A Review of the Career Experiences of Non-Native English-Speaking Employees in English-Speaking Organizations: A Critique and Recommendations

Abstract

Research on the career experiences of non-native English-speaking employees in English-speaking organizations is scant and spread across fields such as linguistics, psychology, sociology, management, human resource development (HRD), and labor and employment studies. Furthermore, research on linguistic diversity is significantly underrepresented in workplace diversity literature. Therefore, this chapter aims to synthesize empirical evidence of the career experiences of non-native English (NNE)-speaking employees in English-speaking organizations from the literature and critically analyze these experiences from a critical HRD perspective, a social justice paradigm within HRD. The authors’ review of 12 empirical studies revealed that the career experiences of NNE-speaking employees in English-speaking organizations are characterized by bias and discrimination, resulting in limited access to opportunities within organizations, mistreatment, and disadvantages in career advancement, confirming major findings from the existing literature. The articles reviewed also commonly suggested workplace language training as a means of improving the career experiences of NNE-speaking employees in organizations. In this chapter, the authors caution against this noncritical approach that locates the source of the problem with individual employees, calling for more systemic, inclusive, and comprehensive organizational practices that recognize, celebrate, and maximize the strengths of linguistic diversity.