Can an employer require you to speak English?

Federal law prohibits employers from requiring employees to speak fluent English unless fluency is necessary in order to perform the job. For instance, someone who is interviewing for a job as a telemarketer may be required to speak fluent English in order to communicate with the people they speak to on the phone.

How do you overcome language discrimination?

Avoiding Linguistic Discrimination through Sensitivity

Adapt your vocabulary to the level of your listener.
Use jargon sparingly.
Use slang that is appropriate to the listeners and situation.
Use inclusive language.
Use non-offensive language.

Can I speak in my own language at work?

Prohibiting someone from speaking in their own / native / mother tongue is likely to be direct race discrimination, unless it was done for a reason unconnected to their race. Colleagues speaking another language at work when not everyone can join in probably wouldn’t be direct discrimination, but could be harassment.

Do you have to speak the same language as your supervisor?

It is also easier to supervise employees where both the supervisor and his team speak the same language when they are working. Employees may also need to speak only in English when they are attending to customers, as little will be accomplished if the two cannot understand each other.

Can a company discipline an employee for speaking a foreign language?

The employer may not take any disciplinary action such as firing, fining or even suspending an employee who speaks in a foreign language, if she was not aware that it was against company policy. The employee can then file a claim with the EEOC and use the lack of sufficient notice as supporting evidence or to refute an employer’s actions.

Can a company restrict the use of foreign languages?

In spite of that, the EEOC only allows this imposition on the employees’ freedom if the employer produces sufficient evidence to justify the claim of safety in the workplace. The employer may restrict the use of foreign languages and require employees to speak English only to enhance efficiency in the workplace.

Can you tell employees to not speak a different language?

The EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) is a federal agency that provides answers to questions about discrimination in the workplace related to employees on the basis of natural origin. Perhaps an employee communicates with customers in his native language as part of his regular job duties, but most of his co-workers only speak English.

Can a person be fired for speaking a foreign language?

But there are cases when you can sue an employer for enforcing the English-only rule in the workplace or firing employees for their use of foreign language or accent. There are many job positions in Los Angeles and elsewhere in California where it is not illegal to list “English fluency” as one of the job requirements.

Are there laws against speaking another language at work?

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) classifies rules against speaking in another language at work to be violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.