THE BILINGUAL JOB FAIR BLOG

Management Considerations in a Multicultural Workplace

August 18, 2009

We all know that employers and employees need to work together in order to understand each other.  Management needs to try to understand the employees better and the employees need to comprehend management to a greater degree.  Plus, the diversification of America’s workforce over the years requires the workplace to reflect the backgrounds of all who work there.

Forward thinking employers see diversity as an opportunity to embrace a variety of opinions and cultures, and they do it because they believe in it, rather than just to fulfill their equal opportunity requirements and their quotas.

People who have known me for years can attest to the fact that although I’m a minority, I would not like to be considered for a position because I am Hispanic or because I am a woman.  I want to be considered for a position because I have the right experience, the education, the appropriate knowledge, and the skills to get that position.  Having said that, I like companies that are visionaries; companies that like to involve people of all ethnical backgrounds.  With more diversity come more ideas, better products and greater services for the company.

When you have a multicultural atmosphere, you come up with multicultural ideas that can be embraced by the world, and consequently, the company can benefit.  In my opinion, the more diversity there is in a business, the more diverse the ideas are in that business.

The leaders of multi-cultural teams need to take into consideration the many cultural facets of their employees.  Here is a short list of things to consider (and there are plenty more):

• Religious Holidays and religious practices- Managers should try to understand their employees’ religious practices and embrace their respective beliefs, including special holidays.

• In some cultures, if a family member is sick – other family members must attend to their siblings’ (parents, next of kin) needs and would not have it any other way.  An employee might need to fly to another country, to pay their last respects to a family member.  If you assist the employees at particularly tough times, the majority of them will give you loyalty back for years to come.

• For some cultures, mourning the loss of a family member, especially close siblings, is a period of time to spend time with each other (after the family member’s passing), and grieve together.

• If two employees are from a specific country, and they speak to each other during their lunch hour or during their break, in their native tongue, don’t take it personally.  No, they are probably not talking about you.  But they might connect at that time with their past (with their roots).  It might be that they don’t have anyone, but that co-worker, to speak in their native language.

• Take into account how long the employee has been away from their native country.  If it is less than five years, they are still going through the feelings of being ‘homesick’.  Be supportive and encourage them daily.  With every month and every year that goes by, it gets better.  The employee will get more accustomed to their new country, to the new customs, and to their new world.

• Keep in mind that if the employee came from another country, and spoke another language, that he or she has gone through a lot of adjustments and that they’re just trying to make their dreams come true.

As time passes, the multi-cultural employee will become bilingual and will feel more ‘at home’.  They will never forget the leaders who helped them make it in their new country.  I hope that you are one of those leaders.

Let’s learn more from each other and let’s create a more understanding world in the workplace.

Filed under: Management

Tags: bilingual, corporate culture, diversity, leadership, management tips