What Does Low Workplace English Cost a Business?

Hiring workers with limited English is not the problem.

In many businesses, these employees are some of the hardest-working, most loyal, and most valuable people on the team.

The real problem is hiring good workers and then never giving them the English they need to communicate clearly, grow into better roles, interact with customers, understand safety expectations, and stay with the company long term.

That is where the cost begins.

Workplace English training is often treated like a nice employee benefit. But for many companies, it is much more than that. It is a workforce investment with measurable business value.

1. Turnover: About $520 per employee per year

When employees leave, companies pay to replace them.

According to SHRM’s 2025 benchmarking report, the average nonexecutive cost-per-hire is $5,475.

Language training has also been tied to better retention. Rosetta Stone reported that employers were able to attribute language learning to a 19% reduction in employee turnover.

Here is the simple math:

$5,475 average hiring cost × 50% annual turnover × 19% turnover reduction = about $520 per employee per year

For a 25-person frontline team, that is about $13,000 per year in hiring-cost savings alone.

That number does not include manager time, retraining time, lost productivity, customer disruption, or the cost of losing experienced workers who already know the company.

When employees see that the company is investing in their future, they are more likely to stay. English training tells workers, “You are not just here to fill a role. You are here to grow.”

2. Safety: Limited English is connected to higher injury-claim risk

In safety-heavy industries, communication is not optional.

Workers need to understand instructions, warnings, procedures, equipment names, chemicals, schedules, hazards, and emergency language. They also need enough English to ask questions and report problems before something goes wrong.

A Washington State study of commercial janitorial workers found that injury claims differed significantly by language preference, and that linguistic minority status was associated with longer time loss and higher median medical costs. The researchers concluded that improving communication around training and the workers’ compensation system should be a high priority.

This matters because injuries are expensive. The National Safety Council reports that the average medically consulted workplace injury costs about $48,000.

The point is not that every injury is caused by language. That would be too simplistic.

The point is that unclear communication makes safety harder. When workers cannot fully understand training, report hazards, or explain what happened, the business carries more risk.

OSHA also states that required training must be presented in language and vocabulary employees can understand. For employers, that makes language support both a safety issue and a compliance issue.

3. Workforce performance: $4,600 gained per trained worker

The strongest overall ROI number comes from workplace literacy and essential-skills training.

In the UPSKILL study, a large workplace training project in the accommodation and food services sector, employers gained about $4,600 per participant through increased revenue, productivity gains, and reduced hiring costs.

After accounting for training costs and release time, firms still saw a $577 net benefit per participant and a 23% return on investment.

This study was not only about English. It focused on workplace literacy and essential skills. But that is exactly why it matters for workplace English training.

The best English training is not generic conversation practice. It teaches the language employees need for the job: how to speak with customers, understand instructions, explain problems, ask for clarification, follow procedures, and participate more fully at work.

That kind of training does not just make employees feel better. It helps them perform better.

Other business benefits of workplace English training

The financial case is important, but the value goes beyond the three numbers.

Workplace English training can improve customer interaction. In the National Immigration Forum’s workplace English program, managers reported increased store productivity, improved customer interaction, and greater employee confidence. The program reported 89% increased store productivity, 86% improved customer interaction, and 91% increased confidence on the job.

It can also reduce dependence on one bilingual employee. Many companies quietly rely on one bilingual worker to translate instructions, solve misunderstandings, explain customer concerns, and help everyone else communicate. That person becomes a hidden communication system for the whole company. English training spreads that ability across the team.

It can make workers more promotable. A good employee with low English may be dependable, skilled, and respected, but still difficult to move into a lead role, customer-facing role, trainer role, or supervisor-track position. Better English opens more internal career paths.

It can improve confidence and participation. Workers who are afraid to speak often stay quiet even when they have questions, ideas, or concerns. When their English improves, they participate more. They ask better questions. They report problems sooner. They contribute more fully.

It can strengthen loyalty. Employees notice when a company invests in them. Language training is not just a class. It is a signal that the company sees their future.

The real ROI question

The question is not, “Can we afford English training?”

The better question is:

What is it costing us every year not to provide it?

If language training helps reduce turnover, the savings can show up in hiring costs.

If it improves safety communication, it can reduce risk.

If it improves workplace performance, the gains can show up in productivity, customer satisfaction, and employee growth.

The worker is not the cost.

Unsupported communication is the cost.

Workplace English training helps turn good employees into stronger, safer, more confident, and more valuable members of the team.