?
Table 9
Part. Institution Suggestions to universities
B

Banking

Academic professors shouldnt be required to spend extra

time on language errors but it would be very helpful for
students with the goal of finding employment in Canada. For
students trying to integrate into Canadian companies, its an
essential tool for them to write and communicate effectively;
therefore, its time well-invested for professors to focus on
language errors.

High Tech
1

Yes because its important for employability. The university

experience should be more than the raw subject material,
should focus both on subject matter and written language
The point of university is to prepare students for jobs;
therefore, they should be learning the skills to communicate
effectively in the workplace.

"I think were being pushed

more and more to prepare
our students for the job
market (Harriet Lewis, May
21, 2014, University
Affairs).

5. Summary and Conclusions

Research Question

1. What are the expectations of employers

regarding writing accuracy of ESL

employees

Study results indicate employers mostly maintain the same

writing standards for ESL employees as for native English
speakers.
Resumes containing inaccurate or unclear writing often are
discarded during screening.
ESL employees are expected to write accurate standard
English in communication with the external world
(minor errors are often tolerated in internal
communication, e.g., emails.)
ESL employees are generally expected to complete writing tasks
with minimal assistance from colleagues.

Research Question

2. What language problems do employers

believe ESL employees have in workrelated writing?

 The interviewees were varied in

responses reflecting different writing
contexts. However, some problems noted
were grammar, vocabulary, punctuation,
idiomatic expressions and professional
writing style, word order, clarity.

Research Question

3. How might writing inaccuracy affect

the career opportunities and success
of ESL employees?

 ESL employees who write inaccurate or

unclear English may:
have difficulty finding certain employment
be dismissed
be offered a learning plan
have limited opportunities for advancement
assigned roles dealing with internal
colleagues only or requiring limited
language skills.

Research Question

4. What are the implications for

academia?

The study suggests that since employers often hold

writing quality expectations for ESL employees on
par with native English speakers, ESL students need
to develop competent writing skills.
ESL and academic faculty should try to help ESL
students improve writing accurately and clearly (see
Hu, 2010).
Universities should provide adequate resources for
the writing center to help ESL students help
themselves (see also Hoare & Hu, 2013).

6. Further Research
Future research will include surveys and more
interviews, ideally representing more varied
industries that hire ESL graduates.
Further research may also involve academia to
consider the possibility of implementing employers
suggestions.

THANKS
to Alana Hoare and Joel Heng Hartse for helping with the
research project.

Jim Hu
jhu@tru.ca

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