International Religious Holidays in March 2013

Happy March!

Lion or lamb?  So far snow storms across the country have pounded any glimmer of spring out of our minds, but it's around the corner.  We promise!  This year March is packed full of special religious holidays that your co-workers or clients may be celebrating.

It's nice to be aware of special events, as well as be sensitive to those who may be expressing their religious devotion on certain dates.  Here's what this month looks like:

 
 

Traditional holidays

8 March:

International Women's Day

The day was commemorated for the first time in 1911. At a meeting in Copenhagen in 1910, the Socialist International established a Women's Day to honor the movement for women's rights and to build support for achieving universal suffrage for women.

 

21 March: Norouz  

This festival of Persians, Kurds and Bahai. Eggs and evergreen plants serve as symbols of life, continuity, and eternity. On this day Alevi also celebrate the birth of Ali who was born in Mecca on the first day of spring or Norouz in 598/9 AD. Ali ibn Abi Talib was a cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad.

 

 

 

Christianity
 

24 March: Palm Sunday

   

28 March: Holy Thursday/Maundy Thursday

 

Catholic Christians commemorate the anniversary of the institution of the Eucharist by Jesus at the Last Supper and of the washing of the disciples' feet which is symbolically reenacted in many churches as a sign of humility.

 

 

29 March: Good Friday

Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus, when He sacrificed Himself for man's redemption.

 

30 March: Holy Saturday

A Catholic mass without bells or organ music.

 

31 March: Easter Sunday

The most holy of Christian sacred days. The day commemorates the resurrection of Jesus and the victory of life over death. Customs: the Easter Vigil is held in the night of Holy Saturday, the Easter candle is sanctified and lit. The Easter Bunny and Easter eggs are a commercial aspect of the holiday that has become a children's tradition. 

 

 

Hinduism
 

27 March: Holi

Holi is a colourful spring festival and commemorates the rescue of Prince Prahlad from a fire pyre where his sister Holi had taken him. A bonfire is lit to signify the burning of Holika and to thank Lord Vishnu for his good deed. Ashes from the bonfire are marked on worshippers as a sign of inner cleansing.

 

 

Judaism
 

26 March to 2 April: Pesah/Passover

The feast of unleavened bread is dedicated to the celebration of the deliverance of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. At the Seder, a unique dinner ceremony, Jews commemorate the "pass over" when God would send the Angel of Death to kill the firstborn males but would see that the Israelites had marked their houses with lambs' blood and would command his angel to "pass over", to kill no one there. (All Jewish holidays begin at sundown on the previous day.)


To learn more about improving your workplace, visit us at Workplace ESL Solutions!

Congrats Grads!

Congratulations to some of our most recent class graduates! We love teaching!


(Hotel Spanish Course at the Cosmopolitan Hotel)

                         (Business Writing Course at Circus Circus Hotel)


We would love to help YOUR company by improving guest and employee communication in English and Spanish!  To get a customized program to fit your company's needs, contact ronna @workplaceesl.com or go to http://www.workplaceesl.com

Workplace ESL Solutions featured in Vegas Inc magazine

Workplace ESL Solutions was recently featured in Vegas Inc magazine, as well as online .  Below are some excerpts from the interview with Ronna Timpa, owner and founder of Workplace ESL Solutions:

                   (Ronna Timpa teaching an English class at Circus Circus)
                                           Photo credits to Leila Navidi   


Workplace ESL Solutions improves the lives of thousands of people by offering effective language training.  When non-English speaking workers gain the confidence and ability to communicate in English, their whole world opens up. They can better communicate with customers and co-workers.

Workplace ESL Solutions focuses on presenting, practicing and using language for realistic communication tasks that meet the immediate everyday needs of the learner. The results are more employee confidence, a greater level of competency throughout the workplace, employees with great control over their day-to-day work situations, and employees with an increased level of commitment to their organizations.

We offer ESL (English as a Second Language), Spanish, Cantonese, business writing, train-the-trainer courses and translations and interpretations.
Workplace ESL Solutions operates in three states and sells its textbooks — “Hotel English,” “Workplace English” and “Workplace Spanish” — to bookstores, colleges, individuals and adult schools around the country and internationally. Our latest venture is “Online Hotel ESL Program,” developed in partnership with Vegas PBS.

Who are your customers?
Eighty percent of our customers are from the hospitality and gaming industry sector. Twenty percent are from the manufacturing, health care and construction industries.

What makes your business unique?
We customize language training to the unique needs of the company and the participants. The learner walks out of the classroom being able to say what he or she needs to be able to say in order to be more successful at their jobs.
For ESL, learners learn workplace language, confidence, speaking skills, etiquette, pronunciation and American culture. This also applies to participants learning workplace Spanish or Cantonese. The tailored instruction assures results that provide our clients a measurable return on investment.

What is your business philosophy?
We motivate our learners to be excited about learning. Learning is more effective when you are enjoying the process. We show them how being enthusiastic in the workplace will lead to success both at work and at home. We want them to know that learning English will help them better achieve their professional goals.

What’s the most important part of your job?
The most important part of my job is to impart enthusiasm and confidence onto our learners.  The second most important part is highlighting the skill set of entry-level workers. You will find doctors from Bulgaria, accountants from Bosnia, attorneys from Mexico and others working in the public areas and housekeeping. These hard working immigrants bring an amazing skill set that allows them to contribute greatly to the success of their employers.

What is the hardest part about doing business in Las Vegas?
Lately, the hardest part has been reduced budgets that do not allow companies to give their employees training to help them better serve their customers. These employees are the “sales force” of the organization.

What is the best part about doing business in Las Vegas?
The best part is the diversity in the workforce. In one ESL class, you might have 12 different countries represented by 25 participants.  Right now, I have a class at the Venetian with the following countries represented: Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, El Salvador, Thailand, Serbia, Cuba, Honduras and Nicaragua. How amazing for them to be learning together and with each other!

What obstacles has your business overcome?
We overcame the obstacle of lower training budgets by adding two new broader profit centers. We started business writing workshops and tutoring, which have been very successful.  In addition, we partnered with Vegas PBS to develop an online hotel ESL program. We wanted to reach more non-English speaking workers in hotels where there were limited training budgets or not enough employees to form a class.

In addition, with the economy, many entry-level workers are working two jobs, so the ability to take an online class on their own time has been exciting.

How can Nevada improve its business climate?
By continuing to recognize and honor the diversity among employees in organizations. Embracing the differences and building on what we have in common helps us grow with each other and foster success in the workplace.

What have you learned from the recession?
Now, more than ever, it is imperative that we offer services and products that help a company with its strategic and succession planning goals. Our training has to not only add value, but its results also have to be measurable.
It’s not enough that employees enjoy our classes. The success and value of the training has to demonstrate a return on investment.

Keep Those Happy Testimonials Coming!

For over 20 years Workplace ESL Solutions never did any advertising because terrific word-of-mouth referrals kept us so busy!   Our excellent reputation is what continues to make us grow and succeed, but now with all this fun social media like this blog and Facebook, we just have to share!

Here are just a few kind words some previous customers had to say about us.  We'd love to hear from YOU too!

The classes were very well structured and provided great information and study materials. The instructor was magnificent and very engaging with our entire staff.

Sherri Ohanian-Ulrich
Vice President of
Human Resources
Monte Carlo Resort & Casino

The level of competence and professionalism displayed by your instructors while presenting both Workplace Spanish and Intermediate Workplace Spanish is certainly noteworthy. You and your staff should be applauded as you are truly deserving as one who “exceeds” the standards.

Eddie V. Bryant
HR Training Manager
City of North Las Vegas

Some of our corporate clients who highly recommend us are:

• MGM Resorts International
• The Cosmopolitan Hotel
• The City of Henderson
• The Station Casinos in Las Vegas
• The Aladdin Hotel and Casino  
• Par 3 Landscaping
• Cover-All Flooring
• Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors
• LeapFrog
• Mirage Hotel & Casino
• Ryland Homes
• Hampton Inn
• Terra Contracting
• The Palms Hotel & Casino
• Lake Las Vegas
• Aristocrat Technologies, Inc
• City of North Las Vegas
• PBS
•  Monte Carlo Casino

 Thank you to all of our wonderful customers!  What can we do to add YOU to the list?  Check out our services and feel free to call us for a free consultation on how you can improve your company with our help!  We also offer FREE workshops of various kinds so you can watch us in action and decide if our style is right for your company or business. 

Making A Difference In People's Lives

Workplace ESL Solutions has enjoyed an excellent reputation for over 20 years for offering classes that truly make a difference in people's lives.  Our Workplace ESL class is a perfect example.  Companies who have a large international staff hire us to help their employees learn English better and improve workplace success.

Our students learn more than English - they gain a new sense of accomplishment and confidence to be able to live and work and succeed in the United States, their new country.  Families and co-workers come to cheer on graduates and more often than not, many happy tears of gratitude are shed.  We're so proud of our graduates! 

                          
(This is our most recent class of graduates from MGM Resorts International!  They just graduated yesterday!)


Workplace ESL offers customizable classes for employees in several different industries:

• General Workplace ESL
  Employees will emerge from this course with enhanced English communications skills and the ability to communicate with a wider range of people, from co-workers to other employees. 
• Workplace ESL for Construction
  Through this Workplace ESL course tailored specifically towards the construction industry, we'll help your employees achieve a higher level of communication project-wide. 
• Workplace ESL for Hospitals
  When the housekeeping staff is better able to communicate with patients and their visitors, a hospital can create a better experience in trying times for those facing health concerns. 
• Workplace ESL for Hotels
  With our course designed specifically for hotels, your staff will be well on their way to greater levels of workplace confidence, enhanced communication skills, and feel they are an integral part in the overall guest experience.
• Workplace ESL for Laundry Facilities
  With the course designed specifically for laundry facilities, your crew will enjoy an enhanced ability to communicate in English resulting in fewer errors, timely machinery malfunction alerts, and a facility that operates with a higher level of efficacy.  

We're happy to create a special class for YOUR company!
Feel free to visit our web site for more details or call for a free consultation!

Helping employees become US citizens

Happy 4th of July!!

There is always a surge of patriotism in July, as Americans celebrate Independence Day and pause to remember the founding of this great country.  

Does your company have employees who are working towards citizenship?  Any business who has employees who are preparing for their citizenship exam should consider hosting a Workplace ESL Solutions' Citizenship Preparation Course!

Show your eligible employees that you're as invested as they are in the process of their U.S. Citizenship interview by offering them the opportunity for qualified and focused instruction on relevant subject matter through their work place.  

Employees passing the citizenship exam will not only appreciate you, but have an increased sense of loyalty and pride that they bring with them each day to the workplace.

What do you do to help your international employees feel at home here in the good 'ole USA?  How do you help them learn about America?
We'd love to hear your ideas!

For more information, go to:  www.workplaceesl.com

10 Tips for Getting the Most Out of LinkedIn for your Business

Here at Workplace ESL we're all about helping employees become more successful at their jobs.  We train managers and supervisors to be better leaders and motivators.  In fact, on our web site you'll see our mantra "Workplace ESL: Making Success the Common Language!" 

We like to teach employees and managers about tools that improve communication, so it would be natural for us to talk about LinkedIn, a social networking tool online where professionals can gather and discuss solutions to common problems.

Below is our list of the Top Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn effectively with your company:

 

  

• 1. Make sure your profile is public, so that even non-LinkedIn-users can find you.
• 2. Publish your LinkedIn profile on business cards, email signatures and your website.
• 3. When you invite people to connect, don't use the generic personal note supplied - write your own unique invitation to more effectively engage a connection.
• 4. Use relevant keywords throughout your profile.
• 5. Frequently answer question posts from other users; this helps to brand you as a knowledge leader in your field.
• 6. Offer to write recommendations for your connections - don't just ask for them. It's more sincere, and more effective for gathering positive recommendations.
• 7. Don't connect with people just to get something from them or to ask a favor; offer to do something for them, like make introductions, write recommendations, etc. Sincerity counts, even online!
• 8.  Join some of the terrific industry groups to connect with even more people in your field. 
• 9.  Keep it professional; share your personal pictures on Facebook or some other social network. 
• 10. Be sure to "friend" our Workplace ESL Solutions teachers and staff!   

For more ideas on how you can improve the effectiveness of your business, go to: 
www.WorkplaceESL.com 

Hotel English Online Joins Forces with PBS

Workplace ESL and PBS have combined to create a NEW online course for Hotel English! 

This course contains very specific vocabulary to help hotel employees better communicate in English as their second language.  It can fit into anyone's schedule because it can be done online at home at the student's convenience!

Students will be able to begin speaking English on their very first day and will find that the material easily fits into their everyday work experience.
                           

Here is what some of our customers had to say about the program:
 

"...an excellent job developing curriculum, training volunteers, reviewing electronic and Internet resources and providing professional development for the Nevada Literacy Coalition."

Literacy Coordinator
Nevada Literacy Coalition

After 10 weeks, there was a major change in housekeeping employees confidence and ability to speak English to customers and co-workers. 

Director of Housekeeping
MGM Grand Hotel & Casino

"instrumental in raising the level of customer service and teamwork .... Starting with an in-depth needs analysis and department interviews, through their custom-designed curriculum and follow-up, the services were innovative, intensive... and fun!

Training &
Development Specialist
Harveys Resort Hotel & Casino

"Hotel English Online is a phenomenal learning instrument for the hospitality industry by teaching the words and phrases workers will use most frequently in their jobs." 

                                                                              Doris "Connie" Garzon-Bernal      

                                                        C.B.A. Site Manager and UCF Business Incubator 

                                                                       Daytona Beach International Airport

 

 To learn more about this terrific new English tool, please visit our site at  http://www.hotelenglishonline.org/