[misstejas]

I am a Mexican-American supervisor of 12 people that work for a hospital. My director is African American, and today, while referring to one of my direct reports, told me that I "need to better understand black culture when dealing with black employees". I felt so offended as my industry is built around diversity and I look at feelings and specific issues - not color or "culture". Am I wrong to feel offended? Should I talk to her about it?

[Wondergirl]

Did she specify? I sure would want to know what she means and what I'm doing wrong.

[misstejas]

Thanks Wondergirl.
The comment that my boss made was offensive to me and seemed like it came from a 1950's office environment.

The situation was simple: Yesterday, while I was out, one of my employees called her stating that none of his co-workers were supporting him and he felt that is was because of his color. This makes no sense as 3/4 of the staff are African American or Hispanic. He's actually one of my most productive workers, but sometimes gets stressed out and needs a break. (Typical in this environment). My boss seemed to take this opportunity to tell me that I need to understand black workers' culture to make them more productive. My thought was that I do not treat any of my workers differently because of their culture, and I feel that this an insult. As I am female Mexican-American, maybe she's saying that it's okay if I take a 2-hour siesta each afternoon. It's my "culture", right?

[Fr_Chuck]

Not really, part of diversity is to understand that cultures view and see things differently at times. I am on my last semester of my Masters Degree in Public Administration and one of the major management things we have learned is that you have to often tailor issues toward culture. The way some cultures view and react is very different. Culture based and management tailored towards the individual personality is very much a current form of management

[DoulaLC]

I would ask for specifics of how your boss feels things can be handled differently. What does that mean, "Understand black workers' culture to make them more productive?" I'd also speak with the employee to find out the specifics of why he was feeling unsupported.

[smoothy]

Certain Cultures still seem to think everyone else needs to bow to their every whim and desire... and how they view everyone else as the problem.

Tough situation to be in being its your boss. Right or wrong you might be in a losing end of the fight. If every group got it through their thick heads they are part of the (in this situation) the American Culture... and started acting this way. Instead of playing this I'm Blue, that green person and that orange person over there isn't bending over enough for my Blue culture... when the Blue person isn't being equally sensitive of the Green or the Orange persons culture thing.

But its not a universal thing....there tend to be certain individuals in every specific culture that think they are superior and everyone else needs to bow to them and what THEY are sensitive to at any particular moment in time, while they feel they don't have to do the same towards anyone else's.

[misstejas]

Perhaps I'm getting upset for something that has become normal. Not sure how to manage based on culture. Does this mean their color, where they were born, the neighborhood they grew up in, their financial situation, etc. Isn't that profiling?

Doula, my boss barely knows my employees so there was no explanation - she just threw it out there for me to decipher. With this particular employee, I gave him a stress relief break and he came back feeling fine (typical for him). Although I didn't bring it up, he apologized for talking to my boss while I was out.

This all happened yesterday and it upset me. I was just wondering if this was typical or if an HR professional would state that my boss' comment was totally out of line. It feels very uncomfortable to me.

[talaniman]

Relax, your boss was just telling you to understand those in your charge, and don't trip when they act whack. Sometimes you have to deal with the individual, and their ways, to keep the whole functioning.

Your director was just giving you a heads up that this character was acting whack and went over your head and not to hold a grudge. Specifically venting to another African American (her), instead of a Hispanic (you).

That's the cultural aspect to understand here, and the reason to not be upset I believe.

This makes no sense as 3/4 of the staff are African American or Hispanic.

Instead of being upset, look deeper into the cause of the stress of this worker, as there may be a rift between him, and a NON african american coworker you may not be aware of. That's how I would take this word from your director.

[misstejas]

Thanks everyone. FYI, the employee in question has an anxiety issue. I've known this for two years and worked with him on it because he is a great performer. I asked if he had any other issue he wanted to discuss and he said that another worker did not answer a question because she was also stressed. The one issue we can't do anything about is stress. We work in a hospital, in the ER area, on the insurance side. Long hours and low pay... I've tried so many motivation programs, team exercises and more. As a manager, I work 70+ hours per week as I need to be available 24 x 7 for issues. The last thing I need is for my supervisor to tell me that I now need to manage by culture rather than performance and the employee's strengths and shortcomings. Too many issues... Too little time...

[talaniman]

Diverse cultures means diverse PROBLEMS and they are bound to happen where diverse people interact. A challenge for sure, so don't be distracted by what your supervisor has said. Consider it for the suggestion it is and there will be no reason for you to take this as a personal affront.

Then you not only have the personal issues of stress by those you direct, but your own stress on top of it. I doubt you deal with your workers effectively if you cannot deal with yourself. Just consider it.

I prioritize, and as a manager, delegate. Play to the strength of your workers, to minimize the weaknesses, and the stress. Is there a reason you haven't separated these two stressful people who stress each other so much? Or sat them both down, separate or together and workout a way forward?

[misstejas]

Just wondering what would happen if I did the same? What if I told one of my mangers that they need to consider culture when talking to an employee with the same ethnicity as me - Hispanic? What if the employee took this to HR feeling that it was, at a minimum, out of line? Would I get reprimanded or do you all feel that this is no offense? What I am trying to say is that EACH person in my department has different strengths and weaknesses - regardless of ethnicity, where they were born or their socioeconomic situation.


Right now I train them, shadow them, fill in for them and make myself available 24 x 7 to talk or chat. In my department, the turnover is high, the pay is low, the hours are horrible so the stress level is very high for all. The reason that I reached out to this forum was to get HR opinions on whether anyone felt that my boss was out-of-line or not.


talaniman, to quickly answer your question, yes, I have tried many things to get my workers to "get along and be a team", but after two years I have found that hard workers perform (and usually get promoted), lazy people will not become un-lazy because I give them movie tickets and spend 2 hours demonstrating the pace they should be working, helpful people will help others and non-helpful people will not. I realize that I'm not the perfect manager and that there are surely other solutions out there, but with all my good intentions, it has proven true that I can only help people who want to be helped but can rarely change the way a person is wired. Lastly, it is unfortunate but HR hires our staff and I have little say, so that is another big issue that we're trying to get fixed within many areas of the company.


Thanks for all of your responses.

[Catsmine]

You could, of course, file a complaint with HR and the EEOC against your supervisor. It would make a wonderful news headline about a Black woman being investigated for racism. It would also pretty much end your career, at least at that hospital.

Another option would be to ask your supervisor if she was being purposely offensive when she made her comment. Some managers, on occasion including myself, use that sort of indignation provoking statement as a goad. Look past your anger to see if there's anything productive that can come from making this an issue. (Teaching a racist that she IS a racist is a goal, but would it be productive?)

[misstejas]

Catsmine, your comment really hit home. I'm being recruited strongly by another department and my boss has been digging at me ever since I got her belated approval to begin the interview process. Thinking about some other things she has said recently, I think you are right and I will simply let this pass. Hopefully I will get the new job...

Thanks everyone for your comments. Maybe I just needed a few hours to cool off. Got to get to work now (the dreaded 3pm to 2am shift!). Have a nice weekend.

[talaniman]

Thank you for your further replies, just a few other questions, if I may, and that's why did you take your bosses remark so personally? What was the context of the remark, and did you go to her, or she come to you?

How old are you, and how long have you been at this company? Were you hired as a manager, or did you work your way up?

Me, I would have let this go, and gotten back to my own job, in light of the person apologized, and you knew he was prone to whack out, with a word for him to come to me next time. I learned the hard way that an upset mind has little understanding, and a calm one understands what they must do.

Was she wrong, or out of line? Only you know the context of this remark, or the director who made it.