First generation Hispanics in the American workplace have a variety of complex issues that are worth noting by their English-speaking managers and supervisors. Although there’s no doubt that most Hispanics are much better off financially in the United States than they were in their old country, they’re still in the lower end of the earning spectrum. Many have related that they are almost always on “survival mode.” A young Hispanic employee once told me, “I determine my success by the maximum number of hours I can work each day.”
Hispanic employees have one of the strongest work ethics and like many hard working employees they’re driven by their desire to improve their financial standing in life. For many first generation, front-line Hispanics in the workplace, life is a matter of day-to-day meeting of basic needs.