English-Only Workplace
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There is a notion floating around liberal circles and even government agencies like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that mandating English-only workplace environments somehow represents discrimination against non-English speaking American workers. This notion is ridiculous because the business world demands clear and understandable communications for success, both among employees and supervisors and among employees and consumers. At the turn of the twentieth century, millions of immigrants flocked to U.S. shores that could barely speak English or who spoke no English. This did not stop them from learning English and becoming upwardly mobile, primarily because they were forced to learn English to survive. The same should be true for contemporary non-English speaking Americans.The case of Richard and Shauna Kidman shows the misperception that forcing employees to speak English only in the workplace is somehow discriminatory. The KidmanÆs, owners of RD Drive-In diner, are being sued by four former Navajo employees for discrimination, aided by the EEOC, claiming the KidmanÆs attempt to implement an English-only workplace policy ôdiscriminates against Navajo-speaking employees on the basis of national originö (Feds, p. 1). Nothing could be further from the truth. The KidmansÆ efforts were based on complaints from other employees and customers about abusive language from Navajos in Navajo. Further, this complaint
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2005: http://www.people.virginia.edu/~pmc4b/spring98/readings/Mother.html, 1-3.
Waxer, Cindy. ôEnglish-only Policies Can Translate Into Problems for Employers.ö Workforce Management, 83(1), 57-59.
Title: English-only policies can translate into problems for employers ,á By: Waxer, Cindy, Workforce Management, 15475565, Jan2004, Vol. 83, Issue 1Database: Academic Search Premier
Section: The Insider
LEGAL ISSUES
English-only policies can translate into problems for employers
Some bans can be based on business necessity, but the wrong call can be extremely costly
NEARLY FIVE YEARS AGO, Lorraine Ramos was hired to work as a housekeeper at the Colorado Central Station Casino. At the time, her husband, Jorge Flores, worked the night shift at the 50,000-square-foot gaming establishment nestled in the small town of Black Hawk. But what began as a convenient work arrangement ended in anger, humiliation and a million-dollar legal settlement.
Shortly after Ramos was hired, the casino's human resources director ordered the house-keeping manager and supervisors to enforce a blanket English-only language policy in the predominantly Spanish-speaking housekeeping department. Any housekeeping employees who uttered so much as
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Amy Tan, Saratoga Institute, Educational Fund, Commission EEOC, Italian German, Shortly Ramos, EEOC English-only, Caryn Meyers, Boulet MSC, Philippines Tagalog, english-only policies, speak english, , english-only rules, employees speak, workforce management, effective communication, central station casino, business necessity, english-only workplace, policies translate, colorado central station, justifications supervision effective, low unskilled low-wage, supervision effective communication,
Approximate Word count = 2441
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)
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