Cross Cultural Communication in the Workplace
Cross cultural communication and examples of racial discrimination deal with communication between different cultures in the workplace. Give consideration to how to communicate appropriate messages and the effect those messages have on the target audience.
Any person who has been discriminated against understands the need for effective cross cultural communication in the workplace.
When people feel that they are over looked or mistreated at work because of their race it is essential for the company to correct the problem and to ensure that the same incident does not occur again. This causes a hostile work environment. Employees are supposed to work together to further the company, but a race related offense will cause division.
If someone feels wronged, they will usually be supported by members of their own race. Likewise, the person who did the offending, is often supported by members of their race. Once this happens, the workplace becomes a tense and unstable environment. The last thing employers want is for race riots to erupt in the office. Although some offenses cannot be avoided, responsible employers should take the time to educate their employees on the subject of race relations.
One sure way to break the ice when it comes to cross cultural communication is to hire people from a variety of cutures. If a person is qualified for the job, it should not matter what their ethnic background is. However in certain circumstances it is necessary to use affirmative action to improve the employment opportunities of members of minority groups.
Employers shouldn't feel like they have to make an announcement every time they hire someone from a different race. Actions speak louder than words, and if office members notice that the office is becoming more diverse cross cultural communication will improve without having to say a word.
Employers should try to refrain from hiring different races for stereotypical positions. This will add fuel to the discrimination fire. Businesses who hire many different races will gain a more diverse clientele. People who might not have ever considered using the services of that business might become patrons just because they felt that they were welcome. The employees are the face of the company, and the face of every company should include different colors.
Some race related offenses are unintentionally caused by a lack of understanding different cultures. For this reason, some companies form cross cultural communication committees to help staff learn about different cultures.
This type of committee would be useful for people who truly have questions about different races and cultures, but they don't know who to ask.
Companies should not be naive and assume that everyone who discriminates against another race does it by accident. Every incident that deals with discrimination should be treated as a serious offense. Employees should be made aware of the fact the the company has a zero tolerance policy regarding discrimination.
Once a discrimination offense is reported, it needs to be handled immediately and the proper disciplinary steps should be enforced. This varies greatly depending on the company and the offense and could include layoffs or suspension.
Since many people discriminate against others because of fear of the unknown, focusing on improving cross cultural communication may help to eliminate some of that fear and lead to better race relations.
Diversity - Examples racial discrimination
This article gives examples of racial discrimination in the workplace and ways to prevent it. Read more
Meeting icebreakers
Icebreaker games and icebreakers for small groups are excellent to use in the workplace for teams or groups of people to get to know each other and to feel more relaxes working together. Read more
Other issues to consider in the workplace:
- Cultural differences in communication
- Promotion and marketing communications
- Business case communication study
- Nonverbal communication cues
- Types of verbal communication
- Enhance team building through communicating
- Emotional intelligence in effective communication
- Barriers to effective business communication
- Business management organizational development consulting
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