PRESS RELEASES
“It’s not a language barrier; it’s a cultural barrier.” ™
Commentary: Latin American holidays shouldn't be
overlooked
Guest commentary by Nina Colburn
The CEO had every detail worked out. The room was warm and
welcoming. The food was
laid out
carefully. The drinks were chilled. The Christmas decorations were in
place. He
even practiced the few Spanish phrases he would use to greet
his Spanish-speaking
employees and their spouses.
It would be a wonderful evening and a happy occasion to thank all
of his work force - his
American
workers and his Hispanic employees, along with their families - for their
year
of hard work.
There was only one problem: Not
one Latin American worker showed up.
This true story sadly reminds the American business owner or
manager that a cultural divide still
exists between American management
and the ever-growing Latin American workforce.
Even with the best of intentions, lack of cultural knowledge can
turn a wonderful gesture into an
unfortunate faux pas.
What went wrong? ...more
