Remote work has proven to be a driving force in building a successful business. Hiring remote employees has been linked to increased productivity and efficiency in the workplace. It also offers the advantage of hiring culturally diverse teams from all over the world.
When hiring remote employees from Latin America, cultural awareness is imperative. Keep reading for ways to embrace cultural differences to build a successful remote team.
1. Take time to understand other cultures
Make it a priority to deepen your knowledge of other cultures when building a remote team. Each Latin American country places value on different things—from family and social life to loyalty and respect. Taking the time to learn about those values and customs can help you understand how employees from those cultures operate and approach their work.
2. Be aware of national and religious holidays
National holidays can vary from country to country, and some religious holidays can span up to a week of time. Familiarizing yourself with your employees’ observed holidays is crucial for creating a work environment that’s respectful and inclusive.
If some countries have certain holidays off work, employees from other countries should have the option to either take those days off as well or have paid time off to use elsewhere throughout the year.
Having a shared Google calendar with all holidays (and timezones) noted is a great way to get the entire team on the same page. You’ll be able to visualize when certain team members will be out of the office and unavailable for meetings, and other employees will be aware of when coworkers may not be available for communication.
3. Build trust within your team
Having clear lines of communication within your team is important for building trust. Though it may not be possible to get together for in-person team-building activities, offering fun events online is a great way to get people together.
Take the time to get to know your team, and make space for them to get to know each other. As you learn more about your employees and their cultures, it demonstrates to them that you value them not only for their work ethic but also for who they are as people. Value and mutual respect help create a positive atmosphere and a sense of community within your team.
4. Consider your communication style
Understanding your own communication style is a great place to start when building a team of remote workers from diverse cultures. Do you tend more toward direct communication? What about the communication styles of your new employees?
Things may get lost in translation, particularly when people don’t speak the same first language. Consider using video calls for meetings so that team members are able to see visual cues like nonverbal body language in addition to hearing vocal tones within the context of the conversation.
5. Make space for collaboration and feedback
Cultural diversity within your business is a great opportunity for people to share different viewpoints and collaborate to create something unique. Create space for open communication and collaboration within your team so everyone feels seen, heard, and valued.
It’s also a great idea to encourage feedback from your employees. Let them know that they can always share their opinions on how things are done in terms of embracing cultural differences.
When you hire remote workers from Latin America, you create an environment of mutual learning and respect and open up opportunities to share new ideas. Ultimately, having a multicultural workforce is a fantastic way to build a successful business.
