Ethnicity in the

workforce

Ethnicity (Statistics NZ, n.d.)

• a common proper name• one or more elements of common culture unique

community of interests, feelings and actions• a shared sense of common origins or ancestry• a common geographic origin

ABOUT ONE IN THREE PEOPLE IN AUCKLAND AREA WAS BORN OVERSEAS(Wood et al., 2013)

Overseas

New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND GAINED A NET

41,000 MIGRANTS IN

THE YEAR THROUGH JULY

2014

India China UK Philippines Germany France0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

7700

6600

5500

31002300

1900

Top migrant countries (Statistics NZ, July 2014)

European (+14%)

Māori (+6%)

Asian (+33%)

Pacific (+11%)

MELAA (+35%)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

74%

15%

12%

7%

1%

Major ethnic groups in New Zealand (Statistics NZ, 2013)

Advantages of Ethnic Diversity (Wood et al., 2013)

• Deliver better customer service

• Improving productivity and innovation

• Developing domestic niche markets

• Entering new, or increasing market share in,

overseas markets

Challenges of Ethnic Diversity (Shaddok, 2010)

• Communication

• Resistant to change

• Implementation of diversity in the workplace policies

• Successful Management of Diversity in the Workplace

Intercultural Awareness Training for New Zealand Police (Centre for Applied Cross Cultural Research, 2013)

• Increase of knowledge of cultural values• Increase of

confidence interacting with diverse cultural groups

ANZ Asian banking / ASB Migrant Banking

• Designated Banking managers fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese or Korean• Business solutions in Asian languages• Asian Business customer phone line

Ten crucial questions to ask in your focus group…

What are the signs that your organization values diversity?What do you wish that management understood about your own group?What are the obstacles in the way of employees who are different from the mainstream?What kinds of prejudice or discrimination have you faced, if any?What contributions and behaviours are most valued and rewarded here?What behaviours of other groups are more difficult for you to deal with or most irritating?What do you wish that your manager understood about you?What do you need to do and/or know to get ahead in this organization?What groups are easiest for you to cooperate with? What groups are the hardest?What do you think the organization could do to get the best from everyone?

Recommendations• Increase awareness • Point of focus should be more on the individual’s

skillsets, qualifications and experiences• Avoid using the cultural barrier as a reason for

not to hire• Practice cultural relativism

Recommendations

• "Cultural knowledge" • "Cultural awareness"• "Cultural sensitivity" • "Cultural competence"

References Campbell Live. (2010, May 10). Immigrant changes name to get job [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.3news.co.nz/tvshows/campbelllive/migrant-changes-name-to-get-job-2010051016

Centre for Applied Cross Cultural Research (2013). Intercultural Awareness Training for New Zealand Police. Retrieved from http://www.victoria.ac.nz/cacr/training-and-consulting/intercultural-awareness-training-for-new-zealand-police

Shaddok D. (2010, Aug). Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges and Solutions. Retrieved from http://easysmallbusinesshr.com/2010/08/diversity-in-the-workplace-benefits-challenges-and-solutions/

Statistics NZ (n.d.). Ethnicity. Retrieved Aug 30, 2014, from http://www.stats.govt.nz/methods/classifications-and-standards/classification-related-stats-standards/ethnicity/definition.aspx

Statistics NZ (2014, July). International Travel and Migration: July 2014. Retrieved from http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/population/Migration/IntTravelAndMigration_HOTPJul14.aspx

Wood J., Zeffane R., Fromholtz M., Wiesner R., Morrison R. & Seet .P. (2013). Organisational Behaviour: Core concepts and applications (3rd Australasian ed.). Milton, Australia: John Wiley & Sons