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Case Study Title: English Only

PRINCESS ANNE DUAZO

H230-CLOCA

Lyceum of the Philippine University

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I. INTRODUCTION

After reading the case, there are two identified problems which involve the Hispanic

employees. First is they speak in their own language despite being fluent in English, and second

is the Lounge and Bar Manager, Emily had a sudden request to implement an ‘English Only

Policy’ right away because she is bothered and believes that their guests may find it offensive.

II. BACKGROUND

- This case study started when their Hispanic hotel staff communicated using their native

language or Spanish regardless of being fluent in English which resulted in Emily being bothered

and thought that it may be offensive on the part of the guests so she later on requested for an

immediate implementation of the ‘English Only Policy’.

DIVERSITY

Diversity is about having people from different social and ethnic groups as well as having

dissimilar religion, beliefs, gender, and the like. This enables the individual employees to

achieve their full potential and learn more from different perspectives of the people in the

workplace however organizations have failed to adopt a learning orientation regarding this

matter as well as to make use of its benefits. In order to attain this, they have to do more and dive

deeper but as the HBR article states, abundant research was discontinued and ignored yet it is

made clear that increasing the number of underrepresented individuals in the labor force does not

automatically produce benefit as well as using the ‘Add diversity and stir’ approach will not

cause a sudden increase in the business performance in terms of effectiveness and financial
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standing. Moreover, it is important to manage diversity to have harmony in the working

environment as this is not only about leading the difference in the group but rather it is to learn,

adapt and have mutual acceptance within the group.

DISCRIMINATION

Discrimination takes place when a person is treated unfavorably because of their race,

color, origin, status, and gender. In this case, it is shown through the action of Emily wherein she

decided to impose a policy without hearing the suggestion of her co-workers that are mostly

from the same race. Language is considered as the source of meaning and the managers can

make use of this to encourage the employees to build a positive or healthy working environment

however because of her actions of implementing the ‘English Only Policy’ the opposite may

happen and this is primarily because of the institutional barriers or the policies, guidelines, or

procedures that discriminate certain groups of people. Employees may be protected by the anti-

discrimination, in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII, discrimination is prohibited and an

individual will be able to work without considering their skin color, religion, gender or national

origin which means they will be selected based on their ability to perform their responsibilities at

work.

III. PROPOSED SOLUTION /CHANGES

Solution for Diversity

Require Company to make Diversity as part of Hiring process

Diversity hiring benefits the whole organization and produces effective teams for the

labor force. These teams can make better business decisions, produce better results which causes
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the companies to prioritize this diversity as well as its inclusions which are to perform better than

their competitors and have an increase in cash flows per employee. In that sense, evaluating is

also a must for those companies to make sure that they meet a different kind of applicant as well

as the recruiting officials aren’t employing anyone just to fill in spots. Business leaders and the

HR must also build a healthy working relationship with their people within the organization to

increase the moral and working satisfaction of the employees which are beneficial at the

workplace, this may also show how they look into the importance of the diversified association

that they're building.

Build Connections to Create Talent Pipelines

A talent pipeline are those applicants who can readily fill in a position in the organization

when the opportunity comes. According to Heather (2013), In order to build this the company

must look into the industry and business, understand their plans, talents and potential talents

within the organization, as well as having a strong knowledge about the industry they belong to

to have a more significant discussion in the business. This could also build a relationship with

the people in the same industry who can refer you to other professionals that have a great

experience and potential which will allow you to save time in filling up positions. Talent

pipelining also requires building relationships with passive talent for future possibilities instead

of seeking for candidates that satisfy an ambitious target.

Solution for Discrimination

Make a written policy that specifies rules and procedures

A written policy or a handbook that encompass the organization’s rules, anti-

discrimination policies and guidelines will protect the employees in any form of discrimination
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to promote a healthy working environment. This can also be a reminder for the employees

involve about the right thing to do and the consequences of their actions, having this will also get

rid of bias and produce equal opportunity to every staff regardless of their race, national origin,

color, religion, sex, and gender.

Create a standardized procedure for handling discrimination issues

Establish your own process that is appropriate to the organization structure, size and

resources as there is no right procedure for the discrimination in a workplace, but it is important

to resolve this issue as soon as possible to maintain the trust and credibility in your relationship

with your employees. It must be consistently addressed and resolved for the employees to have a

fair treatment based on the same standards of discrimination.

IV. RECOMMENDATION

Language is an essential part of communication. In every organization I believe it is

important to properly address matters when it comes to this, it is recommended that they should

create a written policy that may specify rules and procedures on how to handle this kind of issues

like one person shouldn’t decide for all, every individuals that are part of the organization should

also take part in sharing their voices especially if they’ll be involved in the implementation or

execution of a policy or program. After considering the suggestions or opinions of the other

employees, Katherine should inform or consult those with the higher position about the problem

to decide what action should be taken for it to be resolved. Proper management of the diversity

within the organization should also be prioritized to have harmony within the working
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environment of all the employees, this may be achieved through proper communication and

mutual acceptance within the group.

V. REFERENCE

Triponelconsulting. (2020, October 23). 'Add diversity and stir' is not working for business.
cropped-screen-shot-2018-10-17-at-10-43-00.png.
https://triponelconsulting.com/2020/10/19/add-diversity-and-stir-is-not-working-for-business/.

S. (2017, May 18). Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. SHRM. https://www.shrm.org/hr-
today/public-policy/hr-public-policy issues/pages/titleviiofthecivilrightsactof1964.aspx#:
%7E:text=Title%20VII%20is%20a%20provision,with%2015%20or%20more%20employees.

https://www.ligsuniversity.com/data/2020-01-28-01-21-57-International-Conference-of-LIGS-

University-Intercultural-Communication-in-Business-Environment-2019-2-.pdf#page=26

Perkins, L. (n.d.). Inclusion Recruitment: How to Make Diversity a Part of Your Hiring Process.
Corporate Screening. https://www.corporatescreening.com/blog/inclusion-recruitment-
how-to-make-diversity-a-part-of-your-hiring-process?fbclid=IwAR2b7d9Ykqn_SOXo--
743mrDsa5q_mVnkL8p4HW4gsUPkZLn78JeaeRtOOU.

Leonard, K. (2018, August 15). The Importance of Interaction in Workplace Issues. Small
Business - Chron.com. https://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-interaction-workplace-
issues-11429.html.

5 Reasons Why Talent Pipelining is a Win for You and Your Company. LinkedIn. (n.d.).
https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/talent-acquisition/ways-talent-pipelining-is-
win-for-you-and-your-company.

-, A. M. T., By, -, & Team, A. M. (2021, March 8). Discriminatory Policies Examples - Why
Add these to Your Handbook? AirMason Blog. https://blog.airmason.com/discriminatory-
policies/.

How to Prevent Workplace Discrimination. LBMC Family of Companies. (2021, January 4).
https://www.lbmc.com/blog/how-to-prevent-workplace-discrimination/.