Language Barriers in the Workplace | Discriminación, Acoso, y Desafíos de Trabajo
When you’re struggling at work, finding the right words to describe what you’re feeling is hard. And finding those words in a language that isn’t your first can feel deeply isolating. If you’re navigating the workforce and English isn’t your native language, you’re not alone. Around 22% of Americans speak a language other than English at home.
Knowing multiple languages is something that should be celebrated and admired. In a lot of workplaces, it is a skill that is sought out. But in others, this is unfairly not the case. Some workers report being mocked, feeling left out of spaces and groups, and being given an unfair workload because of their accent or speech.
Let’s be clear, this type of behavior in any space—and at work—is not normal, and must be addressed.
These challenges directly impact a person’s wellbeing, and how they feel about their own worth and abilities.
Here are the four most common accent and language barriers we see on our text line, along with what they look like in everyday workplace situations:
1. Targeting accents: hostility and discrimination
When a worker’s voice or accent is directly targeted, it rarely happens in a vacuum. It is tied to severe workplace hostility, bullying, and outright discrimination.
In a workplace, this behavior manifests in deeply hurtful ways throughout a person’s day-to-day role. We hear from people who face clients, colleagues, or supervisors who mock and mimic their speech, dismiss what they have to say, or flat-out refuse to talk to them. In other instances, coworkers push racially motivated stereotypes, or clients file complaints about a worker’s language ability to avoid working with them.
Too often, workers face this hostility with little to no support from leadership. Rather than stepping in to protect their staff, some managers enable the behavior or even escalate it.
If you’ve experienced this, text Hello to 510-674-1414 for confidential, free support.
2. Second language weaponized in discipline or performance review processes
When a person’s second language is actively weaponized against them during disciplinary actions, feedback sessions, or performance evaluations at work, it can chip away at their confidence, self worth, and livelihood.
In the workplace, bad managers have unfairly used an employee's ESL status as a convenient scapegoat. Leadership may repeatedly leverage language barriers to trap workers in cycles of poor performance reviews, withhold rightfully earned bonuses, or try to justify denying them the time, training, and resources essential to their success.
When team friction occurs, supervisors might engage in gaslighting, unfairly telling the worker that team misunderstandings are entirely their fault because they “aren't communicating well.”
To make matters worse, managers may take advantage of this language barrier by pushing workers toward impossible standards. For example, they might assign a certain employee disproportionately high workloads compared to peers, and assume that the worker may not yet feel linguistically confident enough to challenge the unfair workload or advocate for themselves.
As a step to protect yourself, and your work, document any instances of weaponized language discipline you experience as it happens.
3. Non-native speech as a job search barrier
We often hear from people who reach out to the text line that report the heavy, internal hurdles that come with navigating the job search process in a second language. ESL speakers find themselves second-guessing their speaking abilities, turning an already stressful interview process into a deep source of anxiety and self-doubt.
In the hiring process, this dynamic shows up in specific ways. Job seekers face intense pressure to explain complex technical concepts, demonstrate authority, and articulate their unique value under pressure, often worrying that interviewers are judging their intellect based on their accent or vocabulary.
For workers with limited English proficiency (LEP), the barrier can feel even more agonizing. Individuals with years of deep, specialized industry experience in their home countries suddenly find themselves under pressure to showcase their expertise in English, which can be a deeply frustrating experience. Text Hello to 510-674-1414 to connect with a career counselor who can help navigate through your job search process.
4. Language barrier unfairly preventing access to reporting, social belonging, and safety
A common thread we see on the text line is that language and cultural differences create a layer of difficulty on top of an already stressful workplace situation. When a problem arises, the language barrier acts as a wall that makes finding a resolution feel extra hard.
This challenge manifests across both formal procedures and everyday culture. This category includes workers who struggle to navigate complex HR, legal, or formal reporting processes simply because they feel nervous explaining a difficult situation in a second language. This uncertainty often causes employees to hesitate before reaching out to leadership or HR, fearing they will be misunderstood or unfairly blamed for the conflict itself.
Beyond these formal processes, language barriers can deeply impact a person’s everyday sense of belonging at work. Highly experienced professionals can end up feeling completely isolated due to subtle cultural differences or gaps in conversations and expression. On the ground, this frequently looks like feeling excluded from informal social circles, casual hallway chats, or team bonding activities.
What you can do
If any of these barriers resonate with you, you aren’t alone. It’s also important to reiterate that a toxic work environment that includes any of these four barriers is not normal or okay. Not only do these environments harm the people directly impacted, but the general staff as well. 86% of employees feel less connected when language barriers exist in the workplace and there’s a lack of an inclusive environment.
If this is happening to you, it is not your fault. You have rights and ways to get unstuck in an unfair situation.
1. First, assess the situation. Bullying, discrimination, and harassment are all awful and deeply hurtful workplace experiences. They also each differ from each other as far as their definitions and in terms of legal action. For example, bullying is when someone uses aggressive acts or comments meant to intimidate, humiliate, embarrass, or degrade someone. Unfortunately, Congress has yet to pass any federal anti-bullying legislation. Some US states have passed anti-bullying measures so it’s important to check your local laws.
Discrimination, on the other hand, is unfair treatment or harassment that targets an aspect of your identity like your race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, transgender status, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. And it is legally actionable.
2. Know your rights. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforces Federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Knowing these rights is important. If you feel you’ve been discriminated against at work, you can file a “charge of Discrimination.” You must do this first in order to file a lawsuit against your employer. It may not always come down to this step, but know that you don’t have to be stuck in a work environment that makes you feel unsafe.
3. Keep a record of everything. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to prove discrimination and harassment. In order to prevent the headache of trying to remember every detail of the experience, keep a record of everything that happens to you. Write it down, add dates, speak to a trusted friend or coworker as reinforcements that can confirm your story. Keeping a record of when and how someone made comments, mocked you, or treated you unfairly can be useful as evidence that your validity and perception are accurate, because the person who is discriminating can also likely be manipulative.
4. Talk to someone. When you’re going through anything difficult at work, it can be hard to navigate alone. Venting to someone can always help. Even though Empower Work is a non-legal service, we’re here to listen, support you, and help you find the right resources and next steps. The truth is, experiencing discrimination or harassment—at work, and in general—can take a huge toll on a person’s mental and physical health. It’s important to talk to someone about what you’re going through to relieve some of that stress as you navigate next steps.
Because these challenges often carry the weight of an ongoing struggle rather than a one-time event, people frequently return to our text line over time. They use our service as a free, safe, and confidential space to process what happened, document their experiences, practice tough conversations, and map out their next steps.
If you need a trusted ally in your corner, Empower Work is here for you. Take a step toward protecting your peace and your career by texting Hello to 510-674-1414 to connect with a peer counselor who is on your side, every step of the way.