On November 7, 2024, the Alberta Mentorship Program (AMP) held an online Community Champion Mentorship Circle about Cultural Diversity.
This discussion, moderated by Doug Piquette from the Edmonton Region Immigrant Employment Council (ERIEC) and Cheryl Whitelaw from AMP, introduced our expert for the session, Ravi Govindasamy.
Ravi was born in South Africa, educated in the United Kingdom, and moved to Canada in 1987. He is a residential realtor who has worked in home renovations and sales and as an e-commerce representative for Corporate Express and Staples.
He volunteers as a mentor for the ERIEC and at the Ronald McDonald House, as well as feeding the people experiencing homelessness in Edmonton.
In this Community Championship Circle, Ravi discussed:
- Why we need cultural diversity in the workplace
- How to adapt and accept cultural diversity in the workplace
- What diversity looks like in the workplace
Key Terms
Note: These terms are from a variety of references, some from our expert and some from the ERIEC website.
- Culture: Shared values and beliefs, activities based on an environment, ethnic background, country of birth, religion, family/friends, and social groups.
- Diversity: A variety, different, wide scope, or collection of elements that come together to create an experience.
- Workplace: Your office, store, building, home, or any physical location where you spend time earning a living.
- Aware: Be aware of and recognize the various cultures present in the workplace.
- Attitude: Develop a positive attitude toward others, no matter your previous mindset.
- Knowledge: Gain some knowledge of other cultures and understand how they may think. Develop skills to learn the necessary skills to adapt to Canadian culture and accept newcomers with different cultures.
- Adaptation: Learn to adapt to a new environment and culture through socializing and work.
- Acceptance: Accept others for who they are and recognize their diversity.
- Appreciation: Other cultures can teach us new things and broaden our thinking and experiences.
- Acknowledgement: Listen and have an open-minded approach. Respond positively.
- Respect: Treat others like you wish to be treated.
- Understanding: Try not to make assumptions or use stereotypes; instead, get to know your fellow workers and their cultures and ways of thinking.
Why Do We Need Cultural Diversity in the Workplace?
Canada is multicultural—either with individuals born here or individuals who have immigrated. There is evidence that Canadian multiculturalism is growing, and we need to recognize it both personally and professionally. In the workplace, we must find ways to promote this diversity while creating an efficient and productive environment.
“We shouldn’t just be surviving; we should be thriving in the environment we are working in.”
There are two important keywords in cultural diversity: adaptation and acceptance.
When new to Canada, if we acknowledge that we are no longer in our original country or cultural base, we are able to adapt and accept the Canadian culture and other cultures in the workplace.
Often, we focus on our own culture. We want to showcase it, but we forget to recognize the other cultures around us. By adapting our attitudes into a multicultural mindset, we expand our horizons as we learn how others think and function.
Where to Start?
Socializing with colleagues in and outside of the workplace can help you adapt to the Canadian culture while learning to accept different cultures. When volunteering for company events or joining a social committee, you learn more about your department colleagues and those in different departments.
How to Adapt and Accept Cultural Diversity in the Workplace
The tricky part of learning how to adapt and accept is learning how to retain your own culture in the process. It is important to retain it and promote it to help others learn more about you and your perspectives, but you must show flexibility when accepting other cultures and their perspectives as well. Through this opportunity, you learn more about yourself.
You have to make sure you’re in tune with workplace diversity to enhance your goals. Once you develop that skill, it will benefit you in all aspects of Canadian life.
In the workplace, we must recognize that we are paid by an employer, and our success in our position is part of the company’s goals. When we adapt and accept others, and we integrate this cultural diversity into our positions and departments, the company grows as well.
What Diversity Looks Like in the Workplace
In the Canadian workplace, many people like to share their ideas, and this promotes equality in our group interactions, but it also makes our work life more enjoyable. Sharing ideas advances cultural diversity and helps bring confidence to others when they work with different people. This adaptability also helps within our positions, helping us move toward our goals through work evaluations and promotions, especially at a management level.
When you get to a higher level of employment and you’re managing teams, you need a strong sense of cultural diversity. A productive work environment is the result of hard work and respect. When you show other people respect, you get it in return, and the same goes for negativity.
Open communication in the workplace promotes productivity and ideas, preventing employee-to-employee barriers. Often, when an individual begins a job, they are not faced with many barriers, as these barriers are created by the individual, depending on the environment they find themselves in. If a new employee is given incorrect advice on the behaviour of another, it affects the team’s productivity and any dealings with that person, creating a wall that establishes an overall negative attitude.
When starting in the Canadian workplace, don’t think of yourself as a closed box but instead as an integral part of the whole—an important part. As humans, we create cultural barriers naturally, so we must find a way to overcome them. Many barriers include religions, languages, ages, genders, and sexual orientation—but you have to find common ground or a common goal to overcome these barriers.
Cultural diversity has many layers. Each person, each culture, is unique on its own, but when everyone comes together to create a team, the team becomes powerful and strong because of their differences.
The Alberta Mentorship program is sponsored by the Edmonton Region Immigrant Employment Council (ERIEC).
The Alberta Mentorship Program is appreciative of the funding from the Government of Alberta through Labour and Immigration, Workforce Strategies. Our program is here to provide information and support to help organizations start mentorship programs.