RESEARCH UPDATE ANNA EARL AND JARROD HAAR
Creating a culturally safe workplace Anna Earl and Jarrod Haar outline research and statistics on Māori employment and unemployment and ask how we can grow a genuine sense of cultural safety, wellbeing and identity for the Māori workforce.
R
esearch on indigenous HR practices has highlighted the need for evaluation and exploration of tikanga Māori (Māori customs and beliefs) in the New Zealand workplace. This is important because while the Māori population accounted for nearly 17.1 per cent in 2021 (Stats NZ), the Māori workforce accounts for around 14 per cent. Despite Aotearoa New Zealand having strong employment data in 2022, Māori unemployment remains high (6.3 per cent) compared with New Zealand Europeans (3.0 per cent). While many factors are likely to explain this, it could be an indication of not having a safe workplace and culturally appropriate policies and practices in the workplace. Recent studies provide interesting insights. The main findings suggest that New Zealand has made a
48
HUMAN RESOURCES
WINTER 2022
lot of progress in providing and supporting Māori culture and language into organisational practices. However, these practices need to be aligned with tikanga Māori, to create a genuine sense of belonging and cultural identity for the Māori workforce. So the question we pose is: how can organisations integrate tikanga Māori and create a more culturally safe workplace environment?
For HR managers, it is important to understand the attitudes and beliefs of Māori workers to build a pathway for Māori employees to feel worthy and valued.
Cultural competence and identity in the workplace
From a Māori perspective, cultural competence can be built collectively through a value-based approach or training, which includes connecting people to Māori values and beliefs. For HR managers, it is important to understand the attitudes and beliefs of Māori workers to build a pathway for Māori employees to feel worthy and valued. Having cultural aspects in the workplace can also help employees feel empowered
and enhance their mana. Intact mana is essential for the positive cultural identity of an individual and community. Building, enhancing and achieving these aspects are likely to raise the importance of the organisation to Māori workers and so improve their retention. HR managers need to understand that Māori view the existing policies, practices and everyday behaviour as a product of individualistic values and customs, which is not the way Māori build their living and working environment. Indeed, collective thinking is crucial for Māori and should guide HR managers. Research indicates that practising whanaungatanga (family centric values) by HR managers is crucial because it provides support and stability to employees. Creating family centric practices can also motivate people to unite and be more loyal to an organisation, as well as gaining greater reciprocity. Reciprocity is crucial because it enhances wellbeing. Finally, a study of non-Māori found that leaders with a collectivistic orientation were viewed more positively, which also helped retention. So such an approach is not necessarily in conflict with other members of a workforce.
