Sports Direct bans foreign languages
SPORTS DIRECT may face a flood of legal claims after banning staff from speaking to each other in any language except English, experts said.
The company, owned by the tycoon Mike Ashley, told all its UK staff that for “health and safety” reasons workers should not speak in any foreign tongue even when having private conversations.
The notice read: “English is the official language of the company and should be used at all times when carrying out company business, unless otherwise specified. It has come to our attention that some members of staff are speaking in languages other than English whilst carrying out their duties.
“We would like to take this opportunity to remind staff that they must speak in English at all times when they are at work, in order that they can be understood by all members of staff; this includes any personal conversations that may be taking place during work time.”
It claims speaking any other language poses a variety of “risks” to the company, including “health and safety issues”. Staff are told that they are free to speak any language they wish “outside of work time”, but are warned that failure to adhere to the policy may lead to disciplinary procedures.
Employment law experts warned last night that it could lead to the company, which employs 18,000 people, facing a series of claims for indirect discrimination.
The dictat emerged in a store in Bangor, where workers pointed out that it effectively banned them communicating in their own language in their own country.
The Welsh language commissioner has begun an investigation into the policy, which is described by critics as “discriminatory and offensive”. Sports Direct, which said originally that it was not an official directive, later said that it was a notice that had been issued to all stores in the UK.
David Hodge, principal lawyer at Slater and Gordon, said: “As I understand it, Sports Direct is seeking to apply a blanket policy to all staff, but it would seem reasonable to assume that this policy will adversely impact those who are not native English speakers.
“This potentially gives rise to a claim of indirect race discrimination and the question then turns to whether there is objective justification for that policy.”
A spokesman for the company apologised for any “misunderstanding and upset caused”. They said in a statement: “Sports Direct issued a notice to all stores in the UK on our language policy. It was intended to ensure that all staff, who attended briefings on health and safety and other important issues, fully understood the content of these communications.
“English is the most common language used by our multilingual staff, and therefore, the most likely to be understood by all.”