Should my colleague help or am I being racist?

[madamreign]

We have a new hire. She is very experienced and qualified, but she is from overseas and is struggling. English is not her first language and I'm in awe of anybody who can do a professional job in a second language. If we can get her over her problems (confidence, communication, ways of working etc) she'll be a really asset to the business.

I'm trying my best to listen, understand and help her settle in. Taking cues from her on how to deal with this- I want to her to succeed!

I have a colleague who was born in the UK but who's parents came from the same country that our new hire did. I know they speak the language.

Would it be wrong to request that my colleague to help the new hire?

One of the things the OP says the new recruit is struggling with is the language and communication. Speaking the right language and clear communication is key to any job! By all means get her additional, formal support with this is you think it's relevant and worth the expense, but don't assume your other colleague should pick up the slack. To my mind, if she can't communicate clearly, she probably can't do the job!

It's not racist to expect someone to speak the right language for the job correctly.

For example, I worked somewhere with a German-speaking team. All members of that team were required to be 100% fluent in both German and English. It was an essential core requirement of the role and if for example, their German was perfect but their English wasn't, they were out.

Here, your new recruit only needs to be fluent in English as that's the language required to perform her job. It's not racist to expect that, just because she isn't a native English speaker.

Nope! Please do not do this!

I have been the UK colleague, and while I shared commonality with a foreign colleague, I also shared an understanding of the CULTURAL air of arrogance and superiority she carried, that others took time to pick up on, and it grated me!

She also was the worst team player to most the teams knowlege and experience of working with her! Like your colleague, she was absolutely fabulous at her job, she had a real knack for it, but lacked in the language and British culture department! But she'd point blank refuse to be a team player and help her colleagues where she absolutely could, was a 'loner' at work because she'd grate everyone with her user ways and heavily relied on pity party friendships with a few people who were average performers or too young to pick up on her cunning ways.

She was the most disliked, and she'd earned the dislike. She was given many chances by us all to deliver in being half decent! But no, she was money hungry and had no self respect to even maintain face with anyone, but would still shamelessly ask for help and expect you to oblige! And the loner ways was how she preferred to work.

Had someone asked me to help her, I would be pissed off and majorly offended, because:

A) doesnt she need to learn English, so why can't any English speaking colleague help her? Why does it have to be the one who has commonality? Commonality of culture and language does not mean commonality beyond that, so its very presumptuous and tone deaf of you!

B) It's not my job to take responsibility for someone's ability to succeed at their job. Anyone who does this is a gem or a fool. Gems don't get rewarded!

C) Such colleagues don't need your average team mate support, they need coaching and guiding, frankly speaking, that is a managers job, and not a big headed, oh so nice, look at me being inclusive but then palming off the actual task to a colleague colleague. Don't brown nose so hard please. I can imagine you're not paid enough for it.

@JustFrustrated

sure. Racist because Youre assuming two people just because of their race/cultures should figure out the work when this is the company’s problem. Why should the other employee feel obliged to help for FREE when it’s the company’s problem?? They should be paid for being a translator then. You don’t get free work from people of colour based on their racial, cultural and language skills. Also, if OP is not her manager, they need to mind their business. Perhaps there is nothing wrong with this new employee and OP is being impatient and rude. Everyone takes time to settle into jobs. I know British people who do a bad job in their work and they speak the friggin language. It’s nothing to do with their race or culture, they just need TRAINING. This is the company’s problem, shirking their duties off to someone else who is expected to provide this service for FREE and not contracted to do so. Why should ethnic people be fixing this problem ?

How is it racist?

whyisitallsohard
You don’t get free work from people of colour based on their racial, cultural and language skills.
and
Why should ethnic people be fixing this problem ?

I think you are being rather racist here. Nowhere in the OP can I find any reference to the ethnicity or colour of the new hire; for all any of us know she could be Spanish, or Polish.

This, is a very informative response. Thank you.

My wife speaks bsl and gets asked to deal with clients who speak bsl. That isn’t part of her job description, it’s just an ad hoc thing because it makes sense.

If she had a colleague who’s first language was bsl she would speak to them in that language (unless they preferred not to obviously).

Unless you are asking someone to take on hours of extra work they won’t get paid for I don’t see the problem with it.

can you not read? i wrote You don’t get free work from people of colour based on their racial, cultural AND language skills. it applies across the board. you don't lump one new hire onto another employee because they both speak Spanish, that's friggin ridiculous. Calling my comment racist, are you actually that stupid? This entire thread is friggin racist. Stop asking people of colour and people with certain language skills to do FREE work.

whyisitallsohard
Stop asking people of colour and people with certain language skills to do FREE work.

You have no evidence of any kind that the OP has done so, and certainly none that I have. Wind it in.

100% all of this!!!
This entire thread is racist too.
OP is not stating whether they are even the new hire's manager which means they are not, acting like a do-gooder and asking "am i racist" in their post. OP knows they are that's why theyre questioning it. Don't ask people to help others at work for FREE just because you "See" some similarities between them and want to pretend you're helping the company. Looks like a bonus opportunity is coming up for OP and they're excited to tell their own manager about their "good work" 🙄 I would put them under disciplinary action asap

Nobody will be asked to work for free, that is unacceptable.

Otherwise, I take your point. Will not be asking them.

@whyisitallsohard dear God. People like you....I have no words.

Whilst I thank you for your POV, did you mean to be so aggressive towards me in your reply?

I was asking out of genuine curiosity, as asking someone informally to translate in my place of work is entirely standard. And we're all the same race. So I was curious, as the asked and the asker, if we were unconsciously being racist.

In my situation, we aren't.

@SkinnyMalinkyLankyLegs

You have no words because you want people to do free work for you??

did you learn nothing from the BLM movement?? Of course not. It suits you to exploit people of colour and language skills that you dont possess yourself

Offer her extra pay for translation/ support- she may want that skill on her cv.

@whyisitallsohard you are coming across as massively OTT. Disciplinary action? OP asked a question.
@Rubiconmango ’s answer was much more helpful in explaining why this is the wrong idea.

Commonality of culture and language does not mean commonality beyond that,

This true. But that commonality itself can be massive particularly when you are not living in your home country.

I am honestly perplexed by the idea that it is unacceptable to try and help someone settle into a new country unless you are going to get paid for it.

I am very grateful for the people who supported us and did not take this mercenary transactional attitude.

You're the one bringing POC into it.

I don’t think it’s racist and I think it’s a good idea but I would absolutely check before you do it.

In a previous job we had a similar situation with a woman who was working freelance for us from a French speaking African country. Her English was very good but she had to speak to the media which she was (understandably) nervous about.

We got another bilingual colleague to help. It’s not so much speaking English as the cultural nuances of the role etc and it was very helpful.

But I would check and not presume

@Rubiconmango being nosy, where was she from?

It is not racist! But it might create more work for your colleague, I would make sure she is on board with it first. However, it could be beneficial for both of them.

I dont think its racist. If this lady hasnt lived/worked in the UK before it could be a bit daunting. On the other hand she might be generally shy etc without any connection to her having a different cultural backround.

Surely it depends on how badly her language use is impacting her job? And what exactly you mean by 'help her'? What do you want your colleague to do, help her translate things?
That's unfair on your colleague.

There are plenty of people from other countries who speak English well enough to have a working proficiency. If this woman doesn't then no matter how great she is technically, she's unfit for the role. If you're desperate to keep her pay for some business language courses (our company pays, for people going on secondments).

Btw I work in a very technical job but once that relies heavily on communication. it's hard enough communicating to English speakers, let alone a different language. If someone was great technically but struggled with language I'd let them go unfortunately and we are a shortage profession. Otherwise, they would create a huge mess.

Btw some things like communication and ways of working are unacceptable regardless of the reason for it. I had some colleagues for example who were extremely blunt to the point of rudeness. Culture, yes but the offended and upset a lot of other staff and despite being told repeatedly would not change so they had to go.

Every person working abroad, myself included knows that they have to adapt. it's part of the skillset. Even now I work with teams across 3 continents and we all adapt to meet halfway. If someone doesn't understand this sadly they're not suitable for an international role. I'm not sure how you came to hire her if her English is so bad.

Exactly. OP is wondering what they could do to make the new recruit from overseas more comfortable, she’s not being racist fgs…
I‘m an immigrant myself and I wouldn’t want people to double and triple check themselves to make sure they don’t say the wrong thing before they talk to me.
OP, as others have suggested, I would ask your colleague if they would be willing to help out a bit if they have the time.

@Tandora

@whyisitallsohardyou are coming across as massively OTT. Disciplinary action? OP asked a question.
@Rubiconmango’s answer was much more helpful in explaining why this is the wrong idea.

i'm glad you're white fragility was spared.