Crafting Cultural Humility at the WorkPlace

Many aspects of our work lives have changed dramatically in the past few months, regardless of the size, industry, or sector of expertise. Millions of office-based workers have been performing their roles from home in this “new normal” - and this has presented us with challenges that we’ve never faced before.

A colleague addressed this lack of physical presence, saying, “There is a loss of physically being together, a loss of that closeness.”

While business owners are ready to get back to work, many employees are still balancing home priorities and the care of others amid new COVID-19 realities. Leaders are being tasked with moving work forward, yet returning staff may feel guilty due to others having been furloughed or not returning to work.

So, who manages the office culture during this unprecedented time? Who takes the reins and offers a soft landing as folks navigate back themselves back to work? Here are some ideas for you to consider and I encourage you to reach out to me if you would like to talk about implementing these ideas at your workplace.

Model cultural humility in the workplace by committing time over the next three months to hear from all voices and explore power imbalances within the organization.

Consider your company’s response to how staff return, given the current climate, and devoting time during the workweek for check-ins with team members and the group.

• Jumpstart empathy at work by establishing an organizational culture of listening, regularly and often, to your staff during this transition time.

• Extend team meetings an hour so individuals can discuss the return back to work, how recent events have affected them, and what the group can do to help the transition.

Cultural humility is defined as an unending commitment to self-assessment (and organizational assessment), to repositioning power imbalances and to developing mutually beneficial partnerships with communities and diverse populations.

• Model cultural humility in the workplace by committing time over the next three months, and into the future, to assess opportunities to share leadership, hear from all voices and explore power imbalances within the organization.

It may be a time-consuming process, but taking steps to create these conditions, as your employees return to work, will build trust, improve ongoing relationships, and create authentic company support.

Being present and committed in the short-term through some of the above suggestions is likely to have a positive long-term impact. Use this time to reach out to NPMConsulting to implement steps to embrace a culture of humility at your workplace.

Cultural Humility Versus Cultural Competence: A Critical Distinction in Defining Physician Training Outcomes in Multicultural Education M Tervalon, J Murray-García

Reach out if you’re interested in working together