what's your take on employers banning the use of languages other than English between coworkers at the workplace?

Comments

• jenesaisquoi@feddit.org ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  This is completely ridiculous and also illegal where I live

  If the idiot boss is too insecure with herself she can’t bear not understanding a language then she is free to learn that language. Especially if it is Spanish in the USA, which is very widely spoken. Learning it is just common sense.

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• iamdefinitelyoverthirteen@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  It’s a common mandate in high volume manufacturing here in the US. It includes all time except for breaks.

  I worked at a place that manufactured avionics boxes and most of the assembly line were super sweet little old Vietnamese ladies. The line supervisor was an old bat white lady-- a total Karen.

  One day during our morning standup, they reinforced that it’s an English-only workplace. About an hour later, a few of the ladies were joking around in English and Karen, in her typical patronizing fake-sweet voice, reminded them that looks this is an English-only workplace. I butted in, loudly, “Karen, they ARE speaking English, you just can’t understand them.” The entire line erupted haha. Karen had her tail between her legs after that.

  The Vietnamese ladies would always brought in good ass home-cooked lunch and have a little potluck. Every. Single. Day. They invited me to eat with them after every day after that. It was awesome. I even brought in homemade American food to share, which they actually liked and appreciated. It felt good. I miss those sweet old ladies. They were so fun to be around.

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• Ryanmiller70@lemmy.zip ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I’d almost say that’s a discrimination suit waiting to happen if pretty much everywhere wasn’t “at-will employment”. My work doesn’t care what language you speak and I think HR is required to know a good amount of multiple languages cause of it. Granted most people don’t directly talk to each other here and communicate through hand signs since nobody can hear anyone anyway.

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• Greenbird@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Stupid, petty.

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• olbaidiablo@lemmy.ca ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Here in Canada rule is generally that you speak one of the two official languages when working (English or French). I would think the same thing would go for whatever other country you’re in. Official language(s) only.

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  • kandoh@reddthat.com ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    In both Canada and the USA, employers are generally not allowed to arbitrarily restrict employees from speaking their preferred language at work, except where justified by business necessity or legal requirements. However, some differences exist based on region, industry, and recent legislative changes[1][2][3][4][5].

    Canada: Official Languages and Provincial Differences

    • Canada recognizes English and French as official languages federally, and federal employees in bilingual regions have the right to work, receive services, and be supervised in their choice of English or French[3][6][7].
    • In the private sector, language is not explicitly protected under the Canadian Human Rights Act, but discrimination based on language can be challenged if it is linked to protected grounds like ethnicity, ancestry, or place of origin[1][8][9][10].
    • In most provinces, employers can require workplace proficiency in English or French if it is necessary for business operations. Prohibiting other languages (including during breaks) may be considered discriminatory unless a clear safety, communication, or business necessity exists[1][8][11].
    • Quebec has strict laws requiring the use of French in workplaces, but across the country, arbitrary “English-only” rules must be objectively justified rather than used to exclude or discriminate against employees[1][12].

    United States: Civil Rights Protections

    • As of 2025, English has been designated the official language by executive order, but federal law does not force employers to adopt “English-only” rules for all circumstances[2][4].
    • Blanket policies that ban languages other than English in the workplace are presumed illegal under EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) guidelines and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. These laws protect employees from discrimination based on national origin, which includes language[4][5][13][14][15][16].
    • Employers may only require English proficiency or impose English-only policies if there is a clear business necessity (for example, safety, effective business operations, or workplace cohesion). Any such rule must be limited in scope, justified, and consistently enforced[5][13][16].
    • Employees can generally speak their native language during breaks and non-work periods unless it interferes with business needs—targeting specific language groups or enforcing policies unequally is unlawful[4][5][14][17].

    Practical Implications

    • In both countries, requiring employees to speak English (or French in Quebec/federal Canada) must be directly related to the job, such as for customer service or safety.
    • Businesses can set reasonable language requirements but must avoid blanket bans or policies that create a hostile work environment or discriminate against employees based on their cultural or national origin[1][4][5][8].
    • Employees who face language-related discrimination may have grounds to file complaints under human rights codes or federal civil rights law, especially if language ties to protected grounds like ethnicity[1][8][9][16].

    For federal workplaces in Canada and sectors with specific language laws (like Quebec), rights to use an official language are robust[3][6][7]. In most workplaces elsewhere, business needs dictate reasonable language requirements, but arbitrary or discriminatory restrictions are unlawful in both Canada and the USA[4][5][8].

    Citations: [1] Je ne comprends pas workplace language laws in Canada www.leeworkplacelaw.com/mobile/news-article.php?i… [2] Employer Responsibilities Under Evolving Language … beankinney.com/employer-responsibilities-under-ev… [3] Official languages in the workplace www.canada.ca/en/…/workplace.html [4] Trump Declared English the Official Language. Can … norrismclaughlin.com/…/trump-declared-english-the… [5] Language Discrimination legalaidatwork.org/…/language-discrimination/ [6] Language of work - Office of the Commissioner of Official … www.clo-ocol.gc.ca/en/…/language-work [7] Official Languages Act ( RSC , 1985, c. 31 (4th Supp.)) laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/…/page-3.html [8] Fact Sheet: Language and The Human Rights Code manitobahumanrights.ca/…/factsheet_language_hrcod… [9] Policy on discrimination and language ohrc.on.ca/…/Policy_on_discrimination_and_languag… [10] Policy on discrimination and language …ohrc.on.ca/…/policy-discrimination-and-language [11] My (40F) co-workers are being asked to stop speaking their … reddit.com/…/my_40f_coworkers_are_being_asked_to_… [12] Master Canadian language laws: A guide for businesses alllanguages.com/what-are-the-language-laws-in-ca… [13] Everybody Talks: Are English-Only Workplace Policies … maynardnexsen.com/publication-everybody-talks-are… [14] Can we tell employees to not speak a different language … trinet.com/…/can-we-tell-employees-to-not-speak-a… [15] Language diversity and discrimination in the American … thesedonaconference.org/…/[8.7] Language diversit… [16] What do I need to know about…English-Only Rules? www.dol.gov/…/English-Only-Rules-Factsheet.pdf [17] [OH] Today I was asked to stop using my native language … reddit.com/…/oh_today_i_was_asked_to_stop_using_m… [18] Crossing North: A Playbook for U.S. Employers canadaemploymenthumanrightslaw.com/…/crossing-nor… [19] What do I need to know about… English-Only Rules www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam/…/english-only-rules [20] Directive on Official Languages for People Management www.tbs-sct.canada.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=26168

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• Cethin@lemmy.zip ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I could see an argument that it creates cliques and can cause issues between coworkers, especially since they may feel safe gossiping about other coworkers or things like that.

  However, I don’t agree with that. All of that can happen with everyone speaking English. I don’t think it’s an issue. I think potentially what it could be is the boss not wanting them to be able to communicate discretely. It seems like something that could be an anti-unionization move. Maybe I’m being too cynical, but that’s often what these weird rules that don’t seem logical seems to be.

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• csm10495@sh.itjust.works ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  It’s weird to me. As long as the people speaking to each other understand each other that’s what should matter. We shouldn’t limit folks.

  I once was in a meeting and was told they’ll speak Polish instead of English since I was the only non Polish speaker.

  I no longer had to attend that daily meeting so that was nice.

  Another time I was forwarded an email at work. I opened it but couldn’t understand the thread. The two people in the thread were speaking Portuguese and forgot that I didn’t.

  They then happily translated and we had a good laugh about it.

  The only time it’s uncomfortable for me is if people are talking about me, but like I have no reason to think they’re doing that so no problem.

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• Kolanaki@pawb.social ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I’ve only ever worked a single job that tried to enforce that shit, and those motherfuckers were the most racist pieces of shit I’ve had to deal with in person. They thought because I was the only white guy that I was on their side. I still wonder what they did when after the 3rd day of the season, everyone just quit and walked off an hour before lunch.

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• scarabic@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I once worked somewhere that required English for written things, because you never know who might need to read them later. But spoken conversations or even meetings in another language was okay.

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  • NovaSel@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    That sounds reasonable

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• calcopiritus@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Depending on context it might be stupid or make sense.

  At my company, which has 100% Spanish employees, we can talk among ourselves in Spanish. However, in things “for the record” such as jira tickets, git commit messages, documentation pages, they have to be in English.

  It makes no god damn sense. Nobody is going to read Jira ticket #6738 in 40 years when we are a multinational. It’s a ticket about fixing a typo in page 567 of the documentation. 100% of employees speak spanish, and some have dogshit English.

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• devolution@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Racism is expensive. Can’t wait til your former company tanks.

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• DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Big corp and their pawns wanna listen in on every conversation to stop people from talking shit about the big corp.

  Could also be xenophobia (I mean, unless its a company meeting, or some safety requirements where everyone need to know what’s happening (like inside the cockpit of a plane that has an English-only crew member, for example) otherwise its unreasonable to enforce language policies when two peoplr are just chatting.

  I find it stupid, because some of them would use Spanish to better explain to the new nurses how to do certain procedures

  Ahhh, so its on the job? Could be slightly problematic. I don’t know how your hospital/clinic works, but is it possible someone could miss important info form the converasations?

  I think some plane crashes were attributed to communication issues between ATC and the crew, sometimes its miscommunication between crew members. Also can apply in factories, warehouses, where you can get hit by a pallet of stuff, for example.

  TLDR: If its on the job, it can be reasonable depending on circumstances. If its during break/lunch, fuck no lol, speak whatever you want.

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• Pika@sh.itjust.works ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I don’t think this policy is enforceable in my state. Not that we have much of a mixed language anyway.

  I don’t think its appropriate to have as a rule in general. I can understand having a universal language for work related topics if there is someone who doesn’t speak the language present (or isn’t fluent), but a straight out ban on all other languages but the target language? that’s just unneeded and creates a hostile work environment.

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• brygphilomena@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  With the NLRB it would have been illegal in the states. A form of preventing workers from organizing.

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• Doomsider@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  It is ridiculous of course but I do have one strange anecdote about this. I have been in a lot of retirement and assisted living homes and there can be some serious tension between racist resident and their non-white caregivers when they speak there languages around them.

  One old Vietnam vet would get the fuck triggered out of him when the Filipinos would talk in Tagalog around him. They ended up making a rule that they can’t speak non-english around him. Not saying that this was right, but it was understandable.

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  • Holytimes@sh.itjust.works ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    That feels like it butts it’s head against various other laws.

    Triggering someone’s PTSD routinely could easily be considered an unsafe and abusive work environment.

    And if the employee is aware they are triggering and then keep doing it. At that point it very well could be seen as malicious.

    PTSD does not fuck around for many.

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  • Coopr8@kbin.earth ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I think in a Healthcare setting this has a lot to do with these types of rules.

    Regardless of the fact that most communications in other languages will not be this, there will almost certainly be cases where a second language is used to talk about a patient or coworker in their presence. This builds an outgroup/ingroup dynamic that can undermine confidence in healthcare outcomes and cause patient distress.

    Essentially, if some people hear another language being spoken in their presence, and especially if they are in a vulnerable state, they will assume they are being talked about disparagingly or conspired against. Avoiding causing undue distress to patients is a standard of care concern.

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• rc__buggy@sh.itjust.works ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Work related? Sure, 100% Personal conversation? Fuck that.

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• __siru__@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Let people communicate however works well for them. Especially, if it increases speed/productivity. And even if not, it will raise workplace morale, which in turn will most likely increase production again.

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• lystopad@mbin.twink.men ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  imperialistic discrimination

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• y0kai@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  For a while I was the only non-spanish speaker on a shipyard barge loading / cleaning crew. The other guys spoke varying degrees of English and I was learning Spanish. Despite the job being incredibly dangerous with huge overhead weight, cranes, massive ships on floating docks, and other heavy equipment abound, we had no real accidents and communicated well. If I didn’t need to know a thing, it was probably said in Spanish. Buy, we kept all radio comms in English, for my sake and for safety.

  We decided that, as the workers. Not because some Karen didn’t like Spanish. As long as the work is done safely and communication is timely and in a language understandable by the intended recipients there is not issue. Karen can fuck off.

  As a joke you should all go in on a copy Rosetta Stone for her.

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• RockBottom@feddit.org ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  A sign of fear. And weakness.

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• A_norny_mousse@feddit.org ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I’m pretty sure this would be straight up illegal in my country.

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  • tomjuggler@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Came here to say the same thing. The entire company would be cancelled.

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• starlinguk@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  The vacancy required German, but the department is from all over the place and we speak English a lot of the time. Nobody cares because they’re not bigoted asshats.

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• FriendOfDeSoto@startrek.website ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I kind of get it if she’s around and cannot tell if your chat is work-related or not. You could be telling your colleagues to go cut the red wire but she knows it ought to be the blue wire. She could’ve jumped in at that point to correct you, had she understood. But the bomb went off already and everybody died. I’m exaggerating the stakes here obvs.

  I would try to keep shit in English when she’s within earshot. And if she sneaked up on you while you’re practicing your Spanish, apologize, acknowledge her wishes, and tell her you were just talking about the weather or the game or whatever. She might just be nervous about you talking about her behind her back - while she’s in the room. So put her mind at ease. Don’t piss off the higher-ups unless you’re willing to lose the job.

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  • undefined@lemmy.hogru.ch ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    She might just be nervous about you talking about her behind her back

    In the US I get so tired of hearing this from other white people. I do not look like a typical Spanish speaker but I’m fluent in the language and not once have I heard anyone talking shit in Spanish around me or other white people (living in Los Angeles with Spanish all around me).

    At this point I just assume people who have this fear are just completely self-centered.

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    • calcopiritus@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      When 2 people that know a language want to talk shit about someone else that doesn’t know the language, the first thing they’ll do is speak that language.

      It’s not an unreasonable fear at all.

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    • Zexks@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      “Ive never experienced this so it cant possibly exist”

      How arrogant can you be.

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• cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I’m American in the middle of the country and I’m liable to greet you in any of like half a dozen languages. I’m the weird guy at work.

  I only speak English fluently but I’ve picked up a lot.

  I also prefer English to American English but not in all contexts. Like, have you seen how the English write maneuver? I could never. (I can spell it, but I can’t wrap my mind around that spelling.) (My iPhone changes everything to American English though.)

  I believe awareness and immersion in multiple cultures, even if it’s just one you favor, it will make a person that much more interesting.

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• AmazingAwesomator@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  my work has an english only rule when talking about work. we hire from all over the world, so making sure there is a common language is nice when i have to message someone in another country.

  non-work-related talk is whatever, though.

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  • scarabic@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I work somewhere that has two centers. One of them is not a place that speaks much English. The other is in the US. And then there are people scattered throughout the world.

    All major official communications are done in both English and the other language. They will even redub CEO announcements that were in English for the people at the other center.

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• IcedRaktajino@startrek.website ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Not sure what country, but in the US, wouldn’t that technically be illegal (at least between co-workers)? I know some places, such as call centers, won’t let you speak another language to customers without approval (for liability reasons, I assume).

  She would get very angry really fast if she heard anything in a language she didn’t understand.

  Karen es una cabrón.

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• Wytch@lemmy.zip ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  This would be a non-starter where I work and employees would sue for discrimination. Rightly so.

  We thrive on diversity. It’s crucial for customer service.

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• bacon_pdp@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  [deleted]

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  • DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Counterpoint: In the Airline Industry, Aviation English is the lingua franca, do you think pilots and ATC should quit over the language requirement?

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    • Cethin@lemmy.zip ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      That’s not really the same thing. You’re required to use English for communication critical for the flight, as a means to ensure proper communication between parties for safety. It doesn’t mean you can’t gossip between coworkers on Spanish or whatever. You have to do what’s required for the job, but the rules shouldn’t extend beyond that to effect how employees interact on non-work things.

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• birdwing@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  dumb because other places have other languages

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• Nemo@slrpnk.net ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  the responses in both threads are clearly split between those who speak one language and agree with the manager, and those who speak multiple languages and think the rule is bullshit

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  • DreasNil@feddit.nu ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I speak multiple languages, but always try to speak the language(s) that include the most people in the room. I find it very offensive when people near me speak a language that most people don’t understand, when they could have easily switched to another one, and I would never do that myself.

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  • JiminaMann@lemmy.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I speak multiple languages, live in a country that tries their god damn hardest to promote racial harmony, i still believe it would be best in most cases to keep it to 1 common language that everyone understands

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  • Lumidaub@feddit.org ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Hello, I speak more than one language and depending on the situation I can see why such a rule might make sense.

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    • iii@mander.xyz ⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Same :)

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