Speak and Understand English

sawynia

My company is make up of about 60% hispanics, of which most of them cannot speak, read, write, or understand English. As we are working on updating our job descriptions and recruiting/selection process we seem to be getting stuck on 'where do we want to go/be?' Most of it based on the lack of understanding of the English language in a large portion of our workforce.

As part of our criteria to pass a phone interview is that they need to be able to understand and talk in English. If they can't do that, we want to immediately elliminate them from the pool of potential applicants that would/could move on to the next step.

We keep coming back to this being discrimmination. We want a work force that can communicate with each other without the language block. I also don't see how I can make 'English language' as something that is an essential piece of the job, espcially when over half of my supervisors are bil-lingual. (None of the management team is bi-lingual.)

I'm curious about what other companies are doing in regards to hiring non-English speaking applicants or making 'English' and essential function of the job. Can that criteria be used as part of the selection process?

Any insight would be appreciated!!!!

joannie

>My company is make up of about 60% hispanics, of which most of them cannot
>speak, read, write, or understand English...........As part of our criteria to pass a phone interview is that they need to be able to understand and talk in English. If they can't do that, we want to immediately elliminate them from the pool of potential applicants that
>would/could move on to the next step.
>

If @ 60% of your current workforce cannot speak, read, write or understand English, why do you have must understand & speak English as one of your interview criteria? Are you planning on discharging the 60% that can't?

It is my understanding, that you can require English only as a job requirement if the inability to speak, read or understand English would be a safety hazard or if "English only" is required by a governmental regulation.

stilldazed

As joannie suggested, you can require English to be the primary or business language in your work environment, but with 60% of your workforce Hispanic, I have to ask a question: How did you get to 60% to start with? That's a majority, which would beg a question about why Spanish is not your dominate language. What is the other 40%?

To keep from disciminating against the workers you have, and since they have obviously been hired and permitted to remain on the payroll (so they must be getting their jobs right), I would suggest that your company invest in time/materials to teach English to your Hispanic population. It is true that you can require English at work if English is the dominant language, the language of preference, the owners' language, but to hire folks whose primary language is Hispanic and whose English skills must have been fairly obvious and then try to let them go because they can't speak English I think will win you some sort of class action Title VII suit for discrimination based on national origin, skin color, potentially religion if they all practice a similar religiion as well as whatever legislation Minnesota may have in place to protect employees' civil rights.

best wishes

ACU Frank

The real problem - as I see it, so take this however you want - is not the 60% who speak no English, it's the 0% of upper management who speak no Spanish.

ritaanz

What is your primary objective, revised job descriptions or more selective recruitment? Perhaps you should look at the positions you have and determine which ones require English as an essential part of the job.

You have a 60% population of Hispanics, how many of the 60% speak only Spanish? Are they clustered in one or two particular jobs?