Language bias issues are rising at work

Rise in multilingual employees increases 'English-only' discrimination issues nationwide in the workplace

By Erich Schwartzel / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Ed Zalewski was working as a compliance expert at the J.J. Keller and Associates safety and compliance firm in Neenah, Wis., when he started noticing more clients calling with questions about a topic often lost in translation in the past several years.

Can employers screen job candidates based on their ability to speak English?

Are workers allowed to speak a different language with one another during lunch breaks?

If that foreign language makes colleagues uncomfortable, does that constitute harassment?

Mr. Zalewski's observations in Wisconsin mirrored trends seen across the country, as demographics shift and employers grapple with legal questions that come with hiring workers speaking many different languages.

At the center of the legal issue is the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, an agency charged with addressing company policies concerning discrimination based on national origin.

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