Whole Foods Says “Oops!”, Changes Policy

I’m still trying to figure out this policy change. At first, workers were told not to speak Spanish to each other or to customers, and now…

Under the new policy released Friday, employees who speak English and need to communicate with an English-speaking customer are asked to “please speak with them in English, unless requested otherwise by the customer.”

Huh? Because we all walk up to random white people and speak Spanish to them? Hell, bigots whine and moan about peoples’ accents most of the time, too, so, they are damned if you do, damned if you don’t!

Still, it seems the original reason is the same one I’ve heard most of my career–where a co-worker complains about someone speaking Spanish, therefore, they must be talking about him/her, because this…

The policy also asks employees to “make sure you are sensitive to others who may want to join your conversation or ask you a question. If needed, switch to a common language to be inclusive and respectful” when speaking other languages on the job.

It appears they still don’t get it. How about a rule that states, “If you think a Spanish-speaking co-worker is talking about you, get over it, you’re probably not that important to them. Stop listening to other conversations and get back to work!”

Just sayin’.

Of course, if you look at the comments section of the Chron article, it seems the local bigots are not going to Whole Foods anymore because of this rule change. Here’s one.

Back2u

7:08 PM on June 14, 2013

I’ll be boycotting Whole Foods from now on. Nothing I hate more than being in a store and hearing employees speaking Spanish…same for the loud speaker announcements in Spanish. Last time I checked, this was America…not Mexico. Learn English, or get the hell out!

These are the same folks that begin a conversation with, “I’m not a racist, but…”