Hispanics

Hispanics represent an increasingly important employee resource for the hospitality industry in certain geographic areas of the United States. The reason is that the number of Hispanics is growing, although the growth is concentrated geographically. The number of Hispanics in the United States grew, according to the Census Bureau, from 4.5 per cent of the total population in 1970 to 6.4 per cent in 1980. Although past growth has not been spectacular, demographers estimate that the Hispanic population will grow from 13.2 million in 1980 to 20.4 million in 1990, which will make this the country's largest minority. Nationwide, 16 per cent of Hispanics work in service occupations, largely food-service and janitorial services. But their impact on the hospitality industry will be felt primarily in a few geographic areas. Nearly 2/3 of all Hispanics in the US live in three states (California, Texas and New York) in which one out of every five residents is Hispanic. Florida has close to one million Hispanics, making it their fourth most populous state. They are also heavily represented in terms of percentage of residents in New Mexico (36 per cent), Arizona (16 per cent), and Colorado (12 per cent).

This potential group of employees, in fact, comprises three subgroups largely concentrated in three metropolitan areas. Mexican-Americans as a whole represent 60 per cent of the country's Hispanics, and are largely concentrated in Los Angeles. This group is slightly younger than Hispanics in general; more than a third are younger than 15. They are very family oriented, with more than 80 per cent of their households containing families, compared to 73 per cent of all American households. Of all the subgroups, Mexican-Americans are most likely to know English, although one-third report not speaking it well. But only one in five speaks Spanish in the home.

Puerto Ricans, heavily concentrated in New York City, constitute the second largest Hispanic group. They are young and their population has a high growth rate. They are less likely to live in families than are Mexican-Americans; over 40 per cent of Puerto Rican families in New York City, for example, are maintained by a woman with no husband present. Yet two-thirds, compared to 55 per cent of all Hispanics, said in a census survey that being masculine meant being a good provider for a wife and family.

Cubans are even more concentrated. Over half live in Miami, making up 25 per cent of the city's population as well as 70 per cent of all of the Hispanics in its metropolitan area. They are older, with a median age of 41, but like all Hispanics have a strong sense of family. Cubans also have a higher level of formal education.

It is difficult to manage employees if a manager cannot communicate with them. Recent policies of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in the United States have stated that any rule totally prohibiting employees from speaking their own primary language is discriminatory; that an employer may require English to be spoken under very narrowly drawn rules, when it can be shown that this is justified by business needs; and that employers must clearly inform employees of the requirements of such rules and the consequences of violating them.

To facilitate communication, several companies teach English to employees in on-the-job classes, while some hotel and restaurant management programs require or encourage their students to study Spanish.

There exists a strong feeling among many Hispanics, however, that relationships between individuals are more important than norms of competitiveness, materialism, or achievement. The non-Hispanic manager may be limited in his or her ability to motivate because of an inability to establish a relationship.

Another problem affects Hispanic women. Although 50 per cent of Hispanic women are in the labor force, there are cultural pressures on them. It is a very male-oriented, traditional society, and over half of all Hispanics express reservations about a married woman with children working outside the home. Problems would arise for female managers supervising employees with such an orientation.

An additional problem is that of illegal aliens. Under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, it is unlawful for any employer, regardless of the number of employees in the business, knowingly to hire any alien not authorized to work in the United States. If an employer learns that an already hired employee is unauthorized, it is illegal to continue to employ that person. Employers are required to verify the identity and work authorization of new employees. This can be done from such documents as a US passport, a Certificate of Citizenship or Naturalization, an Alien Receipt Card, a Temporary Resident Card, an Employment Authorization Card, or an unexpired foreign passport with a visa allowing the bearer to work for a specified time.

Under the act, illegal aliens who can document that they entered the United States prior to 1982-01-01, and have resided here continuously could apply for temporary resident alien status, if they met the application deadline of 1988-05-07, for most workers.

Irrespective of legal issues, hiring illegal aliens involves issues of motivation and trust. The employer/employee relationship begins with a lie.

Illegals live in a world of lies.They are not liars, but theirs is a world of lies.They have to live—to eat—and to eat they have to say things that others want to hear. If a boss asks if they are here legally, they say they are. But they know that the boss knows they are lying and the boss is lying when he acts like he believes him. 1

Managers must ask themselves whether this is the best way to begin a business relationship.

To produce productive employees, it is important to understand their underlying motivations. Although it is dangerous to generalize, several points can be made. Most Hispanics place a high value on the family. Because unemployment rates in Hispanic communities are so high, regular work is highly valued and important to the self-esteem and status of adult males as a way of contributing to the family. The concept of family loyalty is a great source of motivation. It also helps keep productivity high and absenteeism low, though turnover can be high among those family members who may work hard for several months, save money, and then leave the community to return to a family living elsewhere.

One catering company in Chicago attempts to bring the external motivating force of the family into the internal working environment by urging employees to bring family members in to visit the workplace. In this way employees feel that the family is in a sense assimilated into the workplace; the importance of the employee's work is heightened.