Descriiption: One suggestion to address the worksite grievances is this: Make the team less diverse and utilize local people with similar backgrounds because they can work more cohesively. From a diversity perspective, this would not be the best decision. This suggestion fails to use cultural self-awareness to see the benefits of a diverse team and the importance of culturally diverse communication to support feelings of inclusivity.
Question 3: What are five reasons why the team could benefit from not implementing this suggestion and continuing with its current diverse team?
Feedback: You are very close. Could you tell us more about global impact?
Descriiption: When you, the external consultant, came into the facility and applied your cultural empathetic strategies to facilitate problem solving and make suggestions for the worksite, you recognized your affinity for the people that seem to lack the most power and privilege because this feels relatable for you. This feeling is part of cultural self-awareness.
Question4: Explain cultural self-awareness and why this connection exists.
Feedback: You are very close. Could you tell us more about types of people we favor?
Descriiption: You conduct individual interviews of team members at the worksite to help determine strategies that may best support the employees and their culture-related grievances. During these interviews, you made sure to acknowledge team members’ emotions about how they were feeling and shared gratitude for opening up about what was going on with them. You showed genuine interest in their proposed solutions and were very encouraging that the company was invested in finding supportive solutions for all. The interviews were supposed to last 15 – 20 minutes each, and some lasted up to an hour. You allowed space for each to be heard. You wanted to make sure you asked as many questions as you could to understand the cultural differences and allow the person to share elements of their cultural affiliations with you.
Question5: Explain how you exemplified empathy in your interviews.
Feedback: Let us help you out. Could you tell us more about employees not interested in a choice, and effect of sabbath and weekend on equity?
Descriiption: The preferred communication for the company to their employees is through an app on their company phones to alert them of important daily updates, tasks, and expectations. Some team members reported feeling as though this should not be the only form of communication because they did not like being required to have a phone with them at all times, and the app was challenging to understand. They wanted multiple types of communication include written letters. According to those with grievances, the strategy was doing the following:
Creating barriers biased toward team members who were technologically savvy and maybe from a younger generation
Not taking into consideration nonnative English speakers
Not taking into account visual disabilities that made relying on the app a challenge; and
Forcing employees to have more screen time than they were comfortable with causing physical discomfort among some
The decision was made to offer communication in multiple forms, including text messages, app-based direct messaging, printed communication, and voicemails. Each team member had to opt into one type of communication. Each person could also choose their language of choice for the communication.
Question 7: How does this decision support the importance of culturally diverse communication?
Feedback: You are getting there. Could you tell us more about language barrier, and concern about screen time?
Descriiption: The design of the project requires six days of work and one day of vacation. The decision was made for Sunday to be the weekly day of vacation since many religions observe Sunday as a day of sabbath. Several grievances were received because some team members felt that they wanted another day of observance for their religious beliefs. There were limited options because the project cannot work with multiple people out on any given day. The decision was made to offer two options for a day of vacation, Sunday or Saturday, but not both, and an equal number of people (10) had to be off on either day.
Question 8: Explain how this decision is mostly aligned with either the concept of equity, equality or justice with support for your choice.
Feedback: You are getting there. Could you tell us more about language barrier, and concern about screen time?
