My Part

Australlia .
- Australia is one of the worlds most integrated multicultural societies

- Australians are generally interested and accepting of other cultures

- No two Australians are exactly the same despite being raised in the
same national, local, and, in the case of siblings, family cultures
there is always individual variations

- This also applies in business settings

Multinationals organizations
also can face different
challenges:
Understanding of Australian workplace culture
Communication skills verbal & written
Limited Australian contacts and networks
Visa restrictions
Understanding Australian job search techniques
Lack of local work experience
Perception of returning home
Understanding culture in the
work place is vital
Problems and misunderstandings often stem from not understanding
the culture or the way things are done around here

They have a lot of international employees in the workplace. Their

technical skills are first class. But I often find I have to go around
and fix up problems caused by differences in communication or lack
of cultural understanding.
Ford Australlia.
Cultural issues faced by
Expatriates in Australia
- Punctuality
Australlians are very punctual
- Written communication (emails, letters, reports)
- Unprofessional style
- Inappropriate style too demanding

- Oral communication
- Clarity
- Too demanding / too quiet
- Too formal / too informal
- Not joining in e.g. office chat
Cont.
- Attitudes towards female colleagues and managers
- Skills
- MS Office esp. Excel
- IT technical

- Personal presentation
- Personal space
Australlian culture in workforce
Australian employees taking the time to talk to the security guard,
the cleaner and the tea lady, much more than you would in my
country!
Even top management will make sure they ask about families
and get involved if there is an issue.
 At the work there is a lot of joking and laughter, which
some of IE find to be quite disruptive. But they realise
the other staff members dont think its a problem, so
they have had to change their thinking a bit.
Key differences between Australian and other
workplaces

Hierarchy and leadership styles

Expectations of employees

Communication styles

Equal employment opportunity (EEO)

Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S)

Focus on policies & procedures