Work Decorum Tips: Surviving a Cross-Cultural Environment
Most of us work with (or will be working at some point) with someone from a different culture. Culture shock happens when we experience something unnatural, yet it’s completely normal and part of everyday life for others.
Here are some examples of small things that Americans may not realize about other cultures. Japanese people consider slurping as a sign that the guests enjoy the food. If you are in Venezuela and supposed to meet someone, don’t show up on time. They will consider you rude. It is customary to arrive 15 minutes later (which tbh, should be applied ANYWHERE in the world if the meeting time is before 11:00 AM.) In Chile, utensils should always be used to eat food. They never use their hands, which is customary for Asians.
These little things might be trivial, but others might find it seriously offensive.
This video by Dr. Raquel Martin, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, talks about the importance of cultural competence and awareness.
You’re Doing It Wrong: The evolution of cultural competence | Raquel Martin | TEDxRutgersCamden
So, if you find yourself working with someone from a different culture, it’s best to be aware of cultural differences, lest you aspire to have a frenemy at work.
Work Decorum Tip #1: Be Culturally Sensitive
It’s advisable to learn a few aspects of your colleagues’ culture, especially those that will aggravate them. Trust me; it will make things much easier during the evaluation period and you find yourself being ignored for a promotion or a salary increase because your officemates don’t consider you a “team player.”
Learning about other countries’ way of life, places to visit and other interesting bits and pieces is also a good thing! It will broaden your horizons and add to your knowledge. It will also help stimulate creativity, seeing things from a different perspective, literally from the other side of the world.
Work Decorum Tip #2: Be More Tolerant
When you work with someone from a different culture, being tolerant will come in handy. But let’s be clear: being more tolerant does not mean that you are being a pushover. I mean, when push comes to shove, you must shove back and defend yourself, but do so in a professional manner. How does one do that, you ask? When someone raises their voice at you, don’t match their decibel. Keep quiet and just look at them in the eye. They will soon feel stupid shouting at someone who isn’t budging. That is the main point, make them feel uncomfortable at getting angry over nothing or something that could be discussed like the mature, professional adults that you are.
I know it’s hard to keep mum when all you want to do is claw their eyes out, but when your bosses learn about the incident, they will laud you for not making a scene and disrupting the work environment.
And since we are on the topic of bosses, resist the urge to always complain to the boss about a colleague. Your officemates will consider you a suck-up, and your boss will assume you have nothing better to do but notice the little things.
Work Decorum Tip #3: Be Proactive in Building One-on-One Professional Relationships
As mere employees, we must always remember that we are on borrowed time. We might be welcomed now, but this may not always be the case. We are, at the end of the day, still dispensable workers. Our officemates and bosses should always be a part of our professional network. You don’t need to like them, you just need to respect them and get along with them even if it is just in the confines of your four-walled offices.
And don’t suppose if you’re not working with them anymore that it is better to just forget about them and let bygones be bygones. The time will come when you might need them for something. It might be trivial such as asking for the name of a certain supplier or as vital as asking for an Excel formula that you need to finish an important report due tomorrow. Also, you will need character references once you start looking for greener pastures.
Work Decorum Tip #4: Be Professional Always
You might think why is this number four? Shouldn’t this be number one? Or why is there even a mention of this since we all already knew about it?
Okay, you might get indignant and tell me you are professional, but there are times when we forget about this basic thing. Keep in mind that you are working with people from different backgrounds. Don’t try to stand out by being unprofessional and always be courteous.
