Celebrating Diversity – ‘Cultural Competency’ is the Key

With the holidays just around the corner, executives at linen, uniform and facility services companies across North America are planning parties to mark the Christmas/New Year’s season. But if you – like most companies – have a culturally diverse staff, how do you celebrate in ways that don’t inadvertently alienate minority staff members, thus sapping morale and fueling turnover?

For answers, we interviewed Emeka Okeani, a Nigerian immigrant who’s lived nearly 40 years in the U.S. Okeani is president of Shared Hospital Services, Nashville, TN. He’s also a 2022 winner of TRSA’s Diversity Recognition Award.

If there’s an issue in a plant related to making sure that all members are included in holiday celebrations and similar outreach initiatives, Okeani has likely encountered it and developed policy responses. For example, regarding holiday parties, we asked whether companies should consider celebrating other culture’s celebrations, along with Western ones. Okeani responded that while that idea is well-intentioned, it’s likely to prove counterproductive. “My answer to that is that it will backfire,” he said. “I would stick with what I call the ‘mainstream American holidays.’” The problem is once you start celebrating holidays of each country, it’s a “slippery slope.” For example, if a majority of employees are from China, you might decide to celebrate the Chinese New Year. But what if a small minority of employees are from Africa, and you don’t recognize their special days? They’re likely to feel left out, he said. The complexity of ethnic ties also may defy easy understanding by a laundry operator. Let’s say you have Nepalese employees, as well as Chinese staff. The former may complain that management is lumping them in with employees of Chinese heritage, a different ethnic group. “So that’s the slippery slope,” Okeani said. “I’m not comfortable celebrating all the countries’ holidays.”

Food is a key consideration for planning holiday celebrations. Most employees would welcome typical party fare, such as pizza or barbecue. But if you have a diverse staff, including employees whose religious beliefs may bar certain foods such as pork, what’s a culturally intelligent manager to do? Okeani suggested that company leaders plan for alternative dishes that will satisfy ethnic tastes, in addition to traditional fare. “We have done it where you serve ethnically diverse food options,” Okeani says. “Yes, you can have barbecued ribs and all that. Just cater to some other palates too. The majority of your employees may like barbecue. That’s OK. But on the side … on the periphery … you could have a few vegetarian items.”

Whether you have American or ethnic dishes at your party, it’s best to order from professional caterers, rather than inviting ethnic employees to prepare dishes for staff, Okeani said. This reduces the risk of liability if poorly handled or stored food makes someone ill.

One way to promote inclusion of all employees at holiday parties is to invite diverse staff members to help plan these events, he said. That way, management can take their concerns into account up front. “The other thing I would do here is not just serving food options, but having diverse members on the planning committee,” Okeani said. “In other words, in planning the picnic, let it not only be the province of HR, but engage employees from various departments.”

Beyond parties, Okeani noted that companies can celebrate staff diversity year-round by displaying the flags of various staff members’ countries of origin. This is a low-cost way to acknowledge the national backgrounds of all employees, he said. Managers should display the flags, including a U.S. flag, in a breakroom or other prominent location. “It’s a recognition that says, ‘Yes, we know we have some employees from Israel, we have some employees from Mexico and so on.’”

These ideas flow from an emphasis on cultural competency in the workplace. Okeani offered the following definition of that term: “The concept is, ‘We’re not asking to change who you are,’” Okeani said, speaking of managers who oversee diverse workforces. “Rather, it is to be able to understand diverse employees and where they’re coming from. In other words, remember their life experiences and the impact of their environment on their outlook.” Readers with questions on these issues may contact Okeani at eokeani@sharedhospital.com.