Feedback to Activity 4
Situation
How you will deal with it
Joe makes jokes that
demean or stereotype
people from other
cultures.
Let Joe that his jokes are not funny and explain why you don’t find them
funny. If you are truly not comfortable doing this, refer the matter to your
supervisor and suggest that the organisation organise cross-cultural
training for staff. You might need to seek advice from the union, your
Human Resources unit or the Anti-Discrimination Board if the problem
persists.
Sam, who views time as
flexible, is regularly late
to appointments and
meetings.
Let Sam know that it is very important to be on time. If you can, ask
another co-worker who is from the same cultural background as Sam to
explain to Sam the importance of punctuality.
Gail, your work mate,
gets upset when Bob calls
her using his index finger.
Explain to Bob that in Gail’s culture this is considered disrespectful. Also
explain to Gail that Bob had not meant any offence and that it is
acceptable call people in this manner in Australia.
Your co-worker, Lucy, is
suspicious of John. She
says that he’s got
something to hide as he
never looks people in the
eye. John is from a
culture where the listener
averts his eyes but the
speaker does not.
Explain to Lucy that in John’s culture, maintaining eye contact when you
are listening is considered respectful and indicates attention.
When Bob, the team
Explain to Ken that it is quite acceptable in Australia for someone to
leader, asks Ken when he enquire directly about the progress of a job.
will finish the job, Ken
feels that Bob is trying to
hurry him up and is
harassing him. Ken is
new to Australia and in
his culture it is considered
impolite to ask direct
questions.
Your co-worker, Jane, is
wary of a new co-worker,
Ann, who is from a
culture and religion
different from hers. Jane
has not had much
exposure to people from
Ann’s background. Ann,
too, has preconceptions of
Jane.
Try to promote cross-cultural understanding. You could let your two coworkers know that it is dangerous to have pre-conceptions of people as
this can lead to discriminating against them. Perhaps you could introduce
the two to a range of people from different cultures and encourage social
outings—Jane and Ann will probably soon find that their pre-conceptions
are baseless and unfair.