I work in the lab at a hospital as a phlebotomist. Several of my coworkers are from Afghanistan, Iran, etc. but are fluent in English. They always speak about work stuff in English but I've noticed recently that they switch back and forth between English and their native language when I'm around. I heard one of them say my name and another coworker's name "... Leigh and Amanda..." and I started to get upset because I wasn't sure what they were saying about me. I'm all for hiring foreigners but is there some policy or something that prevents them from doing this? We have a very strict anti-bully policy where if it gets around that someone is saying bad things behind someone's back, there is action taken.
I confronted one of them and said, "I heard you say my name and I would like to know what you were saying," to which she replied, "We weren't even talking about you."
I am a nursing student and know I eventually need to handle conflict on my own but I'm not sure what to do in this situation! I think it's very rude for them to converse in their language when I'm the only other person in the lab at the time but it's also rude for me to ask them to stop. Help!!
Can you imagine how the AMERICAN Indians feel? Afterall, they were here first! To the OP....how do you know they were not saying how wonderful a person you are? I think you are making a mountain out of a molehill. BTW, get use to having others speaking another language around you. In another 10-15 years you might just be the minority in any group you find yourself.
Can you imagine how the ENGLISH feel strolling around East London having to hear every other language besides their native tongue. Better yet you can apply that to every corner of Britain. But we can't talk about the native Europeans being forced to bow to the flux of foreign nationals. That wouldn't be PC.
Why do you care?? They probably DON'T like you. SO WHAT? Are you gonna cry about it or are you gonna do YOUR job to the best of your abilities, be a great phlebotomist to YOUR patients, and get YOUR check to pay YOUR bills? Jesus wasn't exempt from it and neither will you be.
Oh and another thing, if you feel like she's talking crap about you but she isn't woman enough to say it to your face in a language that you can understand then her balls obviously haven't dropped yet so just relax.
I mean no disrespect and Im not trying to get your gears grinding but ya gotta get tough hun.
Policy exists for a reason. You wanna come to my country and work? Learn MY language. And SPEAK it. This IS America. There is a reason that policies like this exist in a hospital. OP-I say go to the nurse manager and verbalize your feelings. Why should. we As Americans have to feel inferior to someone who isn't even a native? And if wanna say something about me, in ENGLISH, Then bring it on. That's how I see it.
Where do I even begin with the foolishness and bigotry of this post??
And people wonder why people dislike American's so much. The ethnocentricity of comments like this are so blind and ignorant. Please stay in America and never bring this ridiculousness to other countries so those of us who have open minds aren't grouped with people like you
Go to THEIR country and tell me if they expect YOU to speak THEIR language!! There is not a single country in the world that does not expect you to speak their language but yet Americans get bashed for the same thing!!
"Go to THEIR country and tell me if they expect YOU to speak THEIR language!! There is not a single country in the world that does not expect you to speak their language but yet Americans get bashed for the same thing!! "
Actually, if you go to Germany, France, or many other EU countries, they will be more than happy to converse with you in English. Many of them actually prefer it, because you waste less time mangling their language. Unlike the US, European students are required to take English (a foreign language to them) and be proficient in it. We can't even do that with our language, by the looks of it!
Where do I even begin with the foolishness and bigotry of this post??
By taking a very deep breath and shaking your head at the sheer balls it took to say that aloud in public. And the ignorance one would have to possess to be proud of a statement like that.
Policy exists for a reason. You wanna come to my country and work? Learn MY language. And SPEAK it. This IS America. There is a reason that policies like this exist in a hospital. OP-I say go to the nurse manager and verbalize your feelings. Why should. we As Americans have to feel inferior to someone who isn't even a native? And if wanna say something about me, in ENGLISH, Then bring it on. That's how I see it.
I think people are missing the point, if someone was blatantly having a non-English (or hell even English) side conversation within earshot of me mentioning my name I wouldn't be too happy. It makes it worse if I could tell the non-verbal body language wasn't positive.
I don't dance around things, I would be immediately questioning them about mentioning me. If they are brash enough to do it in front me I don't feel bad at all. A lot of people in nursing avoid confrontation, but I won't tolerate that right in front of my face. Sorry.
Also, I am fluent in another language but I think work place lingo should be strictly English. While it is not the "official" language it is the de facto one so lets drop the semantics.
Sun0408, ASN, RN
1,761 Posts
People are gonna talk til the day you die and then even after LOL.. My motto is "if they talkin about ya, they thinkin about ya"...