Consider cultural diversity when working remotely

Kevin Britz, international leadership coach, trainer, facilitator and host of the lunchtime series on ebitzradio.com, interviewed a few weeks ago Viviana Premazzi, CEO and founder of Global Mindset Development.
In the interview, some of the topics they discussed are: the impact of Covid-19 on the workplace, work-life balance, different leadership styles, managers’ vulnerability and how to consider and include cultural diversity when working remotely.

We are really in connection with the world at the moment, so can you give us a 

preface on having to consider cultures and diversity and the importance of that?

 The focus of our work is people. And what 2020 asked us was to put people even more at the center of the business, as well as the different needs of the people that we have working with us. So it is taking care of the work-life balance, of people and of different ways we can work nowadays. So even working remotely, but still being connected in the company and with the people, with the employees of the company. And this is something new also for leaders and for managers and they have to work and be aware of the challenges and the opportunities of it.

Don’t you want to speak to us about the actual cultural consciousness that we need to start putting in place, and how that links itself to diversity and inclusivity, and also why this is a strategic leadership stance to engage with in 2021?

I think 2020, through Covid but also “Black Lives Matter” for example, made evident to all of us the inequalities that still exist in the same country, in the same companies, across cultures, and countries. When I work with companies I always start with helping them to define the different cultures that already exist in the workplace. So, always starting from the needs of our employees, because the more they feel that we are listening to them and we are acting based on their needs, the more they feel included, their performance is better and therefore also the company will benefit.

So, one of the things that you mentioned in the information that we shared is the importance for managers to recognize their leadership style. How, and why does that influence the development of that intercultural connection between cultures?

I think another difficult thing to recognize is that we all have conscious and unconscious biases, and this is again a human and natural process. It’s natural to put people in boxes, to simplify the complexity, and this is true also for managers. If you understand your biases and you are aware of your biases, or your way of thinking, you can realize that maybe you are treating someone in a different way or in a bad way based on your prejudice and your stereotypes. So the more you are aware, the more you can adjust your leadership styles,  and therefore build an inclusive workforce.

So, what do we do? What is the process to follow? Are there steps that we really can start taking on how to build an inclusive environment and starting to recognize how to do this more effectively? Is this a sort of a step process? How do you go about doing it?

My suggestion to my clients always is to start from the needs of your employees. Start with a discovery phase. This can take an effort of time and resources, but it is the best way. It is about having difficult conversations to realize that maybe there is something you can still improve, and then developing an action plan.
And you can then identify priorities and something that can follow. And it is about the strategy of the company, the employees but also maybe you want to involve the suppliers, and also the future generations, so also linking this to corporate social responsibility, the community around the company. So this is the way to see if the plan is a good plan.

In the last 12 months, what have you noticed as some of the key points that are starting to stand out, and what are those things that are starting to show up in corporate environments?

If everyone has to work remotely, you as a manager also have to work remotely, and you don’t have to go to the office because otherwise, the employees feel they cannot work from home because the manager is at the office. Still during Covid, leading with the example and being transparent are extremely important points. Being transparent also means showing your vulnerability, also as a manager. Uncertainty is something every one of us is living with these days. So, sometimes it is fine if you don’t have all the answers because after all, we are going through a global pandemic. Show your vulnerability and your employees will appreciate you also for that because you are not keeping secrets and there is no reason why secrets have to be kept.

 I think when it comes to vulnerability, some coaches in the world speak around it. I think that also links to the corporate environment, telling people that I am human like you are, I struggle with the same struggles that you are struggling with, I ask the same questions.
Very often corporates have cultural consciousness, and cultural diversity and inclusivity are seen as a crutch word or a tick box exercise and the real crack that matters is how you actually do it, what you are actually doing to incorporate that inclusivity and real actions. Can you give us some really practical tips and techniques which we can stick to, really applying to ourselves and considering as a strategy?

I would say something that may feel theoretical and something more practical. I would say start with why you want to be inclusive more than diverse, because diversity is about the numbers. If your why is clear, then you have your aim and your objective; but if it is just for ticking the box, probably you will fail because you will put together best practices from somewhere but you are not actually considering your employees’ needs. Involve your team, it’s their needs but they are also part of the solution because there is no one thing that fits all, and something that is working in a department may not work in another department, so involve them.

Also, thinking about the solutions, you can create a working group that, again, can be inclusive and can be representative of different minorities or also different departments. Again, I don’t say that there is one rule, but for me, to understand the needs it’s really about having these difficult conversations.  You can have focus groups, you can have surveys, you can have both, you can have an open-door policy, and this phase is extremely important. For managers is also to be aware of your conscious and unconscious biases, which is again part of vulnerability. Take notes and write down all your thinking and acting, it can really be helpful.

What other advice for businesses out there today?

I would say start from your people also because what is happening nowadays is also that a lot of people will change their migratory projects. So, you can have employees that couldn’t go home for months and now they will ask you for three months to go back home. Be flexible and support them in this time because it has been challenging, especially for people that are living abroad. Also, understanding the importance of the work-life balance; this will be a hot topic in 2021 because there is a lot of potential in working remotely, but working remotely is also about trust and tasks.

I am so glad that you mentioned work-life balance. I’ve had several conversations with European leaders like yourself and it’s absolutely essential. In certain European countries, work-life balance is unbelievably important and with that fit, you find that corporates and businesses are more effective. When people know they have a balance and that boundary is respected, I think it is so important. Because of covid now we are at home, we are always available and we are always online. I think that is such wonderful advice.

Watch the complete interview: