This week marks my fifth week in Switzerland (Hooray!). Over the last month, I’ve met very interesting personalities. According to The Local CH, there are more than 2.1 million foreigners living in Switzerland. It reminded me of my time in Australia, one of the most diverse countries in the world.
We all know that culture plays an important part of our life, it influences the way we learn, live and behave. In retail, you are facing people coming from all over the world. No matter what your world views are, it is important to understand and respect different culture. It was interesting how people can react completely differently towards the same thing at my previous work. Not only my colleagues, but also customers.
So today, based on my previous working experience in Australia and observation in Switzerland, I want to talk about how to adapt yourself to a diverse working environment…especially in Switzerland.
Before I came to Switzerland, I had been told that Swiss people are closed-minded and like to stay in their own community (in another term: not so sociable). Swiss people are certainly very different from Australians, who are more careless and laid back. The first week that I arrived in Switzerland, not surprisingly, I felt exactly the way that I had been told. Then I took a step back, why would I make an assumption before even trying to work or communicate with them? It took me another two weeks to realize it’s not about the people. It’s simply about the way they think, act and work, differently to what I am used to.
It’s really important that you understand what values you can bring to Switzerland as a foreigner. I’m going to show you some insights that I think will help you to adapt yourself in a diverse working environment in Switzerland.
Empathy plays an important role
It really bothered me when people didn’t make eye contact or greet me when they meet me here. My suggestion? Don’t take it too personaly. In my observation, Swiss people generally don’t smile as often as Australians. These people might have something going on or be in the middle of a thinking process. In my previous blog, I talked about how smiling is contagious. So accept the challenge to be the one who smiles or says ‘hi’ first.
Share your opinion more often, and be clear about it
In my culture, we’ve been educated that talking less in a conference is a way to show your respect. We don’t like conflict and take criticism very personally. We choose to speak in private when we don’t agree about something in a very indirect way. But from my observations, Swiss society is completely the opposite, they are straight-forward and can be very direct. If you ever have a chance to work with them just share your opinion more often! On the other hand, if you feel uncomfortable or offended about something they say, just talk to them in private. Explain to them the cultural differences, and how you expect them to react next time if something similar happens. I’m sure they will understand and respect you the same way.
Be proactive! Make sure you ask questions
I always worry a lot when it comes to asking questions. However, I found that the more you interact with people, the more they will help. People don’t judge you if you ask silly questions. By asking questions, you can show people that you care about the topic or that you are interested in them.
Maybe show some of your limited German?
Put yourself in their shoes. German is the mother language of most Swiss people in central and Eastern Switzerland. It takes extra effort to process what you are trying to tell them. Hence, it is normal for them to interact with you less than you expect. I personally feel closer to someone who can speak English or Chinese. The same as them! Even though, German probably is one of the most difficult languages to learn (at least for me it is :D), I’m pretty sure they can feel the respect when you try to squeeze some limited German out of your mouth.
What’s your opinion? Do you have different ideas on working in Switzerland? I hope this article can help you to have a better understanding of working in a diverse environment in Switzerland. Adé:)
