The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, using

authority it has had for more than a quarter-century, sued

the Salvation Army last year over its requirement that

employees in its office in Framingham, Mass., speak only

English on the job — a requirement that cost two Spanish-

speaking clothing sorters their jobs. The suit has landed in

the middle of the virulent national debate

over immigration and assimilation.

“Hot and bothered” would be a way to describe the

political climate of the issue, said Reed Russell, legal

counsel of the E.E.O.C.

Under the Civil Rights Act, rules limiting which languages

can be spoken in a workplace are allowed only if they are

non-discriminatory and if they serve a clear business or

safety purpose. In 2004, the Salvation Army decided to

enforce an English-only rule after the sorters had been

working in the Framingham store for several years, the

commission’s complaint said. The commission found no

such reason for the limitation. A Salvation Army

spokesman declined to comment on the specifics of the

case, which is pending, but the organization says it

believes there is no legal basis for the suit.

“This bill’s not about affecting people’s lunch hour or

coffee break — it’s about protecting the rights of

employers to ensure their employees can communicate

with each other and their customers during the working

Certainly, safety issues arise in some workplaces. The

Federal Aviation Administration, for example,

requires air traffic controllers to “be able to speak

English clearly enough to be understood over radios,

intercoms, and similar communications equipment.”

Managers may also need employees who can speak

English to English-speaking customers. And they may

hear complaints if English-speaking employees say

they feel excluded or gossiped about when colleagues

converse in another language. Such situations, in

fact, gave rise to English-only rules in the first place.

“When employers call, asking if they can implement

English usage rules, it’s usually because they have

safety concerns,” said Wendy Krincek, a lawyer at

Littler Mendelson, an employment law firm. “Or they

have Spanish speakers and non-Spanish-speaking

employees think they’re being talked about, or

supervisors only speak English and they are

monitoring how people speaking Spanish interact

with co-workers and customers. You’ve got to show a

business necessity.”

Job for English English for job

MEMBERS of Congress are battling, Blogs are trading complaints. Conservative commentators are grumbling about government overreaching into the workplace.

Why the fuss ?MInsight:

*English for Job Job for English

*Just for laughs

Today’s reader. Tomorrow’s leader.

But from a management standpoint, these rules should be a

last resort.

Good management depends on communication in every

direction. If some employees are more comfortable speaking

a language other than English, particularly over lunch or

during breaks, and it has no effect on customers or safety or

ability to function, it is hard to see the purpose of cutting that

off. It is also hard to see how conversing in a foreign

language is more off-putting than endless tapping on a

BlackBerry.

Nonetheless, in a study of Latina executives published last

October by the Centre for Work-Life Policy, many said they

refrained from speaking Spanish at work because they felt

that doing so would hurt them professionally.

One respondent, a Dominican marketing executive at a

consumer products company, said her company discouraged

her from speaking Spanish to Latin American customers —

even though, she said, it helped her build relationships with

them.

Wachovia, the bank based in Charlotte, N.C., has some

experience, albeit indirect, with English-only rules. In the

1990s, First Union, a bank later acquired by The Equal

Employment Opportunity Commission, using authority it has

had for more than a quarter-century, sued the Salvation

Army last year over its requirement that employees in its

office in Framingham, Mass., speak only English on the job —

a requirement that cost two Spanish-speaking clothing

sorters their jobs. The suit has landed in the middle of the

virulent national debate over immigration Wachovia, was

Our receptionist is terrific at ensuring employee's special events are marked with a greeting card, signed by staff. Most occasions are birthdays, but recently a sympathy card did the rounds when someone's father died. An employee was on his way out the door when he swiftly scrawled a message. "Here's to another one," he wrote blithely, "with many more to come!"

ALL in a Day’s WOrk

[JUST FOR LAUGHS]

Now Hiring

Get hired with English. Likeaboss.Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work

~Aristotle~Quote of the day