In one class action complaint pending with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), retail store employees alleged they were forbidden to speak Spanish among themselves, even in the lunchroom­even though their language facility was valuable in making sales to wealthy South American customers. EEOC has said the retailer's written policy on language falls within acceptable guidelines, but it claims that individual managers ignored the policy and demanded English from subordinates. Similar situations are common where a service employer­a hospital, hotel, or restaurant­hires many recent immigrants into a variety of low-skill jobs, such as mopping floors or cleaning guest rooms. In fact, more than half of the Jack in the Box restaurant chain's employees are Hispanic or Latino, as are a third of the employees of Chili's, Maggiano's Little Italy, and Romano's Macaroni Grill.

What if hotel guests complain that groups of maids swirl around them chattering in Spanish? Can you demand that workers either remain silent in the presence of guests or speak only in English? Probably not, because it could be seen as discriminatory. However, you can counsel them that guests who don't speak Spanish could be offended, so they should keep their voices down and avoid extended hallway conversations. An even better plan is to help them learn English by subsidizing evening classes or providing them with in-house training. Becoming fluently bilingual will help them succeed in earning better pay­and help you be sure you're communicating effectively with your employees.

Tip: Cost-effective, self-paced, interactive training materials are available. The contents are based on a learning system originally developed for children aged 4 to 8. Each student of English uses a book, a cartridge, and the learning system to learn common on-the-job words and phrases, usually in about 4 months.