Example: several of my former coworkers are from Mexico, Peru and Argentina, meaning they share Spanish as a common language.
I used to practice Spanish with them, but my last charge (like a ward’s manager) would yell at us to stop it, use English only. She would get very angry really fast if she heard anything in a language she didn’t understand.
I find it stupid, because some of them would use Spanish to better explain to the new nurses how to do certain procedures, but maybe I’m missing something?
It’s a common mandate in high volume manufacturing here in the US. It includes all time except for breaks.
I worked at a place that manufactured avionics boxes and most of the assembly line were super sweet little old Vietnamese ladies. The line supervisor was an old bat white lady-- a total Karen.
One day during our morning standup, they reinforced that it’s an English-only workplace. About an hour later, a few of the ladies were joking around in English and Karen, in her typical patronizing fake-sweet voice, reminded them that looks this is an English-only workplace. I butted in, loudly, “Karen, they ARE speaking English, you just can’t understand them.” The entire line erupted haha. Karen had her tail between her legs after that.
The Vietnamese ladies would always brought in good ass home-cooked lunch and have a little potluck. Every. Single. Day. They invited me to eat with them after every day after that. It was awesome. I even brought in homemade American food to share, which they actually liked and appreciated. It felt good. I miss those sweet old ladies. They were so fun to be around.
I’d almost say that’s a discrimination suit waiting to happen if pretty much everywhere wasn’t “at-will employment”. My work doesn’t care what language you speak and I think HR is required to know a good amount of multiple languages cause of it. Granted most people don’t directly talk to each other here and communicate through hand signs since nobody can hear anyone anyway.
Stupid, petty.
I could see an argument that it creates cliques and can cause issues between coworkers, especially since they may feel safe gossiping about other coworkers or things like that.
However, I don’t agree with that. All of that can happen with everyone speaking English. I don’t think it’s an issue. I think potentially what it could be is the boss not wanting them to be able to communicate discretely. It seems like something that could be an anti-unionization move. Maybe I’m being too cynical, but that’s often what these weird rules that don’t seem logical seems to be.
It’s weird to me. As long as the people speaking to each other understand each other that’s what should matter. We shouldn’t limit folks.
I once was in a meeting and was told they’ll speak Polish instead of English since I was the only non Polish speaker.
I no longer had to attend that daily meeting so that was nice.
Another time I was forwarded an email at work. I opened it but couldn’t understand the thread. The two people in the thread were speaking Portuguese and forgot that I didn’t.
They then happily translated and we had a good laugh about it.
The only time it’s uncomfortable for me is if people are talking about me, but like I have no reason to think they’re doing that so no problem.
I once worked somewhere that required English for written things, because you never know who might need to read them later. But spoken conversations or even meetings in another language was okay.
That sounds reasonable
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Forcing groups or individual workers to communicate in a non-primary language can present employee safety concerns.
There is also a hit to overall productivity, as communications include hesitations or slight pauses and is not nearly as detailed as it could be.
Employees should communicate with each other in the most effective way possible.
leaving someone out is never effective. So it is often good to force one language for work purposes. Though personal convertations can be whatever.
“Never” is carrying a lot of weight here. Leaving people out can be super effective, especially if they’re not needed for a task. They might be needed in 20 minutes when it’s time to do their thing, but if a group doesn’t need that person and can communicate more effectively without using that persons language, there’s no need.
Imagine an EMT crew. All of the medics speak Spanish and the ambulance driver only speak English. He needs to know how to get to the emergency, and which hospital to take the victim to, among some other things I’m sure. But I don’t want my all Spanish EMT crew fucking around in English and miscommunicating with each other just to make the driver feel more comfortable.
Allowing multi lingual communication for work purposes can also cause employee safety concerns and breed abusive work environments.
Sadly this very VERY much goes both ways.
It’s why context matters so very much.
Bunch of random super market employees? Doesn’t really fucking matter. Health care workers? Of fucking boy does it matter a LOT.
I work at a place where half of the people speak dutch, the other half come from all over the world.
It helps when everyone speaks the same language, English in this case, and can jump in and out of conversation whenever.
It’s illegal for them to actually ban the use of Dutch, as this is in Belgium. But it’s also just a dick move to exclude people from conversation, just because it’s convenient to some.
I also work in a very international community, with a small minority Norwegians (in Norway). While we often communicate in English, I have to admit that I find it a bit strange that people choose to move to Norway and work in Norway, but don’t learn the language well enough to participate in a conversation at the lunch table.
Sure, often we’ll swap to English if a non-Norwegian speaker comes in, but sometimes I’m just tired and don’t want to bother with the extra effort. I massively appreciate the colleagues that bother to learn Norwegian.
I have recently moved to france and have been learning french for the last few years (long before moving). I still have difficulty with lunch conversation and after speaking to everyone outside of work in french I appreciate it so much that I work at an international place where everyone speaks english, even though that is also a second language for me. Imagine how tired your colleagues are at lunch after not speaking their own language anywhere but at home and appreciate that you are capable of helping them a little bit by speaking english.
I find it a bit strange that people choose to move to Norway and work in Norway, but don’t learn the language
Depends on whether they intend to move permanently, no? Most of my non‑Belgian colleagues don’t intend to stay in Belgium long term. I can’t fault them for that. :)
When they do intend to move permanently, I share your point of view.
I don’t think it really makes a difference, as long as you’re staying somewhere for any significant amount of time (i.e. months) it makes sense to start learning the language.
I mean, it’s common courtesy to try to learn enough of the local language to buy stuff and ask for directions when your just on vacation.
I was in Germany for half a year during my studies. To me it was obvious that I needed to learn the language from day one, because I had no intent of going around and expecting everyone else to adjust to me not knowing the language. I have a very hard time understanding how someone could move to a country for years, and still not learn the language because “it’s not permanent”.
When you’re working you need to communicate in a lot more depth than that though. That’s exactly why they want to talk Spanish, to speed up communication or be more precise.
Social language skills are on the easier side. You can get away with a lot of mistakes.
Of course, I’ll speak English in meetings and other settings where we’re talking about work and need to minimise the language barrier for practical purposes. I’ll also speak English in a lot of social settings, because these are nice people that I enjoy talking to.
What I’m talking about is the silent expectation that a group of Norwegians talking at the lunch table should switch to English if one or more non-Norwegian speakers enter the room. I don’t like that silent expectation, and really appreciate the colleagues that learn Norwegian well enough that I can just keep the conversation going without feeling like I’m excluding them or feeling that I need to swap to English and fill them in on what we’re talking about.
The sad truth is that, regardless of your intention, it does exclude them. Even if they’ve put some effort in and learnt some basics, they’re unlikely to jump in to group of natives talking.
I don’t think there’s a good solution. I’ve been on all sides at work.
- Having fast conversations in English and realising too late that somebody is completely excluded.
- I’ve been excluded because people are speaking a language I don’t know (e.g. Danish – what the hell is that!!!)
- …and I’ve caught people talking behind my back about me because they didn’t know I could understand a bit of Dutch. To be fair I didn’t know either but my subconscious worked out enough from German.
enough of the local language to buy stuff and ask for directions
You convinced me on that one. Perhaps they should learn enough of the language for day-to-day niceties. The particular problem with Belgium is that this means they should learn both basic French and Dutch :-p Most french speaking Belgians don’t even do that.
This is a just a correction, but it seems fitting on a post about language and learning languages.
“Half” is the noun you are looking for. “Halve” sounds slightly different and means “to split in half.”
Thanks, I corrected it :)
I’m pretty sure this would be straight up illegal in my country.
Came here to say the same thing. The entire company would be cancelled.
I’ve only ever worked a single job that tried to enforce that shit, and those motherfuckers were the most racist pieces of shit I’ve had to deal with in person. They thought because I was the only white guy that I was on their side. I still wonder what they did when after the 3rd day of the season, everyone just quit and walked off an hour before lunch.
Depending on context it might be stupid or make sense.
At my company, which has 100% Spanish employees, we can talk among ourselves in Spanish. However, in things “for the record” such as jira tickets, git commit messages, documentation pages, they have to be in English.
It makes no god damn sense. Nobody is going to read Jira ticket #6738 in 40 years when we are a multinational. It’s a ticket about fixing a typo in page 567 of the documentation. 100% of employees speak spanish, and some have dogshit English.
Here in Canada rule is generally that you speak one of the two official languages when working (English or French). I would think the same thing would go for whatever other country you’re in. Official language(s) only.
In both Canada and the USA, employers are generally not allowed to arbitrarily restrict employees from speaking their preferred language at work, except where justified by business necessity or legal requirements. However, some differences exist based on region, industry, and recent legislative changes[1][2][3][4][5].
Canada: Official Languages and Provincial Differences
- Canada recognizes English and French as official languages federally, and federal employees in bilingual regions have the right to work, receive services, and be supervised in their choice of English or French[3][6][7].
- In the private sector, language is not explicitly protected under the Canadian Human Rights Act, but discrimination based on language can be challenged if it is linked to protected grounds like ethnicity, ancestry, or place of origin[1][8][9][10].
- In most provinces, employers can require workplace proficiency in English or French if it is necessary for business operations. Prohibiting other languages (including during breaks) may be considered discriminatory unless a clear safety, communication, or business necessity exists[1][8][11].
- Quebec has strict laws requiring the use of French in workplaces, but across the country, arbitrary “English-only” rules must be objectively justified rather than used to exclude or discriminate against employees[1][12].
United States: Civil Rights Protections
- As of 2025, English has been designated the official language by executive order, but federal law does not force employers to adopt “English-only” rules for all circumstances[2][4].
- Blanket policies that ban languages other than English in the workplace are presumed illegal under EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) guidelines and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. These laws protect employees from discrimination based on national origin, which includes language[4][5][13][14][15][16].
- Employers may only require English proficiency or impose English-only policies if there is a clear business necessity (for example, safety, effective business operations, or workplace cohesion). Any such rule must be limited in scope, justified, and consistently enforced[5][13][16].
- Employees can generally speak their native language during breaks and non-work periods unless it interferes with business needs—targeting specific language groups or enforcing policies unequally is unlawful[4][5][14][17].
Practical Implications
- In both countries, requiring employees to speak English (or French in Quebec/federal Canada) must be directly related to the job, such as for customer service or safety.
- Businesses can set reasonable language requirements but must avoid blanket bans or policies that create a hostile work environment or discriminate against employees based on their cultural or national origin[1][4][5][8].
- Employees who face language-related discrimination may have grounds to file complaints under human rights codes or federal civil rights law, especially if language ties to protected grounds like ethnicity[1][8][9][16].
For federal workplaces in Canada and sectors with specific language laws (like Quebec), rights to use an official language are robust[3][6][7]. In most workplaces elsewhere, business needs dictate reasonable language requirements, but arbitrary or discriminatory restrictions are unlawful in both Canada and the USA[4][5][8].
Citations: [1] Je ne comprends pas workplace language laws in Canada https://www.leeworkplacelaw.com/mobile/news-article.php?id=143 [2] Employer Responsibilities Under Evolving Language … https://www.beankinney.com/employer-responsibilities-under-evolving-language-access-laws/ [3] Official languages in the workplace https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/services/values-ethics/official-languages/workplace.html [4] Trump Declared English the Official Language. Can … https://norrismclaughlin.com/employment-strategists/2025/04/17/trump-declared-english-the-official-language-can-employers-do-the-same/ [5] Language Discrimination https://legalaidatwork.org/factsheet/language-discrimination/ [6] Language of work - Office of the Commissioner of Official … https://www.clo-ocol.gc.ca/en/language-rights/language-rights-federal-public-service/language-work [7] Official Languages Act ( RSC , 1985, c. 31 (4th Supp.)) https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/o-3.01/page-3.html [8] Fact Sheet: Language and The Human Rights Code https://www.manitobahumanrights.ca/education/pdf/fact-sheets/factsheet_language_hrcode.pdf [9] Policy on discrimination and language https://www.ohrc.on.ca/sites/default/files/attachments/Policy_on_discrimination_and_language.pdf [10] Policy on discrimination and language https://www3.ohrc.on.ca/en/policy-discrimination-and-language [11] My (40F) co-workers are being asked to stop speaking their … https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvicecanada/comments/19esqhp/my_40f_coworkers_are_being_asked_to_stop_speaking/ [12] Master Canadian language laws: A guide for businesses https://www.alllanguages.com/what-are-the-language-laws-in-canada [13] Everybody Talks: Are English-Only Workplace Policies … https://www.maynardnexsen.com/publication-everybody-talks-are-english-only-workplace-policies-legal [14] Can we tell employees to not speak a different language … https://www.trinet.com/insights/can-we-tell-employees-to-not-speak-a-different-language-other-than-english-during-work-hours-in-the-workplace [15] Language diversity and discrimination in the American … https://www.thesedonaconference.org/sites/default/files/[8.7] Language diversity and discrimination in the American workplace.pdf [16] What do I need to know about…English-Only Rules? https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/OASAM/legacy/files/English-Only-Rules-Factsheet.pdf [17] [OH] Today I was asked to stop using my native language … https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHR/comments/16gcnq9/oh_today_i_was_asked_to_stop_using_my_native/ [18] Crossing North: A Playbook for U.S. Employers https://www.canadaemploymenthumanrightslaw.com/2025/05/crossing-north-a-playbook-for-u-s-employers/ [19] What do I need to know about… English-Only Rules https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam/centers-offices/civil-rights-center/internal/policies/english-only-rules [20] Directive on Official Languages for People Management https://www.tbs-sct.canada.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=26168
Big corp and their pawns wanna listen in on every conversation to stop people from talking shit about the big corp.
Could also be xenophobia (I mean, unless its a company meeting, or some safety requirements where everyone need to know what’s happening (like inside the cockpit of a plane that has an English-only crew member, for example) otherwise its unreasonable to enforce language policies when two peoplr are just chatting.
I find it stupid, because some of them would use Spanish to better explain to the new nurses how to do certain procedures
Ahhh, so its on the job? Could be slightly problematic. I don’t know how your hospital/clinic works, but is it possible someone could miss important info form the converasations?
I think some plane crashes were attributed to communication issues between ATC and the crew, sometimes its miscommunication between crew members. Also can apply in factories, warehouses, where you can get hit by a pallet of stuff if there is miscommunication, for example.
TLDR: If its on the job, it can be reasonable depending on circumstances. If its during break/lunch, fuck no lol, speak whatever you want.
my work has an english only rule when talking about work. we hire from all over the world, so making sure there is a common language is nice when i have to message someone in another country.
non-work-related talk is whatever, though.
I work somewhere that has two centers. One of them is not a place that speaks much English. The other is in the US. And then there are people scattered throughout the world.
All major official communications are done in both English and the other language. They will even redub CEO announcements that were in English for the people at the other center.
Nowadays the live AI translation is getting used a lot. Someone addressed the entire company in not-English once and we were just told to pick our preferred language in Zoom.
With the NLRB it would have been illegal in the states. A form of preventing workers from organizing.
