OBP Australia offers Cultural Diversity Training tailored to your needs.

We frequently receive feedback from employers citing the following challenges for overseas born professionals in the Australian workplace:

• Assertiveness and initiative
• Confidence
• Leadership styles
• ‘Fitting in’
• Understanding Australian humour, slang and idioms
• Communication skills - oral & written
• Seeking assistance with tasks when required

We can work with individuals or the entire team to create a more harmonious and productive work environment. Contact us to discuss your needs and we'll be happy to provide some options for you to consider.

CASE STUDY

Javed has been working for the past two years as a Business Analyst with a growing company in Melbourne. He feels underpaid and undervalued. He thinks he is not being given more challenging, client-facing roles because of his less-than-perfect communication skills and lack of understanding of Australian culture. He knows his written reports have grammatical errors – another barrier to career advancement.

Several weeks ago, his manager gave him a task to complete and asked whether he was able to do it by himself. Javed said yes, thinking he would do his best and would perhaps get assistance from his colleagues. Nobody offered to help Javed, so he thought he should just do the best he could, independently. Unfortunately, his best wasn’t good enough and his manager was annoyed that Javed didn’t initially say, ‘No, I’m not sure how to do this. I think I’m going to need some help.’

On top of all that, his colleagues go to the pub every Friday after work. Javed doesn’t drink alcohol and feels uncomfortable being around his work mates after they’ve had a few drinks. He doesn’t understand half of their jokes and occasionally feels as though he is the joke. He is considering leaving his employer but fears it will just be the same anywhere in Australia. Javed feels like he doesn’t fit in.