Do our employees understand what we write?

Abstract

States that the workplace is becoming an increasingly stern taskmaster in its demands for literate employees. However, employees may be moving in the opposite direction, resulting in a so‐called “literacy gap”. To make progress towards eliminating this gap, it is necessary, first, to investigate the extent of the problem, or whether there truly is a problem. This is the purpose of this exploratory study, which seeks to focus on the identification of the problem. Using various readability indices, the study examines examples of a typical organization’s reading expectations in terms of grade and difficulty levels. Representative samples from high school textbooks are examined to ascertain the existence of a reading level gap. Three particular readability indices are selected for use. The methodology utilized involves the transcription of selected pieces of both job‐ and education‐specific literature. Each piece is analysed using the readability indices, with resulting measurements of readability providing some indication of the assumed educational level of the reader.

Voluntary Narrative Disclosures by Local Governments: A Comparative Analysis of the Textual Complexity of Mayoral and Chairpersons’ Letters in Annual Reports

“…A high percentage of the general public would be likely to be considered unsophisticated in terms of their understanding of accounting information and narrative disclosures in annual reports, potentially placing them at a disadvantage if such reports exhibit low reading ease. However, readers are more likely to persist when a document is more readable (Nale, Rauch and Barr 1998; Klare 2000; DuBay 2004).…”