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What if you have an employee meeting and no one responds to your questions? What if you are correcting an employee, and that employee will not look you in the eye? What if you put up a notice in Spanish with a funny cartoon but your Latino employees do not respond well? "It’s all about culture!" If you don’t understand the cultural perspective of your employees or customers, you will not have the most efficient workplace or the most profitable enterprise. At a recent CLS culture workshop, a participant asked, "But why do we have to change our culture to accommodate ‘them’?" A good question! The answer? Read on.
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You don’t! You don’t have to change your culture, that is. It is a matter of understanding. Would you use offensive language that is perfectly normal in pop culture around your grandmother? Probably not! You think about subtly changing your behavior with different groups in our U.S. culture right now so why not think about the most effective way to manage your employees or interact with your clients in a culturally sensitive way? It’s all about making connections that work for you and for your Latino employees and customers.
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Immigrants who have not been in the U.S. very long may not understand that we do not celebrate many religious holidays during the work day - including Holy Week! Holy Week is a major celebration in Spanish-speaking countries with church services and processions during the day. That we do not comfortably address religion in the workplace may make Spanish-speaking immigrants feel isolated. It would be a good idea to make sure that they feel connected in other ways such as asking about their families and their lives in general. For instance, in many countries Good Friday is not a work day. Be sure to communicate your expectations to your work force and customers.
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According to Frontera NorteSur (FNS), an on-line news service from New Mexico State University, many Mexican immigrants will be staying put in the U.S. even with the current economy. Interestingly FNS notes that as many of 40% of migrants from Mexico City had high school, technical, professional or university preparation, a complete opposite of what many in the U.S. think about the educational background of Mexican immigrants.
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A CLS Client needed to resolve a Latino employee insurance issue which was the source of anger and discontent among the Spanish-speaking employees. The Client asked for a Spanish-speaking representative of the insurance company to come to the Latino employee meeting to explain the situation. The Client also asked CLS President Patty Smitherman to sit in on the explanation meeting which would take place after her ESL training class. The insurance representative was abrupt and condescending to the group which angered them even more. After the representative left, Ms. Smitherman explained the matter in Spanish again but in a culturally sensitive way. The Latino employees understood and the matter was resolved. What had happened? A well-educated Latino had talked down to the Latino work crew who had good educational backgrounds themselves. The difference? The speaker had been in the U.S. for a long time and felt quite acculturated and therefore superior to the more recent immigrants. This attitude is one of the cultural facts that are important for companies with Latino employees or customers to understand in order to prevent misunderstandings. The Client also was wise to ask a third party, Ms. Smitherman, to observe. She had a warm relationship with the crew and knew the cultural landscape. Call CLS to find out how we can help you avoid cultural mistakes and create a better work environment, improving your bottom line. In addition to our courses, we provide clients with diversity and culture workshops and presentations.
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