The multi-cultural workplace is here to stay. For many workplaces, miscommunication because of cultural differences is quite common and, as you can imagine, leads to hurt feelings and uncomfortable employee relationships. That’s why workplace leaders need to train employees to use effective communication in a multicultural workplace.
Obviously, better workplace communication can provide for more employee job satisfaction in general, but it’s even more important when there’s a mix of cultures.
Avoid Making Cultural Communication Blunders
In order to avoid making a cultural communication blunder it is very important for your staff to understand the customs of the different cultures represented in your workplace.
Anna is her team’s leader. She is giving evaluations and feedback to coworkers at a meeting. When she reaches Jin, a Japanese coworker, and offers some criticisms and helpful suggestions, Jin appears upset. “What did I do?,” wonders Anna. “Did I say something wrong?”
Anna didn’t realize that it is serious breach of etiquette in Japan to criticize someone directly in public. While Anna was a team coworker, it is even true when the relationship is superior-subordinate.
Anna decides to approach Jin about the meeting and ask if she did something wrong or offended her. Jin was appreciative and explained that in her culture, it is not acceptable to criticize someone in public.
Anna apologizes to her and adds that she would like to learn more about her culture so she can communicate more effectively. They decide to ask their supervisor to plan a training session where employees can share information about their cultures.
How to Help Multi-cultural Employees Get Along Better
Provide opportunities for your staff to:
Talk about each others’ cultures. Ask each other about helpful in communication tips.
Share information about each other’s cultural celebrations.
Bring in ethnic food and share recipes
Two other cultural differences that affect workplace communication.
What one culture considers ambitious and industrious is seen by some cultures as self-serving
While one culture values a confident and direct approach, some cultures view it as arrogant.
Everyone is Also an Individual
It is good to remind employees that even individuals within a particular culture are unique because of gender, age, occupation, education, life experiences, etc. That’s why it’s important for all employees who work together to get to know each other, personally.
If you and your staff can understand each other’s customs, and understand each other as individuals as well, it will open up a new world of communication for all of you, and lead to significant improvement in teamwork and employee satisfaction
In my earlier article titled “Workplace Communication – A Practitioner’s View”, I had suggested deployment of a strategy as part of a comprehensive approach to employee communication.
Just to re-emphasize, I had suggested that the Workplace-Communication is a self-perpetuating process that aids the organization in achieving its goals by;
Interlinking various levels of hierarchy and functions;
Acknowledging employees about the organization’s vision, values and goals for enlisting their commitment;
Helping employees identify themselves with the organization’s vision and enabling them for prioritizing their actions; and
Helping the organization generate openness & mutual trust and develop congruence between organizational & individual, goals & efforts.
Here, I will now elaborate on the substance of a strategy for Workplace-Communication. Before we begin, let us hold a common meaning of strategy as “a plan of action designed to achieve a long-term objective”.
Workplace-Communication is somewhat akin to “internal advertising” with clarity on “Above The Line” and “Below The Line” approaches. The underlying purpose of the Workplace-Communication strategy is to keep employees adequately informed all the time regarding the current status of business, future prospects, issues concerning their jobs & careers, market conditions, etc., essential to achieve a greater congruence between organizational & individual, goals & efforts.
So what are the core elements of a sound Workplace-Communication strategy?
Development of the strategy
There is no point in presuming what employees would like to know or should know. It is a common sense as well as a daunting task. While developing a Workplace-Communication strategy, the organization should consider aspects like employee demographics, average education profile, average age profile, cultural diversity, language proficiency, etc. It would be worthwhile to do a dipstick on “what, when & how” employees would like to know about the business of the organization as well as about their jobs & careers. While every employee need not receive all the information, he / she should certainly get what is relevant to him or her at the right time.
Classification of information or data
Having identified “what, when & how” employees would like to know, each piece should be classified in terms of criticality and target audience. Classification should also include who should know what, when, how and from whom. The moot point is that the employees have the first right to information about the organization, and if they come to know about their organization from the external agencies, then the organization stands to lose credibility. This component has a stand alone weight also when the organization does not have a strategy for workplace communication.
Periodicity of communication
Too frequent or too infrequent communication – both are ineffective. Therefore, each piece of information should have a specified relay periodicity. The analogy is with the daily morning newspaper which has to come every morning and a fortnightly tabloid which has to come every fifteen days. Of course, in case of emergencies or special situations, information ought to be relayed immediately. There is no point if the invitee receives the marriage invitation after the couple is back from the honeymoon.
The language of communication
It is vital to convey information in the language which employees comprehend. It cannot be Shakespearean English when you are a Russian company. Relaying information concurrently in English as well as in the vernacular and / or the national language (if English is not the national language) is the most preferred way. It is also helpful to use visuals and videos depending on the topic. When communicated in the vernacular language, it is important to have a transliteration and not translation. The core aim of this component is to reach out to maximum possible employees.
Channels of communication
This is a challenging component of the workplace-communication strategy. It is entirely up to the organization to innovate on this front. The strategy by design should focus only on formal channels as informal channels have different purposes & implications. So what are the options?
Induction program / tour / film and intense (yes, I mean intense) interaction with the senior guys around
Well crafted induction & socialization booklet with visuals and emphasis on values and ethics
Bilingual monthly or quarterly magazine / newsletter (print as well as electronic version) with designer looks
Mass SMS (can be a powerful tool for conveying exciting news)
Updated “Employee Section” on the company’s website (accessible to employees only though their PCs, Laptops, Tablets and Smartphones)
Team or Department review meetings on a monthly basis (each such meeting must start with a brief on the overall business status and then only the departmental agenda should be discussed)
Circulars or Emails (for example, sharing quarterly / annual business results with all the employees one go) from the CEO or a designated senior and displaying a copy or transliterated version at all the conspicuous places
Display of the organization’s vision, mission & values in the most conspicuous places with suitable designs. Such display should catch attention immediately.
Conventional as well as digital boards / panels depending on the time of information
Computer screens / permanent standies
Training events (very intense tool to communicate with employees)
Official blogs / chat platforms
Annual or half-yearly get-together
Official letters given to employees (offer letter, appointment letter, confirmation letter, compensation revision letter, promotion letter, transfer letter, recognition letter, termination letter, etc.)
Feedback process
Do employees get to know about the organization what they need to know? Do they find the content relevant? Are they able to relate their own performance & experiences with that of the organization (barring the impact of external factors)? Are they receiving information as per the promised periodicity? Do they find the language lucid and the media apt? No communication can be effective if it is not two-way and understood properly. Therefore, it is pragmatic to have a periodic check on the eff
Effective communication skills in the workplace lower stress and improve productivity. However, some employees can sabotage a positive workplace atmosphere with their negative communication habits. For example:
A supervisor observes her employee looking around nervously and then ducking behind the copy machine.
“What are you doing?”, she asks.
A timid voice comes from behind the copy machine, “Avoiding snipers.”
Communication Snipers In the Workplace
First, let me be clear. I’m not talking about military sharpshooters, I’m talking about the every day communication snipers. The ones in the workplace.
Workplace snipers are highly trained marksmen (or women) who shoot verbal targets from concealed positions.
They have had specialized training in verbal communication attacks such as:
sarcasm,
humorous put downs,
disapproving looks
and innuendos.
Ok. So, your employees may not have to play “Duck and Cover” at your workplace, but they may feel like it sometimes, and that’s the worst thing they can do.
Workplace Communication Snipers Thrive on Negativity
Avoiding confrontation allows the snipers to get away with their covert hostility. Some people are just plain negative. They may have learned to act that way while growing up, or may have been rewarded for it later in life. Either way, they now make it a way of life – going about their day making trouble for those around them.
Snipers may not actually want to be too hurtful. They just have a poor way of dealing with relationships because they have learned that negative communication gives them an “edge.” So they use their verbal communication weapons to protect their territory, and keep anyone else from messing with them.
Unfortunately, this can have a negative effect on their workplace relationships, causing unnecessary conflict and tension. While snipers may feel they are gaining an “edge,” other employees wind up “feeling on edge” because of the problems they create.
People may find themselves tiptoeing around workplace snipers, keeping their distance, or avoiding them altogether. Their negativity has a destructive effect on the workplace atmosphere.
To Deal With Them, Learn this Communication Skill
Snipers usually refute their pot shots as either denial, “I’m only joking”, or volleying the responsibility back onto their victim, “Can’t you take a joke?”
Avoidance is not the answer. Here’s the secret to defusing them…
Train your employees to respond to these comments with a question.
“That sounds like you’re making fun of me. Are you?”
“What are you trying to tell me with that look?”
“Did you really mean what you said?”
Since verbal snipers rely on their camouflage, once their cover is blown, the chance for future attacks is lessened.
Dealing with negative communication is an essential leadership skill for supervisors and managers.
Being comfortable in the workplace is not only essential for employee job satisfaction, it’s also essential for quality productivity.
If you are a supervisor or manager, hold a communication skills training session with all your employees. This will alert any snipers that this type of negative communication won’t be tolerated. Your staff will appreciate your help and respect you for your leadership skills.
Visit http://www.confidencecenter.com/leadership to get instant access to our free Leadership Quiz.
Did you know that the most successful businesses often have great workplace communication? This makes up the foundation of any business that runs efficiently and is profitable. With great communication, employees do not get sidetracked by drama or harmful gossip. Instead, with honest communication you will find that employees work together to solve problems and enjoy one another’s company.
Workplaces that have open communication between all people do not just randomly stumble upon this great attribute. It takes hard work to achieve a culture of communication and transparency in any business. If your workplace could use a boost in its workplace communication, then there are a few steps you can take to improve this important part of your business.
Sometimes businesses work best when a subtle approach is taken to things like communication. Instead of hosting an intense meeting about workplace communication, try hosting a laid back social event. It may seem counter-intuitive to approach workplace communication with a casual level of attention, but this can be one of the best ways to make your point to your employees. Employees do not usually benefit when a boss lectures them or yells at them, especially in areas like workplace communication.
Instead, try hosting a social hour at your own home for employees. This can be the only subtle cue you need to use to show employees that you care about creating a good social environment in the business place. A social hour only has to last for a couple of hours and it is a good time for employees to relax and be honest about how they feel about the business. Lighting a fire pit can add to the comfortable ambience of the social hour. A fire pit has an inviting warmth that will make every employee feel welcome to the event, regardless of any circulating gossip of rumors going around the office. Hosting a social hour can almost create the fresh start your business may need in its workplace communication department.
If you want your business to better serve customers, then having great workplace communication is a must. You simply must care about this part of your business, in order to have a professional environment that