An employer considering an "English-only" job requirement should be aware that:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A job requirement that an employee must be fluent in English is legal if fluency is required to perform the work effectively. The EEOC has pointed out that the degree of fluency required varies from job to job, so blanket fluency requirements that apply equally to the customer service department and to warehouse workers might not be legal. To best be protected from possible Title VII liability, the employer must be able to show that English fluency is required for the job and that the requirement is necessary to maintain supervisory control of the workplace. Perhaps it may be required of an employee who has significant communication with clients, or it may be justified as a BFOQ where the employee could not speak or understand English sufficiently to perform required duties.

An Employer Considering an "English-Only" Job Requirement Should Be Aware