Should a restaurant worker be fired for speaking French? Well, no, but ...
I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about customer service.
I get it. The old days of “the customer is always right” is long gone. Now it’s too many customers and understaffed stores, and customers have become just another number on a ledger. You don’t like that? There are 98 people in line behind you who don’t care. The pressure's on. But please, can't we still be just a little human?
In Quebec, it’s pretty much essential that anyone who is customer-facing must speak French. Having and using a second language is a great asset, but French is pretty much essential in order to effectively deal with customers and provide good customer service.
But what about on the other side of the counter, or in the back room or the kitchen? Must employees speak French, or can they speak whatever language they’re most comfortable in?
The issue has come to light recently after a woman in Quebec says she was fired for speaking English with her coworkers.
According to the unidentified woman, she was fired from the Valentine restaurant in Deux-Montagnes, Quebec, because she didn’t speak French with fellow employees. The manager even put up a sign in the workplace stating that employees are only to speak French, and called the woman out by name.
Now, without getting into the whole Quebec language police thing, can this manager force his employees to speak a specific language when they are talking to each other?
In the name of good customer service, the patrons prefer to hear French. So let’s try to speak French whenever possible so everyone is happy.
No, he doesn’t. We have the freedom to speak to each other in French, English, Hindi or Swahili if we choose. This woman likely has a strong case for Canada’s human rights tribunal if she wants to pursue it.
However, the manager is responsible for keeping his clientele happy, and he’s responsible for ensuring good customer service. In this case, the primarily French-speaking regulars at the restaurant apparently did not like hearing the woman speaking English, and they made it clear they were going to voice their displeasure with their feet, by going to a different restaurant nearby.
I’ll admit that I get a little chaffed when people behind the counter talk in a language I don’t understand – particularly when it’s clear they’re talking about me or my order. Let me in on the conversation and maybe I can help? I will admit that it has influenced my decision whether to go to one coffee shop or one across the street.
And that’s exactly what this manager had to weigh. The fact of the matter is that the patrons should have been more respectful and open-minded of language rights, but they’re the customers. And the customer is always right, right?
There’s no question that the manager’s actions were over the line. He should have explained the tight spot he was in with the woman, who may have understood his predicament. In the name of good customer service, the patrons prefer to hear French. So let’s try to speak French whenever possible so everyone is happy.
A VP with the restaurant apologized on Tuesday.
“We’re definitely sorry about this situation,” said Valentine VP Francis Robin, according to CTV News. “The post of that note was the decision of one person and does not reflect our company’s values in any way. The employee has the right to speak either French or English. We live in a free country.”
He’s quite right about that. People can speak whatever languages they choose, just like customers have the right to go to whatever restaurant they choose.
Vive la difference.
The Surly Old Man is a real old man who is particularly surly. He will contribute only when angry.
