Navigating Culture - August

Welcome to Country Navigator’s August newsletter.

It’s summer holiday time in the Northern Hemisphere – with apologies to those in the Southern Hemisphere in the middle of winter!

?NEWSLETTER CONTENT:

• Summer vacations
• Masterclass: Culturally Intelligent Psychological Safety
• Latest blogs

SUMMER VACATIONS

Not everyone looks forward to the summer vacations – and we know that fewer than 20% of American workers take their full holiday allowance, which, by the way, is one of the smallest in the top 30 world economies.

Summer holidays are a privilege, travel is a luxury but summer can be a time of real pain for a lot of people.

Those who watch their colleagues come back with a healthy glow from a foreign beach, but can’t afford to leave home themselves.

They are carers, those with difficult family relationships, people with health (mental and physical) struggles you don’t know about, people who can’t afford financially to go away. And many other people who for a variety of reasons just can’t relax in the way they would want to.

It’s a time when isolated people are even more isolated, when those who don’t belong are edged out a just a bit further.

Or there are people who do go on holiday, but spend the time feeling guilty.

I had a colleague several years ago, who was desperately trying to find ways to avoid taking a mandatory vacation, because her manager had told her how hard it would be to cover her work.

I’m sure they meant it as a compliment and encouragement, but for this person she didn’t want to let people down. And for some people, a holiday lets down others who have to take up the slack.

We certainly must not feel guilty. I think it was Richard Branson who said, ‘If you can’t be replaced, you’re not being paid enough!’ But it’s worth considering that a holiday is not something to look forward to for everyone.

Three things we can do to change our work culture at holiday times:

1. Be sensitive

2. Be kind

3. Be aware

Look out for those for whom summer is not something to look forward to.

There’s no simple solution, but try and find individual ways that include them, make them feel they belong and that they are valued, heard and respected.

SUMMER LEARNING

We believe that learning is a constant process and it starts with self-awareness. Why not take a look at this short video to look at how WorldPrism can help you develop greater cultural intelligence and interpersonal skills.

You may not know who isn’t looking forward to the Summer holidays because your team doesn’t have a culture of psychological safety. Join us on 14th September as Megan Anderson facilitates our Masterclass: Culturally Intelligent Psychological Safety.

LATEST BLOGS