A tale of two Trudys

Cross-cultural interactions in the workplace

By Erica Fehr

Trudy is a diesel mechanic working in a shop that has hired newcomers from Eritrea, Congo, Ukraine, and some countries I don’t remember. Some of these newly hired immigrants can’t read their own language, much less English, and they arrive deeply traumatized. Others have it easier—they are only adapting to the Canadian language and culture while trying to earn enough to sponsor their own families. “Only” is a strange word to use about that level of adjustment and stress.

Trudy wasn’t hired as a cross-cultural trainer to explain work orders and million-dollar test equipment to people who don’t understand English, but she’s good at it, so she is the point person in the shop. It cuts into her own productivity, but she is endlessly patient—well, nearly.

A different Trudy, together with her team, has been involved in bringing multiple refugee families to Canada and is also the employer of several members of those families. She could tell you a lot about the challenges newcomers confront while adapting to a Canadian workplace. It’s no surprise that communication would be high on that list—learning to speak basic English is only the first step, she says. For someone who isn’t yet fluent in English, trying to understand verbal instructions is very difficult, and though a supervisor can explain carefully, take time to confirm and be assured that the employee understands, that may only be partly true. Whether that is a result of cultural values or the desire to seem competent, misunderstandings are demoralizing and can put workers in danger.

In this issue of The Messenger, we will be talking about important factors in interacting crossculturally—something many of us already experience. They apply not just to sponsorship activities but to our work life because it’s in places of employment that we have some of the most sustained and important interactions critical to a newcomer’s successful integration. Co-workers rub shoulders daily in a peer-to-peer relationship creating an opportunity to form healthy relationships and gain understanding about each other. Unfortunately, it’s also a place where misunderstandings and misaligned cultural values can wear on people, and instead of combating racial division, a divide can grow and intensify.

We are not all equally skilled or confident relationally, and we don’t all have the training to understand why the differences exist or how they play out.

Adapting to Canada is a huge challenge for newcomers, but it’s also demanding for Canadians. We are not all equally skilled or confident relationally, and we don’t all have the training to understand why the differences exist or how they play out.

We’re fortunate that the EMC and organizations close to us have a wealth of people who know their way around cultural questions. In this issue, Arley Loewen and Doris Penner write both to encourage interaction and to equip us for it.

A few good-humoured missionaries will also share their own cultural missteps and awkward encounters for our benefit. They are a reminder that no matter how competent and prepared we are, we will make mistakes when we step out, and that’s okay. Mistakes, awkwardness, and sometimes feeling stupid are all okay. It’s being unkind or refusing to make space for others that’s not okay.

We hope you enjoy this issue and find something that encourages you as you keep working at being like Jesus.