What government organisations can do
Investing in bicultural workers is one way the public sector can help deliver more inclusive services.
To support and retain bicultural workers, government organisations can:
- employ, train and offer professional development opportunities
- create cultural competency guidelines and offer training for all employees
- understand the challenges that affect them and come up with solutions to help
- do research and collect data to learn more about the value of bicultural work
- promote and raise awareness about the value of bicultural work.
To support the bicultural workforce, government organisations can:
- invest in workforce development
- improve data collection and reporting
- development professional standards.
Download to read the full report by the Social Policy Group and Migrant and Refugee Health Partnership.
Challenges faced by bicultural workers
Workforce challenges
Most government organisations know there are benefits to hiring bicultural workers.
However, the public sector doesn’t have any formal standards, training pathways or policies to define and develop these roles.
A report published by the Federation of Ethic Communities’ Councils of Australia said bicultural workers:
- face challenges moving out of low-level roles
- do ‘frontline’ roles with a lot of client or customers interactions
- find it difficult to access professional development opportunities.
Impact of cultural load
Cultural load is the extra and often invisible workload that bicultural workers have that non-bicultural workers don’t have. It can lead to burnout and identity crisis.
Not all bicultural workers or communities experience these conflicts. Each situation is unique.
It’s important to support bicultural workers and recognise the challenges they face in managing their responsibilities.
A literature review published by cohealth identified the following examples of cultural load:
Values and culture clash
It can be hard for some bicultural workers to balance the expectations of their community and their employers.
Sometimes these expectations are different or even oppose each other.
For example, bicultural workers may be hired to work with communities on topics like mental health, family planning and safe sex practices.
But some communities may see these topics as sensitive or taboo.
Bicultural workers can face negative reactions when they try to talk about them. And this can have a negative impact on their social life.
They may be treated unfairly or accused of abandoning their cultural values.
Community expectations
Community members often have high expectations of bicultural workers. They may ask for help with issues outside of their job descriptions.
Bicultural workers often feel a sense of duty to help their community and may take on more tasks, even outside of work hours.
This can lead to:
- a heavier workload
- overwork
- burnout
- bad physical and mental wellbeing.
How to create cultural capability in your organisation
What is cultural capability
Cultural capability means having the knowledge, skills and understanding to work well with people from different cultures.
Improving your cultural capability helps you build positive relationships with people from diverse backgrounds.
It involves:
- ongoing learning
- respecting different beliefs and values
- being able to communicate and interact in a way that is respectful and inclusive
- recognising and addressing power imbalances and systemic barriers.
To build cultural capability in their organisation, employers can:
- create a workplace where everyone feels valued and included. For example, valuing different perspectives, lived experience, knowledge and cultural backgrounds.
- provide cultural competency training
- offer language support, such as translations or language classes
- provide flexible work arrangements for family or cultural obligations
- be open to new ways of working
- celebrate cultural days and events
- as appropriate, approve leave for cultural days and events
- employ diverse employees.
Training and resources
- Professional Standards for Bicultural Work Training by cohealth
How to be a supportive manager
Our People matter survey data shows that manager support and senior leadership are the top drivers of positive employee wellbeing and engagement.
It says that when you create a safe and healthy work environment it will benefit employees, employers and the Victorian community.
Being a supportive manager of bicultural workers requires you to understand and value their background, experiences and perspectives. You should also provide tailored support and development opportunities.
Make the workplace a welcoming environment
To make your workplace a welcoming place for a bicultural worker, you can:
- educate yourself and your team about the different cultures and customs of the community you serve
- be aware of your own biases
- be open-minded and find ways to understand cultural differences
- recognise how cultural differences may impact communication styles
- be mindful of language nuances and non-verbal cues
- encourage open communication
- give clear instructions and set expectations
- address conflicts and biases in your team quickly and fairly
- adapt policies to different cultural needs
- treat everyone with fairness, respect and kindness
- establish a culture where it’s safe to make mistakes.
Embrace diversity in problem-solving and project planning
Bicultural workers bring valuable skills and knowledge to their workplaces.
They use their expertise in problem-solving and project planning.
Think about how you can use bicultural workers in community program and service design.
Help bicultural workers set work boundaries
Employees with community-facing roles may need support maintaining boundaries between their work and personal life.
For example, bicultural workers should:
- have a separate work phone they use only during work hours or in emergencies
- never give out their personal phone number or address
- delegate some of their work to colleagues to help manage their workload.
Bicultural workers may feel obliged to take on extra responsibilities because of their knowledge and connections.
Managers should help bicultural workers understand their role and follow the rules in the code of conduct.
This includes handling situations where there might be conflicts of interest, making public comments, and maintaining the trust of the public.
This will give them the power to say no if they’re asked to do something outside their role.
Find out more in cohealth’s Supporting bicultural workers: A literature review.
Support your employees’ professional development
Give your bicultural workers the opportunity to design their own learning and development plan.
Managers can support by finding training opportunities that align with their goals.
For example, you could create opportunities for bicultural workers to connect with mentors or buddies from other organisations. This might involve setting up platforms like forums, workshops for skill development and communities where they can learn and gain more experience.
As a manager you should be:
- flexible
- find training opportunities that align with their plan
- give them ideas and set goals for their career progression
- address barriers that impact career progression
- mentor them or find them a mentor
- recognise and celebrate their achievements in a culturally sensitive manner
- schedule regular meetings to provide honest feedback.
Managers also need to develop any soft skills they need. For example, teaching them:
- workplace norms and social expectations
- how to manage up
- how to have challenging conversations
- how to give presentations
- how to write professional emails and documents.
Offer post-employment support
Many bicultural roles are fixed term or contract based.
We know that some bicultural workers face employment barriers that can make it harder for them to find meaningful long-term employment.
To support bicultural workers after they leave, you can:
- write them a positive reference letter or formal certificate
- offer career coaching and counselling
- share job search resources
- offer training and upskilling opportunities
- conduct exit interviews and give feedback.
Helpful external resources
We’ve included these resources for interest only. We don’t own or endorse the content.
- Language services policies and guidelines, Department of Health
- Multicultural Education Aide Support Program, Foundation House
- Addressing the Strengths and Complexities of Bicultural Youth and Family Work, Centre for Multicultural Youth.
- Supporting bicultural workers: a literature review by cohealth
- Building on Strength. Developing Australia’s Bilingual and Bicultural Health and Care Workforce by the Social Policy Group and Migrant and Refugee Health Partnership
- Bicultural brilliance toolkit by Enliven.
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