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Workplace language policy sparks controversy

LTC Liability Monitor, October 14, 2004

Certified nursing assistants and some residents at Medical Center Nursing Facility at San Antonio are unhappy with a new facility policy that restricts communication in Spanish, the San Antonio Express-News reported.

Staff were instructed to address residents in a language that the residents understand, and to refrain from speaking Spanish in common areas-including the dining room and hallways-or around non-Spanish speaking residents.

According to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, it is a violation of the rules to require employees to speak English on the job unless the employer demonstrates that it is necessary for business.

A spokesperson for Trans Health, the facility's Maryland-based owner, told Express-News that the policy was intended to increase resident comfort during their interactions with staff, but that staff are free to speak any language they desire when not with residents.

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