Should I Bow or Shake Hands?

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Hello Shades readers!  As we continue with this month’s focus on navigating the workplace, we thought we would take some time to discuss a very real and commonplace thing in many workplaces today – working with people of different cultures.  Many of us work with people of different ethnicities, cultures and religions and we know it can sometimes be difficult to know what to say or how to say it.  We hope to demystify some of those challenges for you today! 

Canada contains a plethora of different types of people, most if not all bound by their desire to come to this great country to make a better life for themselves and their loved ones.  We at Shades love to see the diversity around us and we think it is one of the great things about being Canadian!

If you work in a diverse environment, it is important for you to learn about others in order to build strong relationships with your co-workers. 

One of the first steps you should take is to do your research (we often say this) so that you have some knowledge about those you are working with.  By learning about them, you will show that you are open to others who may not be like you. 

Learning about someone else’s culture may also alert you to differences in body language or commonly used phrases.  For example, did you know that in some cultures. It is considered rude to make direct eye contact?  By North American standards, not looking someone in the eye can seem like the person is being dishonest or shifty but that could just be a cultural difference.  It is important to know about others to know where they are coming from. 

While we encourage you to do your research, make sure you exercise discretion and tact in how you show your knowledge.  Don’t be cocky or over-confident.  Ask questions to get more information and to show interest.

Also, do not believe stereotypes about different groups.  While cultures, ethnicities and religions can be significant identifiers, people are also molded and influenced by many other things like life experience, travel and education.  Not everyone in a particular culture is always late or are bad drivers.  Do not paint with a broad brush!

Finally, be open to others.  Even if people may seem to have disparate cultures, we are sure that there are commonalities that can be found with some dialogue and openness.  At Shades, we often say that we are more alike than we are different. 

 Thanks for reading and we wish you the best as you navigate the rich diversity of your workplace!