Can an EAP Help Diversity and Culture in the Workplace Flourish?
Diversity and culture in the workplace can have a positive impact on everything from innovation to employee retention. But nothing good comes easy, and achieving a work environment that thrives under the ideas of diversity, equity, and inclusion is no exception.
Promoting diversity and inclusion is a worthwhile pursuit for any organization hoping to build a stronger, more productive workplace. For global workplaces in particular, doing so is not just a “nice-to-have,” it’s an outright necessity. Managing various cultural perspectives both within and between employees’ national identities can present challenges to achieving a cohesive workforce.
HR leaders play a significant role in fostering a workplace that not only embraces cultural differences, but also leverages them for organizational growth. While there are several strategies they can use to reach that goal, many overlook an important tool that sits right in their back pocket: Their Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Let’s look at the ways an EAP can help diversity and culture in the workplace flourish.
Improving Cross-Cultural Communication
Strong communication is the bedrock of any well-functioning organization. In workplaces where many different ethnicities, nationalities, religions, races, identities, and cultural norms coexist, this communication becomes more challenging.
To effectively communicate between people of different cultures, workplace teams need to first understand what “culture” really means.
Culture refers to the particular customs, arts, behaviors, and collective knowledge of a subgroup of people. More than simply a mark of where someone is from, culture exists both within and between people of different geographic identities.
Culture influences every aspect of communication, from verbal cues, to non-verbal cues, and even how we approach conflict resolution. Even minor slip ups in communication within a global workplace can cause delays, issues, and frayed relationships.
For example, some cultures may prefer direct communication while others prefer indirect. Countries like Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands tend to champion the former, where simple replies like “yes” mean only that. However, countries with more indirect communication styles like Japan, China, or Saudi Arabia depend more on context to get a message across, so a simple “yes” may have different interpretations.
Once you understand the influence culture plays in how we communicate, you can begin to use tools like an EAP to keep communication flowing smoothly throughout your organization.
How can your EAP help?
Managerial Training — Leaders in your organization play an outsized role in improving cross-cultural communication throughout your entire team. Your EAP can help you organize training specifically for managers to hone their ability to communicate effectively with employees. This way, managers can lead by example as well as disseminate what they’ve learned to their larger teams.
Counseling Services — Employees who take advantage of professional counseling through their EAPs tend to develop a greater capacity for empathy in the face of internal conflict. Communication challenges are inevitable in global workplaces with several cultures. Counseling gives employees the tools they need to overcome potential frustration and undue judgment when communication doesn’t go as smoothly as they’d hoped.
Fostering Inclusive Leadership
Inclusive organizations perform better than their less inclusive peers in nearly every important metric. 73% are more likely to see revenue from innovation efforts, 36% have above average profitability, and 50% make measurably better decisions. This level of inclusive excellence demands equally inclusive leadership to exercise the values of D&I in your organization.
What does inclusive leadership look like?
According to the Harvard Business Review, inclusive leaders embody five defining characteristics:
- They choose authenticity over power
- They choose inclusion over blindly following organizational rules
- They embrace active learning and consistency
- They strive for equal opportunity and equitable outcomes
- They see inclusion as a collective responsibility
The foundation for each one of these characteristics is empathy, a muscle that can be cultivated with proper attention. Empathy allows leaders not only to respect every employees’ unique identities, but also to lead without bias, contributing to better decision making and innovative ideas.
In many ways, the leadership in your organization sets the tone for how everyone else operates. Inclusive leadership leads to a healthier workplace culture where people feel valued, respected, and motivated to produce their best work. Fortunately, your EAP can hone your team’s capacity for inclusive leadership.
How can your EAP help?
Organizational Audits & Assessments — How inclusive does your organization feel to employees now, and how are leaders contributing to it? Every organization should regularly ask and survey their employees to understand how they can create a more welcoming environment. EAPs like Carebridge have experience assessing the results of these surveys and recommending the right services and activities to improve future outcomes.
Empathy Training — EAPs can be instrumental in closing the empathy gap between your organization’s leaders and the rest of your employees. Your EAP can work with you to develop personalized, expert training that will help leaders hone their capacity for empathy and inclusivity.
Conflict Resolution — When different cultures converge in one workplace environment, some level of conflict is all but inevitable. EAPs can provide services to help leaders take a more inclusive approach to navigating disagreements among their teams, leading to more effective solutions and innovations.
Embracing Diversity and Culture Differences in the Workplace
A diverse representation of cultures in one workplace has the power to improve everything from innovation, local market knowledge, recruitment, retention, and much more. But without an open and inclusive workplace environment, the potential boon of a diverse organization can feel more like a burden.
This answer is simple, but its execution takes finesse and expertise. Embracing cultural difference is crucial to creating the type of inclusive environment where everyone—including your organization—thrives. Organizations need to account for the many layers of cultural difference in their organizations, including:
- Dietary restrictions
- National and/or religious holidays
- Local employment laws and customs
- Professional etiquette
- Working styles
- Communication styles
- And more
When employees feel their organization authentically embraces cultural difference, they also feel more empowered to contribute and bring their best selves to work. Creating this kind of a healthy workplace culture is easier said than done, but your EAP can help set you on the right path.
How can your EAP help?
Cultural Programming — One of the best ways to embrace cultural difference in the workplace is to celebrate it publicly. EAPs can provide content to support your cultural programming that both educate employees, as well as give them a platform to share their unique experiences and perspectives.
Culturally Sensitive Wellbeing Resources — The right EAP is an expert in navigating and supporting cultural difference in the workplace. EAPs can offer resources for employees to help cope with the stress that can accompany the challenges of cultural exchange at work, including in-person counseling and asynchronous tools.
Create a Culture Where Every Worker Thrives Together
Global workplaces have an amazing opportunity to harness the potential that lives in diversity and culture in the workplace. Carebridge can help you unlock it by providing the support HR leaders and their employees need every day: Contact Us