Family, Workforce and Biocultural Ecology

Adult public time arguably is spent in the workplace. With a range between four hours to above twelve hours in some instances, this in the true description can be seen as not only a source of livelihood but the major realm of exercising our social association as human beings. On the other hand, the working place is an area of making profit where customer concerns can easily be the downfall of the company. Does the input of the language control improve the output? What are the risks of doing so? In this case, we can view the English as the only rule in the workplace from a twofold perspective. In these perspectives, there are very many possible outcomes which can be limited to a simple benefit-drawback kind of distinction.

Rationale for and against the Language policy

Probable reasons for the policy

The core function of business is profit making. In the course of this, there is a very crucial role of communication at the interpersonal level, the departmental level, and most of all while dealing with the customer. English-speaking customers may feel secluded and uncomfortable when the personnel talks in a foreign language to a colleague while serving him or her. It may make one feel as if they are talking about him or her. Moreover, in interpersonal communication in the office, it is undeniable that there exist other cultures, and thus locking others out may seem rude. Similarly, the use of the language in interdepartmental communication may be a barrier to proper communication that may be a source, and thus it may have an effect on the quality of the final product (Hammond, 2009).

Probable reasons against the policy

As introduced earlier, the office bears an important segment of the working population’s social realm. Freedom to associate with a particular language should be left to the choice of the speaker and not a stipulated code as the office is a social institution. In other words, the persons under consideration, mainly the employees, should be allowed to make connections socially without interference as a part of the human rights.

In the recent past, there has been the enactment of policy enforcing institutions to make sure that the rights of the employees are not violated with such policies. In that case, enacting such a policy might be a lawsuit in the making for the company (Leake & Black, 2005). In the installation of such a policy, there is much consultation that has to be done to be in tandem with the enforcing agencies, for example, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

As much as the customer is put into consideration, there are customers who are non-English speakers who prefer to talk in their own language. It, therefore, comes as a shortcoming and rude behavior when indeed the miscommunication with a potential client is caused by a control that could at times leave the customer unsatisfied.

Some of the workers find it comfortable to communicate in their native language. As much the interpersonal and interdepartmental communication needs to be very accurate so that the effect it has on the final product is positive, the inability to communicate properly in English can be factored as a part of barriers in the communication. Therefore, the assumption that English will improve the communication is not based on facts.

Benefits of cultural and linguistic inclusion

Freedom in life brings a lot of good. Firstly, the feeling gives an element of association, brings an attachment to the organization that is heightened. In human resource, the effect of attachments has a peg on the performance of an individual. In that regard, the potential for success is heightened.

For social institution, it is imperative to play its role in growing and preserving culture. Diversity is the beauty of very many things in life and thus stumping it down on the ground or controlling it to the extent of extinction in the office and work perimeters seems to be an effort towards getting a non-cultured society (Rodríguez, 2006). As much as there may be friction one time or another, globalization demands that we have room for other culture.

Employee retention is high. In the advent of the laws prohibiting the ban of native language speaking, there are companies which have taken that into consideration and rebuked all policies that are in conflict with the law. In that case, if the company does not embrace cultural and linguistic inclusions, there is a chance of losing valuable manpower to competitors who embrace it.

If a dynamic set-up is provided for, customer satisfaction is high. By this, it can be deduced that when any type of customer comes to the organization, service can be given to him or her in whatever language that best suits the customer (Mecklenburg, 2002). English-speaking customers, Spanish-speaking, Mexican, French will get someone who can attend to them with maximum communication advantage to get sales and ensure satisfaction.

Drawbacks of cultural-linguistic inclusion

Limitation of social growth in the workplace as a social institution is one of the drawbacks that is a way of summarizing what is the result of the control of culture and language. Typically, what can be expected includes less job satisfaction, loss of valuable employees, and some expected number of negative feedback. In addition to this, the legislative restriction regarding the rights of the employees to communicate in whatever language that they see fit may catch up with the organization (Mecklenburg, 2002). Involvement in such wrangles not only costs a lot but brings with it a bad public image which affects the sales of the company.

Proposal to make the employees to feel a part of the company

I believe the solution to the stalemate does not lie in the imposition of strict rules in the use of language in the workplace. Social association is based on the creation of platforms which are on the basis of common interests. Common interests are existent no matter what the individual culture is. Therefore, the need to ensure that the employees identify common interest in intercultural. One of the ways to build this is by creating team building activities in which the cultural orientation is mixed to ensure that the employees get a feeling of the other cultures. However, this is not spontaneous and will take several attempts.