Canadian Workplace Culture
Compared with what you have been used to in your country of origin, you may find some differences in how business and work is done in Canada. These differences vary for different people and for different reasons. Nobody can tell you accurately how things will be different. It is your task to find out how your work patterns may be different from Canadian ones. In order to get a job, you must assure an employer that you are the person he is searching for and can fit into their company.
Introduction
What Is Different about Canada
Canada enjoys a reputation for being a caring, humane, and tolerant country, and surely it is. Therefore, it is a main reason why many people choose Canada as their new home, but it doesn't mean that problems don't occur.
Immigrants to Canada have come into a new country and new culture, still sharing some common values and beliefs with Canadian citizens. For instance, most Canadians believe that their neighbors are like them in many respects: law abiding, trying to make a better life for themselves and their family and being friendly without interference in each others life.
Canadian Experience
It may seem very unjust for employers to persist in wanting Canadian experience, but they have a few reasons. Any new employee needs time to “learn the ropes” (that is, learn how things function). It takes a length of time for you to get accustomed to policies, regulations and common practices in organizations. For instance, health and safety standards may be quite different. If you are not aware of them, you are bound to make mistakes. That is why it is favorable to obtain some practical experience as an intern, a volunteer or a temporary worker.
Becoming Familiar with Canadian Life and Culture
What is Canadian culture? If you ask 100 people in Canada, you'll get 100 different answers, which means you cannot await the same responses from different people. Canada is a nation of immigrants, all with different educational and cultural background.
When employers look for Canadian experience, they just want to ensure that their employees are familiar with the customs, policies and other attributes of Canadian life. Here is an example.
When Tom began working as an Auto Mechanic in a service station, he found a broken part in a car. According to his habit, he decided to make a new part to replace the broken one in the car. It took him over 4 hours to complete the work. When his boss found out the fact, he told Tom that next time he should just order a replacement part. Tom was frustrated that his boss didn't recognize his technical and creative skill in fixing the car. What his boss worried about was that the customer would be upset spending over 4 hours of costly labor in contrast to a much cheaper replacement part. Tom thought that he could apply the way he was used to doing things to his new workplace.
Though it doesn't take a long time to figure these things out, a little Canadian experience is of great use to you.
How people are greeted, who stands up when they are introduced, who shakes hands with whom, holding doors, are purely some of the everyday behaviors. In different countries, they vary from culture to culture.
These things may seem trivial to you. However, most people judge each other in the very first moments by their appearances and behaviors. You could do nothing but learn how to react properly in various social situations. Entire online discussions have focused on the differences in English used in different countries; and many people are arguing about its importance to understand how this can matter when hunting for jobs.
Barriers You'll Face
Most of the barriers listed below come from studies done by employers or from other immigrants’ personal experiences. Canadian employers have suggested some problems they find with new immigrants:
·Language and interaction barriers
·Unfamiliarity with the "Canadian way"
·Lack of recognition of foreign credentials and work experience
·Training and upgrading
·Inability to confirm foreign work experience
·Different standards for performance
·Licensing issues
·Racism and sexism
·Lack of working experience in Canada
·Lack of knowledge of employees’ rights
·Lack of knowledge of local job market information (i.e. employers, companies, hidden job market)
·Lack of knowledge of support services in the community
·Misinformation (from family, friends, community, service organizations, etc.)
·Inability to present yourself effectively to employers
·Lack of childcare at work
Employers have some of their own perspectives on the advantages and disadvantages of hiring newcomers. It is of great help if you know what employers are thinking about you:
Advantages to Hiring Immigrants
·Good work attitude/respectful
·Diligent
·Loyal
·Often highly skilled
·Will work for less money initially
·Create a more diverse workplace
·New thoughts
·Help to serve clients in their language
Disadvantages to Hiring Immigrants
·Language ability (Comprehension, writing, reading ,speaking/listening)
·Lack of experience with Canadian work culture/business decorum
·Cultural differences/misunderstanding: customs, language, way of dressing themselves, religion
·Lack of team cooperation
·Frustration with being overqualified for their jobs
·Temporary
·Sexism
·Harder to integrate to working teams
·Harder to evaluate skills/qualifications
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