To say something about language spoken at work

[Babbleoff]

Im in an english speaking country. I have started working in an office where the majority of other employees are from another country. They speak their own language all of the time. I mean, ALL of the time!! Whether its office banter or actual work issues, all in their language.

I am very experienced, have been employed for my specialist skills and am relatively senior, altho its a small company with a fairly flat structure.

I am feeling very excluded and struggling to fit in due to the fact that i dont speak the other language. I find it rude that in a small and close working environment no consideration is given to english speakers. The other couple of english speakers are much more junior than me and i don't think they'd say anything.

I make an effort to talk to people. On occasions a conversation i have started gets picked up by someone else and they take over and continue in their language. At lunch they speak their language even if im sitting with them.

AIBU to raise this with my boss? I feel like a dick suggesting people dont speak their own language, but ive been upset almost to the point of tears about this. I can go all day without being included in any conversations unless i start them myself. I feel so stupid even about that because ive been working for yrs and have very thick skin (bit of a cutthroat industry).

i should also point out that speaking their language is not necessary for the job and was not a requirement or mentioned during hiring process.

I immediately assumed Wales.

Learn the language 😂yes it's really that easy ffs
OP you need to speak to the MD or even HR otherwise it really won't stop. I worked at a Japanese owned company in the UK and even with so many Japanese people English was spoken in the office.

I had a job, albeit I was only there three months, where there were three Polish women in the office.

This was in England and they had been told previously not to speak in Polish

The assumption is wrong.

@Babbleoff

This is a tricky one, isn't it? I was about to say you're being unreasonable because I thought they were speaking their own language in another country. (That speaks a different language than English.) But I see it's an English speaking country. You haven't said, but I'm assuming maybe America?

I had this some 30 years ago, when I first started out in secretarial work. I was working for a small-ish European company, but it was actually in London. There were 20-ish employees. Every single one of them lived in London, and most of them were born here and they could all speak perfectly good English, yet they spent the vast majority of their time speaking this one particular language. (their language.)

It did make feel excluded. It did make me feel awkward. There's no way I could fit in. Yes, of course the obvious answer is to learn the language, but if it is an English speaking country, why should you? If you're desperate to fit in, and desperate to stay there, then learning the language is the only answer. But you shouldn't have to do that.

I'm sorry you are having to tolerate this. You really do need to speak to the boss/manager, whatever about this. But to be honest with you, I don't think it's going to go your way. I wish you well.

This is hilarious, suggestions to learn the language ffs. Clearly speak to your manager and explain this is excluding you and you cannot do your job. They are in an English speaking company in England, they can speak English. Who cares if they are offended? They are rude.

I work abroad in an English speaking company and for work purposes everyone has to speak English, people can speak the native language to each other of course but in group situations it doesn’t work for work. Socially people also speak English if a non native speaker is present as otherwise it’s just rude. The argument here is stronger for everyone to learn the local language but it’s hard to find enough people to hire.

Get real. Unless the OP is some kind of linguistic genius, it would take years (if possible at all) to learn an Eastern European language to a level where they could understand native speakers chatting amongst themselves like that.

I say this as someone who can speak several 'easy' European languages reasonably fluently, but despite great efforts over many years, I havent managed to get much beyond the basics with a language similar to that spoken by the OP's colleagues, despite a close family member being a native speaker of that language.

I love learning languages no way am I a expert. But I at least try to learn a few words such as hello, bye, and how are you? Duolingo which is free, and google translate helps. And we all have busy lives but it shows others that the uk is not full of racist ppl.

I think the only time it's acceptable would be to explain a technical term in that language to someone else. (But that is a quiet aside)

I have worked with teams in uk where they all spoke another language -ie call centres where they service customers from all over Europe. Then it's clearly stated the business language is English. I assume here it's just coincidence that most of one department are from same country so no business wide rules in place.

Oh I know that. But people who do this don't like 'outsiders' understanding.

Same here. I know the assumption turned out to be wrong, but it didn't seem an unreasonable assumption to me.

When the OP was asked directly whether she was in England and instead of giving a straightforward answer said only that she was in an "English-speaking country" and "in the UK" I thought that was the way the thread was going.

Catchasingmewithspiders · Yesterday 23:03
Babbleoff · Yesterday 23:02

I’m in Uk. All the staff speak fluent english and some have lived here for many years/ raising families here etc…

I dont want to look for another job as this is a new job. Im a few months in (and have been giving them the benefit of doubt) and also i want it to work. They are on most levels nice people and seem fun (if i could understand what they are bantering about!!)
In the UK or in England?

I feel like this is a Welsh bashing thread if I'm honest.

>>>>

LOL, i thought this is some Eastern European factory or something where you were posted to augment the sales for one year or so

It is rude .We have more than 50% workers where English is not their first language and they are not allowed to speak in their own language when working on the floor .
Obviously this only applies when in direct contact with other colleagues or clients .Tea breaks etc and it is absolutely fine .

This is a truly disgusting comment and it is shameful that no one on this thread has criticised it.

@Summerfun54321 has the best suggestion, hope it works out for you somehow.

People upset that the supposed Welsh-bashing thread isn't actually a Welsh-bashing thread when they were assuming it was.

It is very strange to feel belittled by someone speaking their native language on a phone call to their own mother.

You would struggle to cope where I live!
Conversations in the playground are in at least 30 different languages.

Not at all the same situation as a workplace where everyone is speaking a different language except for one person.

YANBU OP. I am multilingual (I actually work in languages), work overseas and we have an unspoken rule at work and in the social setting that we speak the common language for everyone in the group, so as not to exclude everyone. That can mean we are all speaking our C language (third most dominant) in a group of 20 just to include one person. It's called being polite.

Thanks all. I’m in work and planning to speak to boss and raise it today. Will let you know how it goes.

YANBU.

I work with Deaf pupils. We have a team of about a dozen of us, all with varying degrees of BSL. When we had a Deaf colleague start with us, we agreed that we would always sign while we were talking whenever she was with us (more SSE, than BSL). Some weren't happy because their signing isn't brilliant, but agreed it's important so or colleague doesn't feel left out at all.

Fortunately, she does have an interpreter who's there a lot of the time, which takes some of the pressure off the less confident members of the team. But we felt it's important that we make the language we use the common language, and as she has no speech or had to be sign. If we're speaking in English and she comes in, we instantly start to sign as well.

We don't want her to feel excluded, and you shouldn't either, OP.

Why don't you ask the immediate colleagues to help you acquire their language? That would encourage those who speak English, to offer you translations of their words. If you make an effort it would break the ice.

I assumed it was probably a hospital with a largely Filipino workforce.

@SuziLikeSuziQ

This is actually a benefit to the whole team. The less confident signers skills are going to improve through exposure. It is the sad reality of deaf education through that the skills of those working with deaf children is not at a level that they are confident to sign

It is very strange to feel belittled by someone speaking their native language on a phone call to their own mother.

I know! It was a totally disproportionate feeling and I was aware that it was my own reaction that was out-of-place, not her behaviour - but I (and I would imagine almost everyone) would find it incredibly upsetting for this to be the norm in the workplace.

Oddly enough, I don't think I'd feel the same about a large number of languages - I think it's more being the only one who can't understand what's going on that makes people feel vulnerable.

I think you should start looking for a new job plus you should take the problem to your boss and ask them to fix it. It’s really not your issue to fix tbh.