Special Feature —
Bridging the Culture Gap by Meta L. Levin
Debbie Bartsch
remembers her first landscape job. “I dressed like an office lady with shoes that were not backlot friendly,” she says. When she was introduced to the crews, they looked at her as if they were asking, “Who is this princess?” She immediately realized that her attempt to impress her new employer had backfired. After that, Bartsch who works in production scheduling for Chalet, went out to the back lot once a day and tried to learn a little Spanish. It wasn’t, however, until she brought a crock pot of chili into the office and invited anyone to take some, that the ice broke. “Food,” she says, “is the fastest form of bonding.” People from the office and the crews mingled while they ate. It was so successful that her employer gave her a monthly budget to keep it going and the lunchtime sharing kept growing. Eventually, she arranged for catering from a Mexican restaurant. “It was fantastic team building.” Bernie’s Story Bernie Carranza, whose successful webinar, Lost in Translation: The Five Things Businesses Must Understand About the Latinx Culture, was presented in 2020, is not surprised. “It is ingrained in the Mexican culture to share food,” he says. “The act of eating together is a sacred ritual.” In fact, says Carranza, landscape contractors may see their crews sharing food during their lunch breaks. One may bring and heat tortillas and distribute them, while others may contribute other parts of the meal. “It’s nurturing,” he says. “If you are invited to share, then you are viewed as part of the group.”
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Bartsch, Carranza and former ILCA President, José Garcia, were part of a group that presented a four-part program, Uniting Latino and American Culture in the Workplace, during the 2022 iLandscape One Fiesta. Sponsored and organized by the ILCA Latino & Americano Committee, the sessions focused on understanding and appreciating the differences in the two cultures. Identifying the Need Spanish speakers and Latino employees make up more than 50 percent of the Illinois landscape industry. The sessions were based on the belief that it will benefit everyone if the two cultures understand each other. The sessions were presented in Spanish and most of the audience was composed of employees, although there was a mix of American owners, as well. Another series is planned in English. “We felt the focus should be on the appreciation of the differences,” says Garcia. “It’s time to get rid of the conflicts from the lack of understanding each other’s cultures.” For example, Garcia noted that each needs to understand why the other reacts in a certain manner. The idea was to allow attendees to walk away with something tangible, information that could be applied in the real world immediately. “We tried to provide information that would be useful,” says Garcia. “We wanted to give the membership tools to use.” The better the understanding, the more an employee feels comfortable, the better the retention and the happier they are. If people are happy, the better the production. So, the (continued on page 12)
The Landscape Contractor July 2022
