Canadian Workplace Culture Eh?
Congratulations you got your first job in Canada! Your big day is coming up and you are both excited and nervous. Besides the job description and your first week of orientation what else do you need to know? . . A LOT MORE THAN YOUR THINK….what about Canadian Workplace Culture? Sorry what?
Workplace Culture, refers to shared patterns of behavior, beliefs, customs, traditions, and values in a work setting. You might be qualified for a position, but your success as a worker will mostly be based on your ability to communicate well within the expectations of that workplace. Understanding workplace behaviours will help you in adapting your experience and ideas with Canadian employers to become a success.
Here are few general tips on what is generally expected of you with Canadian Workplace Culture:
- Positive Attitude is very important and is a major soft skill needed, so say good morning with small talk, especially on Mondays!
- Try to respond to workplace phone calls, voicemails, emails, texts etc. as soon as possible or within one business day.
- If no response needed to an email, select the ‘like’ option to show you have read it to others.
- Be accepting of others—cultures, beliefs, holidays etc. as long as it is not discriminatory towards you.
- Be respectful of people’s time and space--always knock before entering, ask if they have couple of minutes and be on time for things.
- Listen well to others, and remember teamwork and collaboration are big in Canada.
- Accept small levels of negativity at times, do not let the small things make you upset.
- Canadian workplaces allow more freedom in giving your professional opinion and more inclusion with meetings.
- Important to learn the workplace personalities of your co-workers and managers…most managers you can even call them by their first name!
- In Canada there is more of a focus on self-initiative, in some other countries of origin you wait for your manager to give you instructions on how to manage your workload/priorities, while here you are expected to be a self-sufficient driving force on a regular basis.
These are just a few tips to help you out…wanting to learn more?
Join our free Pathways to Work – Enhanced Language Training (ELT) Language and Job Search Assistance Program for Newcomers starting Sept 19 2022. Our certified (OCELT) instructors and Newcomer Career Specialist will help you find and be prepared for meaningful employment in Canada!