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Verizon Adopts Informal English-Only Policy; Co-Workers Who Don’t Speak Spanish Feel Left Out

Phillip Dampier August 28, 2013 Consumer News, Public Policy & Gov't, Verizon 6 Comments

speak englishVerizon executives in Florida are telling workers that speaking Spanish on the job is unfair to the company’s English-only workers who feel excluded.

The Tampa Tribune reports the telecom company took the unusual step of asking employees to stick to English while on the job after an employee at a Verizon dispatch center felt left out while co-workers chatted away in Spanish.

“Generally, we tell employees they can speak Spanish (or any other language) on break, lunch or any time away from the work area,” a Verizon spokesperson said in a statement.

But the spokesman added that when employees are on the dispatch center floor or other work setting, they should speak English, promoting “positive employee relations.”

Verizon-logoThe implication is that speaking Spanish in front of other workers who speak only English is discourteous and uncomfortable because, as Verizon says, it can create feelings of separation versus inclusion.

A cultural affairs liaison for Hillsborough County says the controversy is common in Florida where a large Spanish-speaking population resides and works. Tony Morejon told the newspaper it comes as a result of friction between cultures.

It’s a touchy subject for companies that value their multilingual employees, often used to communicate with customers and to market products and services to a wider audience. Telling them to speak Spanish at certain times but not others can create resentment, said Morejon.

It can also place a company squarely in the center of the language-culture wars, with one side promoting language diversity and others demanding English as the one official language of the United States.

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GPSpector
GPSpector
10 years ago

“with one side promoting language diversity and others demanding English as the one official language of the United States.”? I do not see Verizon demanding anything of the sort. What I see is a smart move within their company. If you think about it, they know upon hiring someone that the one thing all employees have in common is, they can all speak English and that not all employees can speak Spanish or another language. With 1 language in common, that should be the language encouraged. I see Morejon just using a psychology trick to push his way of thinking… Read more »

me
me
10 years ago
Reply to  GPSpector

Having been the ‘odd guy out’, twice, it is demoralizing. They even all spoke english. They just decided not to like me. It would be wildly easier to talk crap about people if they do not speak the same lang. If you want a functioning work environment everyone must be able to talk to each other without a hint of “what sort of crap will they be saying ‘behind my back’ in front of me”. 1 ‘poison’ person can ruin a functioning group very quickly. I unfortunately have had to learn the skill of getting in front of them and… Read more »

John Passaniti
Admin
10 years ago
Reply to  me

Yep, they could be talking crap about you. So could your English-only coworkers who are doing the same thing only with a closed office door, or in another part of the building. What is the effective difference between someone using language to hide the fact they’re talking crap about you and someone using an acoustic barrier or distance?

John Passaniti
Admin
10 years ago
Reply to  GPSpector

It has been commonality of purpose, not of culture, that created this country. Shared goals and and common vision doesn’t require you give up your cultural identity and jump into some bland homogenization of a “melting pot.” Indeed, if you want to know why some groups want to “push our differences” it’s because of a sense of loss over culture. I always though the Canadian cultural metaphor was far better– a mosaic. Step backward and you see the whole as a singular coherent thing. Step forward and you see it’s made up of lots of individual pieces. I don’t know… Read more »

Aaron
Aaron
10 years ago
Reply to  John Passaniti

I appreciate your optimistic view of the situation, but I would still have to side with the ‘speak English at work’ policy. Did you happen to read Enon’s comments down there? It’s not just about “talking crap about you” either right in front of you or in another room, it is about feeling excluded and it is about group morale. Some people who are fluent in other languages use this method intentionally, they form a clique and speak a foreign language simply to dissuade the English speaking guy from interacting with them. But you suggest getting these folks to review… Read more »

Enon
Enon
10 years ago

For this. I’m a bi-lingual immigrant, hopefully eventually a citizen. English is THE language of the United State and I had to learn it as I went. So I know first hand what’s it like to be in an environment with a bunch of people who are talking and not having idea what they’re saying. You feel like they’re talking about you the whole time. Now, if I have anyone with me who does not speak my native language I speak English. It’s rude and inconsiderate to yap away at work or in a gathering when there are people who… Read more »

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