Is it illlegal for ur superviser to say you cannot speak spanish at work??

Answer 1

That depends. He can certainly require all business communications be in English - that would include meetings, inter-office phone calls etc. However, if you having a private conversation that is not in front of others, then there is no reason to restrict what language you talk.

Answer 2

Another concern supervisors have is as follows:

1) They generally would like the languages spoken at work to be the same language they speak. This fosters good clear communication. When an employee insists on speaking in a language other that of the supervisor, the supervisor begins to wonder why that is. The fear is of being ridiculed in front of others, and of being excluded from the flow of communication. Probably not a good idea to do this to your boss, especially if you value your career and would eventually like a pay raise!

2) The other concern is one of safety. If the supervisor is going around telling people there is a fire and to avoid the elevator (only an example), then it is VERY important to the supervisor that everyone understand the same language.

Speaking a language at work other than that of the mainstream language creates the perception of dividing the workplace and is not very good for team building. I know when I walk by people at work and hear them speaking a different language, at some level I sometimes wonder if I am the subject of their conversation, and sometimes I resent that.

It all boils down to common courtesey. When in the presence of multilanguage persons, courtesey dictates that the language(s) familar to ALL be spoken.

Answer 3

It could be seen as a violation of freedom of speech or prejudice...yes a particular language can be enforced (with government support) with respect to all business-related communication but cannot (or should not) be enforced in informal or casual conversations with co-workers that have nothing to do with work...whether it is illegal or not is up for debate...of course, if your supervisor fires you as a result of this, then it's a different matter and you can get the law involved.

Answer 4

I'm not sure if its illegal or not, but in my opinion I think some supervisors and employers want to prohibit people from speaking Spanish at the work place. At the same time when they have a costumer who only speaks Spanish they want you to translate for them. Only when it's convenient for them?
These are people who only take advantage of people who are multilingual.

Que se arten a su madre esos pendejos!

Answer 5

Yes. It is discrimination. If you work at a store, for example, and your costumers speak English then you must speak English; But if you speak Spanish with your co-workers and other Spanish speakers, your boss cannot prohibit the use of Spanish language.

Answer 6

I agree with Terry.

Answer 7

no its not. If your supervistor has set a rule, you shoule go by it. And its legal to say you can only speak one language. Its not prejudice becauseanyone could speak spanish.