Overview

The UK has one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse workforces in Europe and our workplaces are increasingly likely to be a mosaic of races, religions, lifestyles and cultures. Being aware and respectful of other cultures is an essential part of living and working in the UK today. Our cultural background exerts a powerful influence on how we interpret and interact with the world around us. As well as influencing our own behaviour, it also dictates how we interpret the behaviour of other people. Problems can arise when we use the rules of our own culture to interpret the behaviour of people from another, and can lead us to the wrong conclusions. This short course looks at the problems caused by cultural stereotyping and misunderstandings, the benefits of diversity and the importance of treating everyone with respect.

Objectives

In this course you will learn:

• Why our cultural background is a fundamental part of our identity
• How communication styles and body language can vary between cultures
• How bias and stereotypes can lead us to make wrong assumptions about people from different cultures
• The law regarding discrimination and harassment on the grounds of race and religion or belief
• How to work successfully as part of a diverse team