Calling DIBS on cultural diversity
By: Olga Barrett
Tags: Belonging, Diversity And Inclusion, Culture Change, Cultural Appropriation, Diversity

Building diversity, inclusion and belonging strategies (DIBS) within an organisation is not an easy thing to do. And while I applaud multiple companies that tackle this challenge, I can’t help thinking of the importance of approaching DIBS as a deeply transformative cultural change and treating it as such.

While we are all getting a little bit more relaxed after an incredibly challenging year, and looking hopefully into the future, there are still tens of thousands of people from the culturally diverse workforce that experience anxiety and uncertainty and what’s most important — a whole bag of bigoty biases.

I hope that this post might help people on both sides of the fence — candidates from culturally diverse backgrounds as well as recruiters and hiring managers.

With an attention span of the neurotic butterfly, that seems to be a norm in our modern age oversaturated with information, we draw conclusions and judge incredibly fast. So, I invite you to dive in the potential reasons for certain behaviour.

Statement: This female candidate is too pushy.

Explanation: Female professionals coming from cultures that are on the patriarchal side, realise at some point of life that to be heard they have to acquire some behaviour patterns that are historically assigned to ‘male behaviour’. It’s, in fact, basic mimicry. If you want male peers to see and hear you, you have to be like them.

Recommendation to candidates: you don’t have to be loud and insistent to be heard here. You would exhibit more gravitas, if you come across as someone confident, structured and not overall eager. When you build relations with a potential employer, it’s a good idea to inquire about the hiring process — how many stages, what’s the time frame, what are the dependencies. You might want to explain to companies that clarity and transparency in the job search are important for you. Be accountable and ask for accountability without ‘woodpeckering’ them with ‘are we there yet?’

Recommendation to companies: Be patient and kind, please. Introduce a workflow and follow it.

Statement: Oh, this candidate would not shut up. They gave me a 15 mins spiel. They don’t listen. Can’t let them go to clients/stakeholders/team. It’s a no go.

Explanation: For people coming from hierarchical societies, interaction with a recruiter/hiring manager is a highly stressful event. They feel like there is an expectation from them to recite their whole life, and they are anxious that they might miss some important details because the time is so limited. Think X-Factor or Dragon Den.

Recommendations to candidates: Australia and New Zealand are egalitarian societies. How does it translate into a job interview situation? No one is expecting that you would climb that chair and recite a poem. It’s not an exam. It’s a friendly discussion when sometimes people would not even ask you explicit questions. For example, saying something like — oh, I see you have a lot of experience in xxx field… is actually an invitation to tell them a bit more. Just make sure you don’t talk for longer than 1–2 minutes at a time.

Recommendation to companies: It’s a good idea to introduce an interview structure to the candidate, anticipating a situation when they might spring into a 15-mins speech. Tell them that you want to concentrate on impact, tools, interactions, results — whatever you are after, and tell them not to worry that they might not have time to tell you everything, like EVERYTHING. You read their CV anyway (did you?)

Statement: Why so serious? It’s impossible to have a relaxed conversation with XXX!

Explanation: Professional immigrants treat their jobs incredibly seriously. And while more relaxed and laid-back local colleagues wonder about all that ‘huffing and puffing with a serious face’ there is a simple explanation. For us, our jobs are not just a part of identity. It’s a differentiating factor because all this hard work brought us where we are today, when millions of people in our countries still live in very unfortunate circumstances with limited opportunities, in oppressed backwards societies and are facing many other limitations and even hazards.

Recommendation to candidates: Belonging is a two-way street. And we need to soak in the local culture, which is generally happy and optimistic. Relax for yourself a bit. Also, educating yourself about Australian pop-culture, reading/listening to local news, taking an interest in the community through volunteering and, most importantly, ‘reading the room’ would help immensely.

Recommendations to companies: Yes, belonging IS a two-way street, and as much as overseas professionals need to do their homework, so should you, if you want these people to stay and bring what they have to the table. And they have a lot to give.

Statement: S/he is so manipulative.

Explanation: Australians believe in their system because the system does not generally screw them up majorly. They feel like things are taken care of, and if not immediately, it will eventually happen. Many immigrants from less fortunate countries bear a deep mistrust in the system in general. What’s more on many occasions in their careers previously they had to deal with ‘Do or Die’ situations. Hence, their behaviour — when they see a fence, they don’t assume that it’s a bearing feature of construction, they immediately switch into ‘problem-solving’ mode and are thinking of how to climb it over.

Recommendation to candidates: Problem-solving is awesome, but you don’t want to exhibit mistrust in other people competencies. Bring solutions, but know that people who are working next to you know their stuff.

Recommendations to companies: Immigrants bring a whole set of creative solutions to different problems, and if the company channel this skill in the right way, it’s certainly a win-win situation.

Finally,

It’s important to understand and appreciate the work culture in Australia, as much as taking a deeper dive into behaviour and communication patterns of a culturally diverse workforce. A lot of challenging situations can be solved with an open dialogue when both parties give each other benefit of the doubt. But it takes time, it takes will, and it takes genuine determination to bring diversity, inclusion and belonging as an organisational strategy that reflects on each and every level in the company.