Culture Adaptation and Culture Shock for Migrant Workers

Culture and Cultural Differences

Culture refers to many different aspects of life. The culture of a people dictates their way of doing things such as how they socialize with people, what they believe in, their attitudes towards others as well as what they treasure as values. There is no universally accepted culture, thus every place has its own unique culture. Key elements that depicts cultural uniqueness include the differences in language used, the educational systems, different ways of dressing, different foods or even weather. These cultural differences make it hard for first time visitors into new regions be they students, workers or even those taking holiday trips to new regions. The experience of a new culture for the first time results into culture shock for the involved individual. There is a lot of existing literature which depicts the plight of culture shock with reference to students given the sensitivity of the subject matter and its implications on the performance of the education function. However, there is a notably a low number of articles that about the experiences of workers in new countries or regions, yet they go through the culture shock experience just like the students do.

The Importance of Cultural Awareness in a Globalized World

With the world growing into a global village as time goes by, thanks to technological interventions, the place of cultural awareness both at the corporate and individual levels is becoming paramount. In as much as people may not be travelling physically to new regions, they may at some point of their lives be forced by technology to engage a person from a different culture. For instance, transacting with a person from another region online requires some cultural awareness which will come in handy in determining whether the deal will be a success or not. As such, the aspect of virtual interaction has changed the entire meaning and place of cultural awareness in the corporate and personal setting.

Cultural Training for Foreign Workers

Foreign workers may include even people sent by a mother company to execute a project on behalf of the firm in a foreign country. With the understanding of the impact of the change, some companies ensure their staff are trained as a preparation for the new cultural experience in the new regions. The training basically aims at reducing the culture shock experience on the side of the employee which goes a long way in determining their overall performance as far as their mandate is concerned. The training are varied and they are administered dependent on the company’s wish list. Cultural training and language training are however the most common forms of trainings offered to employees going to work in new regions for the first time. The two are key in the reduction of the culture shock experiences since the employee will be able to be informed of such factors as the communication patterns, the dos and don’ts of the local society they are residing in.

Research Objectives

In view of the above, this paper seeks to establish the importance of pre and post training programs available for migrant workers in the health sector, in the Middle East. Among other things, the study will explore how these training programs impacts on the professional performance of the medical practitioners in the region. On the other side of the equation is a strong medical profession guided by ethical, professional and legal regulations which sets a stage for interesting interaction. The study will also establish the process migrant workers undertake to overcome culture shock. To achieve the above stated goal, the study will pursue three different objectives including, an examination of whether the particular organization in question offers the appropriate training programs, identification of the obstacles workers face when they migrate to different regions and finally, an identification of the four stages of culture shock.