Going Too Far on ‘English Only’ Invites Trouble for Employers

Businesses are likely to open the door to national origin discrimination claims if they interpret a recent Trump executive order to enforce English proficiency rules for commercial truck drivers as a green light for language-restriction policies writ large.

The April 28 order was issued just a month after the president designated English as the country’s official language. While the orders don’t directly affect federal anti-bias law—and in the case of the trucking memo reinforce existing law—employers should be cautious of excessively broad workplace requirements that unfairly disadvantage employees who don’t speak English as their first language, employment attorneys said.

Non-native ...