Tareen Zafrullah and Samantha Barnfather Discuss Foreign-Language Posting Requirements With SHRM

In “Employers Must Comply with Maze of Foreign-Language Posting Requirements,” the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) turned to labor and employment counsel Tareen Zafrullah and associate Samantha Barnfather for insight on requirements for companies to post notices about employment rights in foreign languages if employees are not fluent in English.

“If an employer believes it has a lot of workers who are not literate in English, the legally conservative approach may be to assume it has a significant portion of workers who are not literate in English and act accordingly,” Zafrullah said regarding federal statutes and agencies.

Barnfather explained that Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) settlements often require employers to post notices in foreign languages informing employees of their rights. The EEOC also frequently requires the distribution of anti-discrimination policies in foreign languages to staff in its settlements, as well as staff training in languages other than English, she added.

The full article is available for SHRM subscribers.