Remote working has been touted as a solution to the much-documented problem of overworking employees. But it does come with its own downsides too - namely, an increase in intercultural interactions due to these remote encounters. From the point of view of a company, these interactions can be advantageous as it increases the chance of an organization expanding their operation internationally and reaching new people.
With many jobs becoming remote, more people don't need to be physically present in the office. This means that career-wise they can easily seek new opportunities abroad. There are many opportunities to apply for remote international jobs, where employees receive a stronger currency, and can be working from anywhere in the world. This could be a great opportunity to grow your skills and experience but also increase your earnings!
A result of this rise in remote working practices, employees are now exposed to working environments that are increasingly diverse. However, in response to this, they'll not only need traditional skills such as an advanced level of English and digital expertise, but they'll also need a deep knowledge of the different cultures and traditions from around the world.
What are intercultural skills?
Cultural intelligence and intercultural communication skills are imperative in more complex and diversifying contexts. This includes skills like uncertainty management and the elimination of unconscious bias. No one should feel different or left out in the office. These skills help employees create a respectful, inclusive environment where people can all get to know each other better. Leadership, management, communication and teamwork do not necessarily mean the same thing to people from different countries and cultures. For example, in some cultures and countries, people can be very direct and simple but in others they might be more ambiguous. People may give feedback directly or indirectly depending on their country or culture, and projects may follow a centralized versus decentralized decision making structure.
There is a lot of cultural variation and understanding that goes on at work. Mutual understanding will help people respect each other and meet goals such as winning new clients, successfully negotiating a deal or giving an impactful presentation. It's also really important to have strategic partnerships with other companies based on mutual understanding.
Why Intercultural Skills ?
As these skills become more prevalent, remote workers can better interact with people of other cultures. Cultural understanding and respect are boosted when practices are inclusive, consumption of stereotypes and exclusion are reduced. Simply making people work with people from other cultures will not automatically provide them with the skills or knowledge for managing in this environment. The company should have policies in place to ensure that workers are equipped with all the necessary skills and knowledge.
New skills for changing times
Supporting advanced technologies can be a difficult challenge for businesses, but problems with intercultural communication or other obstacles such as discrimination and exclusion could affect your company’s reputation, productivity, and engagement, it also causes misunderstandings and weakens collaboration. All of this just mentioned can have an immense impact on the success of your company.
Companies should make sure they are hiring people with a global mindset. Recruitment processes should be more demanding in this new era of remote work.