[lg policy] English-Only Language Policies in the Workplace

[Dennis Baron]

Note that the bill referred to in this article, Tennessee SB 2753,  
passed the senate but not the house, and was sent to wherever dead  
bills go in Tennessee.

The language of the bill gave a nod to EEOC requirements that language  
can only be specified if it is a business necessity, and it exempted  
not just language used on breaks but also casual conversations between  
employees. However it did say that English could be required for  
safety (also EEOC-compliant), though it left the notion of safety very  
vague.  In any case, for now, it's a non-issue.

DB
____________________
Dennis Baron
Professor of English and Linguistics
Department of English
University of Illinois
608 S. Wright St.
Urbana, IL 61801

office: 217-244-0568
fax: 217-333-4321

http://www.illinois.edu/goto/debaron

read the Web of Language:
http://www.illinois.edu/goto/weboflanguage








On Jun 27, 2010, at 10:44 AM, Harold Schiffman wrote:

> English-Only Language Policies in the Workplace
>
> June 26th, 2010 ·
>
> The US state of Tennessee has recently approved a bill which allows
> employers to stipulate that their workers must only speak English
> while at work. However, can it be considered legitimate for UK
> employers to enforce and English-only policy in the workplace? In
> Tennessee, the new legislation allows employers to demand that their
> employees speak English at work when there is “a legitimate business
> necessity” for them to do so. This would include such reasons as
> safety and efficiency. Throughout the state, however, concerns have
> been raised that some employers may interpret the new laws to mean
> that they can require English to be spoken in more situations than the
> legislation actually permits. For example, the bill specifically
> states that employees cannot be required to speak only English while
> they are on a break.
>
> In UK law, the principles behind an English-only policy in the
> workplace are much the same. In order to avoid the potential for race
> discrimination claims, UK employers should ensure that any
> English-only policy can be justified as a proportionate means of
> achieving a legitimate business aim. Therefore, while justifying the
> requirement for employees to speak English to customers and colleagues
> in the workplace is straightforward, a blanket ban on casual
> conversations or conversations during break times in other languages
> should be avoided.
>
>
> http://legal-news.ashbycohen.co.uk/discrimination/english-only-language-policies-in-the-workplace/
>
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