Workshop: Workplace Scenarios

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Workshop Workplace Scenarios Winning with
World Class Talent
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Workshop Objectives

• This working session has been developed to help
  our organization examine a few common barriers
  that skilled immigrants face in accessing
  employment in the Canadian workforce.
• Our objective is to examine how to potentially
  overcome obstacles and/or accommodate differences
  by focusing on skills, talents and potential
  contributions of skilled immigrants.
• Through a review of sample scenarios,
  participants will gain exposure to alternative
  approaches and open-minded solutions. This
  conversation and exercise will be valuable for
  recruiters, hiring managers and company leaders
  who
• create hiring policy and processes
• source candidates and execute recruitment
  processes or
• influence hiring decisions.

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Scenario 1 Will a Skilled Immigrant Applicant
Fit Into Our Organizational Culture?

• Introduction
• The HR department at XYZ Technologies had worked
  very hard to source a diverse pool of applicants.
  George, an HR associate, is charged with filling
  a management position. After reviewing many
  resumes and conducting interviews, he determines
  the top finalist is Anahita, a skilled immigrant
  from Iran. When George presents Anahita to Lisa,
  the department manager, she responds, I just
  dont think she will fit in our culture.

• Initial Discussion
• Is this a scenario you have come across in your
  organization?
• What does cultural fit mean to you?
• What is more important in the workplace
  environment a persons race-based culture or the
  previous corporate culture they have worked in?

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Scenario 1 Points to Consider
Point 1 Present the candidate as a solution to
specific problems faced by the department. How
you present a non-typical employee to a hiring
manager is likely to be different to how you
present a typical employee.

• George tells Lisa, I have found an applicant who
  I think can be a real asset to your team. I know
  the complexity of the teams project has
  increased in recent weeks. Well, Anahita was the
  project manager for the launch of a new
  technology in Iran. Her team faced considerable
  time pressure because a competitor was developing
  a similar product. Anahita was able to plan and
  track her complex project and she kept things
  from falling through the cracks. Her product was
  able to launch one week ahead of schedule. She
  has some really good ideas related to the project
  your team is working on. I think it will be worth
  your time to talk to her.
• Discussion Question
• What other techniques can be used to present
  skilled immigrants to hiring managers?

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Scenario 1 Points to Consider
Point 2 Try and understand the root causes of
the managers concerns without judging him or
her. If the manager is comfortable with the
decision to hire the applicant, he or she will be
more supportive after hiring.

• George says to Lisa, I know its important that
  your team be able to work together. What are your
  specific concerns about Anahita fitting in?
• Lisa responds, George, I just dont think
  Anahita is assertive enough. She seems too
  deferential to thrive in our fast-paced
  environment. Im worried she will be eaten up
  by certain people we dont need to mention any
  names!
• Discussion Question
• How can George deal with Lisas fear of Anahitas
  lack of assertiveness?

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Scenario 1 Points to Consider
Point 3 Discuss the individual and
organizational growth that can result from having
a team with diverse perspectives and styles. Try
to be specific and give examples from your own
company if possible.

• George responds to Lisas fear by saying, Rachel
  had a similar issue when she brought Janice on to
  her team. The team was pretty aggressive and
  direct. When you went to team meetings, people
  were shouting ideas and challenging each other
  very aggressively. Janice was an introvert and
  didnt participate in these meetings, until, one
  day, she approached Rachel with a solution to a
  problem the team had been struggling with.
  Implementing the idea reduced everyones
  workload. It taught Rachel to find ways to bring
  out everyones ideas. It turned out she had more
  introverts on her team than she thought. By
  making space for their ideas to be heard, her
  team became more effective overall. If you want,
  I can put you in touch with Rachel so you can
  discuss her experience.

• Discussion Questions
• What are some other typical barriers hiring
  managers put up? Can you find similar success
  stories from other parts of your organization
  that you could have available when presenting
  your next non-typical applicant to a hiring
  manager?

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Scenario 2 Concern About Impact of Accent
Introduction Catherine, Head of HR for Education
for All, was searching for a new education
program coordinator. After interviewing many
candidates, she came across Shazia. Shazia
coordinated a national education project in her
home country of Pakistan. This project succeeded
in doubling enrollment in primary school from 21
in 1992 to 43 in 2002, enabling Pakistan to
qualify for IMF debt relief. In this position,
Shazia had to communicate with national and
international aid agencies as well as outreach
coordinators in communities across Pakistan.
Shazia was educated in Pakistan and then pursued
graduate studies in England. She speaks fluent
Urdu, French, Arabic and English. Her English has
very precise grammar and a wide vocabulary, but
she still has a strong accent. Catherine
excitedly recommends Shazia to Robert, the head
of education programs, who quickly sets up the
interview. After the interview, Robert comes back
to Catherine and says, Shazia is highly
qualified for the job, but I just dont think my
team will be able to easily understand her. I
think we have to keep looking.

• Initial Discussion
• Has this ever happened in your organization?
• Can you think of specific examples where accent
  was the primary reason for rejecting a skilled
  immigrant candidate?

Adapted from Upwardly Global Winning with World
Class Talent, 2003
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Scenario 2 Points to Consider
Point 1 When people communicate regularly, it
becomes easier to understand each others
accents. In fact, people report improved
understanding in just a few weeks.

• Catherine says, Robert, I understand your
  concern. However, I think it may not be as big a
  barrier as you think. I agree that it may take
  more time to understand her in the beginning. In
  fact, when I interviewed her, I had to ask for
  clarification a few times, which did take more
  time. However, I feel her insight would be
  valuable in our company and more than make up for
  the time. Furthermore, I have watched other teams
  take on new members with strong accents. While it
  took more patience, it was only a matter of weeks
  before team members were able to understand each
  other more clearly. Given that Shazia has had to
  communicate with people in four languages
  already, I would not be surprised if her
  communication with the team is very good within a
  short time.

• Discussion Questions
• Think of three famous people with strong accents
  in film, in politics and in business. How much
  impact does their accent have on their ability to
  do their job? Think of a person in your daily
  life with an accent. Discuss if/how your ability
  to understand them has evolved over time.

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Scenario 2 Points to Consider

• Point 2
• Developing the patience to understand someone in
  spite of a different accent can be an important
  skill that carries over to serving customers and
  clients. A customer would not be turned away
  because they have a strong accent.

• Catherine states, Robert, you are right that it
  may take more effort to understand Shazia.
  However, I think it could be beneficial for our
  team to develop that patience. Our mission is to
  ensure access to education for all children in
  our community. You and I both know that Canada is
  becoming much more diverse and that we regularly
  work with parents for whom English is a second
  language, including many from Pakistan. As our
  team learns to communicate with Shazia, I think
  they will become better communicators in the
  community we serve.

• Discussion Questions
• Is the customer base your organization serves
  changing and becoming more diverse?
• Will the ability for your staff to understand and
  communicate across cultures be more or less
  important in the future?

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Scenario 2 Points to Consider
Point 3 While accents rarely disappear
completely, they tend to diminish over time when
people are exposed to new environments. Very
qualified candidates with strong accents can be
accommodated through placement in positions where
communication is less of a priority, and be
trained to improve their communication skills.

• Robert says, Catherine, I think I could agree to
  hire Shazia if her accent were not quite as
  pronounced. I remember I had a hard time with
  Raj, but he became easier to understand over
  time. However, I think Shazias accent is beyond
  what Im comfortable with. Catherine responds,
  Robert, I see your point, but how about this we
  hire Shazia under a three-month probationary
  contract to work under Delia who is stepping down
  as education coordinator in three months. Ill
  suggest that Shazia sign up for a communication
  training course. This way, we can gain the
  advantage of having Delia mentor her replacement,
  and Delia can do most of the talking for the
  first few months. If we see Shazias
  communication improve, we can comfortably hire
  her full time.

• Discussion Questions
• Do you know any providers of formal communication
  skills training in your area? What techniques
  exist for communication training apart from
  formal training?