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Cultural Sensitivity is also known as Cultural Awareness or Cultural Competence. Cultural Sensitivity is awareness of the cultural differences as well as similarities between people without giving them a value, either positive or negative. The importance of Cultural Sensitivity in today’s workplace cannot be ignored. Cultural Sensitivity if taken with a grain of salt in the workplace, then it will hamper the environment at the workplace.
An organisation’s success in creating the importance of Cultural Sensitivity depends upon the policies adopted. Cultural Sensitivity is an evil of ethnocentrism in an organisation. For instance, a person from the northeast region should not be made feel different in any workplace in India. Likewise, a person of Mexican ethnicity should not threaten in any part of the United States.
Reasons for enhancing the importance of Cultural Sensitivity in the modern workplace
Valuable and safe working environment
Cultural Sensitivity plays a vital role in every modern-day organisation. Therefore, Cultural Sensitivity training become important in modern-day organisations. In today’s era, people have left their roots and shifted to diverse places for work. People of different cultures, as well as religions, work together in an organisation. Therefore, honouring and showing gratitude towards diverse cultures is essential in an organisation. Cultural Sensitivity gives a homely feeling to an employee. He can work freely in such surroundings. He can give his hundred per cent. Their ideas and view should be carefully considered as well as welcomed.
Minimises Partiality
One of the importance of Cultural Sensitivity in the workplace is that it removes partial behaviour in hiring, promotion, termination and decision-making. Bias towards religion, culture, caste and language hampers the environment in the workplace. It hides the talent of the employee. Therefore, the organisation suffers. Cultural Sensitivity opens the forum for all the employees for sharing their viewpoints as well as new ideas
Retain as well as gain talented employee
An organisation with a Cultural Sensitive environment attract new talent. Also, it helps in retaining employees. In an organisation with such a good reputation, people from different cultures always prefer to join. Therefore, a Cultural Sensitive environment plays a crucial role in the development and progress of an organisation.
Increase production and creativity
When employees feel safe to express themselves and speak freely, the working atmosphere becomes more productive. It inspires innovation as well as creativity. This ultimately benefits an organisation.
Hormonal relationships among the employees
The importance of Cultural Sensitivity in the workplace results in good collaboration among the employees. If the employee is unafraid of sharing his views as well as ideas with his co-employees, they work as a team. Therefore, a peaceful atmosphere creates in the whole organisation.
Job satisfaction
An employee, mainly, expects two types of job satisfaction. Firstly, monetary satisfaction. Secondly, mental satisfaction. A culturally sensitive environment helps in giving both types of satisfaction. A good environment increases the productivity, creativity and innovation of an employee. It, therefore, increases the growth of an organisation. The organisation, in turn, provide good remuneration to its employees.
Increase self-confidence
A culturally sensitive workplace boosts the self-confidence of its employees. For instance, the open atmosphere to share views and the co-ordinal relationships among the employees are some of the factors which increase the self-confidence of the employees.
How to build a culturally sensitive workplace
Unbiased Seniors
Being a senior member and handling all the juniors is not a piece of cake. A Cultural Sensitive environment of the senior makes juniors feel in seventh heaven.
Celebrate Holidays and Events
Create a culturally sensitive environment in an organisation with people of different cultures and religions, by celebrating various religious holidays as well as events. Further, when an event of a different religion is celebrated at the workspace, it will give a homely feeling to an employee. When the employees celebrate festivals of other religions, they will be aware of other cultures. This will help create sensitivity to employees’ differences. Therefore, celebrating holidays and events, boost the importance of Cultural Sensitivity in the workplace.
Attention
Working with employees, teammates as well as customers from different cultures, makes you learn a lot. By observing and listening to them, one can learn about different cultures.
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