Cultural Differences
Over a quarter of Australians were born abroad, and 49% of people had at least one parent who was born abroad, making Australia one of the most diverse and multicultural societies in the world (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016 Census). As a result, it is not surprising that the workforce of today includes a diverse range of ages, backgrounds, and cultures.
Communication, collaboration, sense of time, formality, and diverse cultural calendars are all examples of how cultures differ. Understanding, communicating, and interacting with people from various cultural backgrounds are essential. The following advice will help you deal with cultural differences at work.
Why is cultural awareness important?
As you may have noticed or experienced, today’s workforce is made up of a diverse range of personalities and cultures. If you can effectively harness and manage these differences, you may use them to your organisation’s benefit by boosting productivity and innovation.
Creating an inclusive workplace where employees are respected for their differences and given opportunity to fulfil their best potential is a vital aspect in attracting and maintaining the appropriate personnel. I’m sure we can all agree that people are an organisation’s greatest asset. Organisations need a wide range of knowledge and experience to draw from so embracing cultural diversity and all that it can provide is as vital since it can introduce fresh viewpoints, attitudes, and experience.
Benefits of a diverse workplace
If managed properly, multicultural staff can provide you and your company with several advantages, such as:
- increased output, originality, and creativity by utilising a variety of abilities, values, knowledge, and concepts
- a stronger competitive edge that is durable, better financial outcomes
- a variety of language abilities and cross-cultural awareness to enter new markets and develop ties within the community
- Improved organisation reputation
- It expands your talent pool – a business that values diversity will draw a wider range of applicants from whom to select for any open positions.
- increased productivity of workers since they are more likely to feel at ease and content in a diverse workplace.
How to Manage Cultural Diversity
The ability to comprehend, interact, and communicate with people from different cultures as well as work with different cultural beliefs and timetables are all part of developing cultural competency. Following these tips to manage diversity are crucial in the workplace:
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Good communication
Effective work and team performance depend on accurate and quick information delivery. This is crucial when a project is having problems and needs quick corrective action. However, there are differences among people from other cultures, such as how they react to unfavourable news.
The best method to practice good communication in a multi-cultural setting is to keep an open mind, have some understanding of cultural variations, practice active listening (getting acclimated to other accents), and pay attention to both your nonverbal and vocal cues. Kindness and sensitivity are greatly valued in this situation.
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Team-building exercises
When teams are made up of individuals from a variety of various cultural backgrounds, team-building challenges might become more problematic. One of the main advantages of diversity training in the workplace is the ability to effectively form cross-cultural teams, which is necessary to reap the potential benefits of cultural diversity in the workplace.
Instead of focusing on individual distinctions, it is crucial to embrace cooperative activities and task sharing in the new culture. Consider the viewpoints of others as a chance to broaden your perspective. Learn here how to improve your teamwork abilities.
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Cultural Appreciation
It is crucial to make sure that team members from diverse cultural backgrounds are acknowledged and valued when employing them.
Make sure everyone understands that racist or xenophobic remarks, even when made in jest, are totally prohibited and will result in disciplinary action. It’s a good idea to mention any additional biases as well. Whether they are sizeist, ableist, sexist, or homophobic, fostering a diverse workplace is all about acceptance.
Remember to respect any cultural requirements your team may have as well. Some people don’t consume particular foods, while others wear headscarves for religious reasons. Ensure that each of these is considered, included, and made aware to the rest of your team.
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Appropriate training
When interacting with people from various cultural backgrounds at work, appropriate training is of the utmost significance. This makes sure that workers are fully aware of their responsibilities and how to behave at work. Additionally, it aids in overcoming any language difficulties that may arise as a result of employing individuals from other cultures.
Training is necessary for all aspects of business, but for employees from diverse cultural backgrounds, you might want some training that is specifically tailored to what you anticipate from your company. A fantastic method to begin this training is to mention things like time, conversation during meetings, or general courtesies that you expect, as well as those that you do not consider necessary.
It’s vital to avoid being patronising when doing this, and at this point it could be a good idea to enquire what your employers expect from a workplace and whether they have any suggestions or preferences in terms of etiquette and workplace culture.
By doing this at the start of their job, you’ll lay the groundwork for your expectations of them and promote a happy workplace for years to come!
Conclusion
Although recruiting people from diverse backgrounds can present some difficulties, the advantages of learning about another culture exceed these difficulties by a wide margin.
Managing cultural differences in the workplace need not be as challenging as it may seem. If these guidelines are followed and cultural differences are respected, there is every reason for your workplace to be inclusive and pleasant. Consider the special abilities, qualities, knowledge, and values that a diverse staff can bring to your company. Diversity can give you access to new markets, new methods of working, and a good reputation, to name a few advantages.
At Positive Mind Works, we offer EAP services for businesses large or small. This includes a range of useful workplace seminars. In particular we hold one that is titled ‘capitalising on cultural diversity’. If you have a diverse workplace and would like to learn more about how you can harness the power of differences within your team to gain a competitive edge, click here to learn more our EAP services. Alternatively, please call our EAP manager on 1800 327 477 (AU) or 0800 327 477 (NZ) *press 3 for EAP (NZ).
Associated information:
Workplace Wellness: 3 Ways to Look After Your Mental Health at Work
How A Psychologist Can Help With Workplace Issues
