Show social and cultural

sensitivity
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 What is cultural and social awareness?
In simple terms, cultural and social awareness means understanding that not all
people are the same. It is recognising that different people have different values,
behaviours and sometimes fundamentally different approaches to life.

By understanding each other a little bit better we can greatly increase the lifestyle
and living standard of all of us. A great place to work, a greater place to bring up
our children and a place where everyone gets a fair go.

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 Social differences
 
In Australia, we pride ourselves on giving all people a ‘fair go’ and treating all
people the same regardless of their colour or their lifestyle choices, sexual
preferences, culture or tradition.

Providing service to a customer in a professional manner is not about making a

judgement about that person’s lifestyle, haircut, clothes or habits. Hospitality
workers are in a customer service role and our role is to provide service, that’s
who we are and that’s what we do. We should aim to give the customer the best
experience possible regardless of whether we approve of their lifestyle choice or
not.

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 Workers with family responsibilities
Offering parents part-time roles, will keeps their knowledge and experience in the
company, helps to continue their relationships with clients and allows for
innovation input from a family perspective.

It also helps that person maintain their skills, contacts and knowledge, so that
when they are once again available for full-time work, they are all set and ready
to be productive from day one. This is a win-win situation for the company, the
person and the family.

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 Workers with a disability
2015 statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show the
following:
 
• Almost one in five Australians reported living with disability (18.3% or 4.3
million people).
• The majority (78.5%) of people with disability reported a physical condition,
such as back problems, as their main long–term health condition. The other
21.5% reported mental and behavioural disorders.
• More than half of those with a disability, that were aged 15 to 64 years
participated in the labour force (53.4%), which is considerably fewer than
those without disability (83.2%).
 
The above figures show that 2.33 million Australian workers are working with a
disability of some sort.

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 Discrimination and disability (2015 statistics)

• Almost one in 12 Australians with disability (281,100 people or 8.6%)

reported they had experienced discrimination or unfair treatment because of
their disability.
• Young people with disability (aged 15 to 24 years) were more likely to report
the experience of discrimination (20.5%) than those aged 65 years and over
(2.1%).
• Over one-third (35.1%) of women and over one-quarter (28.1%) of men aged
15 years and over had avoided situations because of their disability.

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 Disabilities
Mobility disabilities: Many people need a wheelchair, crutches, walking sticks
or other devices to help then walk or move around, but this does not affect their
ability to work.
Vision impairment: Many people with a vision impairment use the aid of a stick
or a guide dog and carry out all sorts of jobs in business and society.
Mental illness / Depression: These illnesses can have a variety of effects on the
people and their work ability. But most people can work through the situation
with the help and support of their doctor, family and workplace.
Hearing disability: People with a hearing impairment are able to function
normally in society and communicate using sign language, written language and
gestures.

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 How important is culture?
Some cultural influences include:

• How you act when you meet people for the first time.
• Whether you live at home with your parents or not.
• Whether and how you prayed this morning–and to whom.
• How you ask to speak to someone on the telephone.
• What you think about men and women.
• What sort of social functions you attend.
• How you relate to co-workers who are younger or older than you.
• The things you feel you should apologise for.
• What you believe to be polite behaviour.
• The way you express anger.
• What you think will happen to you when you die.
• Who or whether you will marry.
• What you chat about with people.
• How you greet your partner or family members.

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 Cultural differences
Because of our multicultural background, the residents of Australia have widely
varied social and cultural practices. When working in the hospitality and tourism
industry, you will find that you will be interacting with people with different
racial backgrounds, religions, cultures and traditions. This is normal and very
common for Australians.

Part of good customer service is to understand and respect the needs of our
customers.

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 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
cultures
One of the problems of discussing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures is
the diversity of these cultures. Australia is a large continent and it is estimated
that at the time the British First Fleet arrived (in 1788) there were close to 700
different Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ‘nations’ – with 250 different
languages, social structures and cultures.
 
The whole social structure of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is
concerned with the survival of the entire community; rather than the individual.
There is a great sense of community spirit and each member has a defined role
and place within the system. This way of life became known as the kinship
system.
 

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 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
cultures
Prior to 1788 and even today; Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders hold
deep religious and spiritual links with their land, formed during the ‘Dreamtime’.
Sacred sites are an important part of Aboriginal culture, and caring for these sites
and performing rituals is extremely important.

When the British arrived in 1788, two completely different cultures came face to
face, and inevitably there was conflict. One culture focused on community and
deep spiritual attachment to the land, while the British had different religious
beliefs, culture, laws and a community based on agriculture and economic
growth.

There are a number of contemporary issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples. These normally conjure up strong emotions within the
community and which, by their nature, must be handled with great awareness and
sensitivity in discussion.
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 Cultural diversity in Australia

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 Activity 1
Who are you?
Discuss and answer the following points with your lecturer or assessor.
This activity may be done individually, or students may wish to break into
groups.
 
Nationality: What are some particular standards of behaviour in your country of
origin?

Social: Do you feel you belong to a particular group? If so, which group?

Family: What family traditions do you have?

Religion: Are you part of a group of shared religious beliefs? If so, what group?
What religious practices do you follow?

Dress: Do you dress in a particular way? If so, how and why?

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 Today’s tourism and hospitality workforce
Being a very labour intensive industry, the hospitality and tourism industries are a
major employer in Australia and most venues are always on the lookout for
skilled staff. This provides great opportunities to move around, travel and work in
different styles of venues and businesses

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 Diversity as an asset
• Staff better reflect your customers and the community as a whole.
• The business is better able to meet the needs of tourists, newly arrived migrants
and Australians with a foreign cultural heritage.
• If staff speak a variety of languages, they will be able to help foreign customers
and business associates more, and may open up sales or contracts in other
countries.
• It helps to innovate and implement new products or services and news, sales or
marketing strategies aimed at different cultures.
• It shows the business to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.
• Diversity brings different approaches and solutions to workplace problems.
• Diversity helps a business become an employer of choice.
• It enhances the company’s image and reputation in the community and
marketplace.
• It decreases the business's vulnerability to legal challenges of discrimination.

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 Activity 2
 
List three ways in which you can demonstrate respect for a customer or colleague
who may be from a different cultural background than you.

What problems do you think could occur should you not show respect or be sensitive
to different cultural groups?

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 Stereotypes and prejudice
Whenever we discuss the differences between cultural groups, there is a danger that
we start to assume that all people within a particular group are the same.
 
When this occurs, we begin to generalise and fail to treat people as individuals
In many situations having some knowledge about the way people from particular
cultures behave is very helpful.

The following list of statements provides some classic examples of stereotyping:

 
 All Australians love beaches, beer and barbecues - and they all say G’day.
 All elderly people are conservative.
 All accountants are boring.
 All Americans talk loudly.

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 Prejudice
Prejudice is an attitude where individuals or groups are perceived to be deficient, less
valued or lacking in some way; this is often the result of negative stereotyping of
specific groups.

In the workplace, prejudicial behaviour is not just the wrong thing to do, in most
cases it will be illegal as Australia has many anti-discrimination laws in place to help
ensure that everyone gets a fair go.

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 Legal issues
There is a wide range of state and federal laws and legislation that cover human rights
and diversity issues.

If legislative compliance is not managed effectively in the workplace, the

consequences can significantly expose the company to the risk of legal action,
possible adverse media exposure and a loss of reputation.

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 Equal employment opportunity
Equal employment opportunity (EEO) is the principle of equal pay, opportunity and
conditions for all in the workplace; it involves identifying and eliminating any
discriminatory barriers that cause inequality in the employment of any person or
group of persons.

Any business with over 100 staff in Australia is required to submit to the Federal
Government a copy of its EEO plan for addressing any inequalities or inequities in
the workplace.

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 Anti-discrimination
Discrimination means the treating of one person less favourably than another due to
some personal characteristic. Discrimination is not fair and is against the law in
Australia.

It is illegal to discriminate against customers or staff due to:

• Race.
• Age.
• Impairment.
• Family responsibilities.
• Sexuality or gender identity.
• Sex.
• Relationship or parental status and whether they have children or not.
• Religious belief or activity, political belief or activity.
• Trade union activity.
• Lawful sexual activity.
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
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 Anti-discrimination
There is anti-discrimination legislation at both State and Federal levels.

Some examples of the legislation in place:

• Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Commonwealth)

• Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Commonwealth)
• Sex Discrimination Act (1984) (Commonwealth)
• The workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 (Commonwealth)

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 Problems associated with diversity
More often than not, conflict will arise from colleagues and customers. Examples
of how conflict could occur include:

• Mimicking accents and behaviours

• Ignoring or pretending to not understand instructions
• Having different beliefs about dress, hygiene and personal presentation
• Feeling and acting superior or inferior
• Assuming facts and stereotyping individuals
• Resenting another person’s tradition or practices
• Actively discriminating against team members or customers
• Language barriers
• Feelings of prejudice
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 Factors that may contribute to ongoing
conflict
• Long-time prejudices ingrained in some cultural groups.
• A sense of injustice or feeling that they are not being treated fairly.
• A play for power or fear that power will be lost.
• A lack of systems in place at the business to deal with minor grievances.
• Misunderstandings and mistrust between workers.
• Poor communication.
• Problems that are not taken seriously by management when originally informed of
the issue.

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 Dealing with misunderstandings
Misunderstandings and conflicts can arise between customers and workers or between
workers and colleagues, for many different reasons. Difficulties can occur for many
reasons. This could include poor communication, a lack of patience or because people
make judgements based on their own cultural values.

English translations or the use of slang and colloquialisms can be stressful to people
from other cultures. So, if you speak too quickly, at a volume that is too low or too
high, not listening actively, not asking questions, using offensive body language and
gestures, and/or inappropriate humour this can result in a misunderstanding.

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 Natural justice
Important points of natural justice include:
 
• Fair prior notice of the case, investigations and interviews.
• A fair opportunity to put their side of the story and present their
own case.
• A fair opportunity to answer allegations.
• To receive all relevant information about the issue before putting
their side of the story.
• Those people investigating or hearing a matter are seen not to have
a bias or a conflict of interest in the case.
• Evidence to support a decision.

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 Dealing with colleagues
When communicating with colleagues:

• Be polite, say please and thank you.

• Listen and pay attention when they are talking to you.
• Face them and look at their face when they are talking to you.
• Smile and be happy.
• Be clear in your communication so that your message is not misunderstood.
• Using written notes in some cases is better than oral communication if the message
is long or complicated.
• Be respectful about other peoples' beliefs and lifestyle choices as their personal
life is not really your business.
• Focus on the work and not the person.
• If you are having trouble with or are not getting along well with a person, you may
need to speak to your supervisor for help.

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 Dignity and respect
• Do not discriminate against others in the workplace.
• Do not sexual harass others in the workplace.
• Practice work health and safety to provide a safe work environment.
• Always remember that as well as your moral responsibility, equal opportunity,
anti-discrimination, work health and safety and sexual harassment is also a legal
responsibility in the workplace. Ensure you are up to date with and understand the
law in relation to these issues.
• Be polite.
• Treat colleagues as people not just workers.
• Don’t talk down to people.
• Where possible help others with any problems they have.
• Separate people’s personal lives from their work.

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 Use non-discriminatory language
Non-discriminatory language is language that does not discriminate against, denigrate
or exclude an individual or group based on their gender, race, disability, age or other
personal characteristic.
 
In almost all cases in a business situation, there will be no need to refer to the
personal characteristic of a colleague or customer.

For instance, there is no need to say:

“A black man made a complaint”

“A homosexual applied for a job”
“The short woman in accounts”
“The young kid in sales”
 

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 Use non-discriminatory language
This type of language is often interpreted with a value judgement in a negative way,
even if the person using the language did not mean it that way. It also sets up an ‘us
and them’ situation that highlights differences that are not relevant. Some words can
be ‘trigger words’ that upset people, or that leave you open to discrimination claims.

Be mindful when speaking about an employees:

• Workplace positions  
• Age  
• Race  
• Marital status  
• Sexual preference
• Religion  

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 Language barriers
• Where possible, try to use simple common words.
• Avoid running words together in your speech.
• Don’t speak slow but speak clearly and pronounce the words clearly.
• Face the person and don’t cover your mouth.
• Speak at a normal clear volume.
• Try to use correct English and avoid slang.
• Avoid using word contractions.
• Avoid filler words.
• Be explicit.
• Be aware that different cultures have different standards regarding touch of the
other person.
• Listen and pay attention when they are attempting to communicate with you.
• Show respect and don’t talk down to them.
• Use hand gestures or signs.

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 Use your team
Because hospitality and tourism employees come from a wide a variety of cultural
backgrounds it might be possible that somebody within your department or
organisation has a better cultural understanding of a particular customer or colleague
than you. In these situations, it may be better to ask another colleague who has the
experience or knowledge of a particular culture. You may seek their advice or get
them in to handle the situation.

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 Activity 3
Choose a different country from your own and answer the following questions:
 
• What is the main language spoken?
• How many people live in the country?
• Describe the main religion in the country you have chosen
• Describes the types of food that are eaten
• What national and religious holidays are practiced?
• What different ethnic groups live in the country?

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 Seeking assistance
If conflict arises and it affects your work; if there is a safety issue or if people are
behaving in an illegal or grossly inappropriate way, then you may need to bring the
problem to the attention of your supervisor.

In most cases, people will solve their personal issues and disagreements at work by
themselves without the need for management to get involvement.

In most cases, your immediate supervisor or department manager would be the person
you would go and raise your concerns to. If the circumstances are that you do not feel
comfortable raising the matter with them, you may need to go to the human resources
manager or somebody else that you trust within the business.

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 These PowerPoints are designed to match
Version 2.1 of the student resource.

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