The UK education system has a great reputation for attracting students from diverse backgrounds from around the world.
Working in these institutions often requires having good collaborative skills needed for working with people from different nationalities, otherwise known as “cosmopolitanism”.
This holds true for UK officers, SU staff members and university staff members, who will work with overseas officers if they’re successfully elected, especially with the recent increase in overseas students running for sabbatical officer elections.
While working with international SU officers can present unique challenges for both parties, it also offers great opportunities for growth, learning, and fostering a more inclusive work environment.
My experience of working with full time officers who are both overseas students and home students has meant that we constantly reflect and iterate on our work practices to not only ensure that everyone feel that they belong and matter, but also feel empowered to make changes in their respective roles, regardless of their background or nationality.
Here I’ve set out what I think will be useful to anyone seeking to reflect on their existing work practices – with the aim of improving or adapting, drawing insights from the below suggestions and ideas.
Embrace cultural differences
At Salford SU, training and activities are deliberately designed for cultural exchange. Our standard officer training practices like going for residentials – going away for three days with the SLT and a coach has helped a great deal in understanding the cultural differences between officers and SLT.
Officers prepared a meal for the SLT, and vice versa, allowing us to have conversations about the different foods we had prepared and why they were important to us. I had the privilege to tell and share my leadership journey, and how my involvement in student unions in Nigeria has shaped me, how I communicate and make decisions, as well as my expectations and preferred ways of working.
Making deliberate efforts at the start of the relationship to understand and appreciate the cultural nuances of colleagues from a different location or nationality will pay a great deal not only whilst working with them but will be a useful skill to thrive in any organization with a global outlook.
Embracing these differences is key to building a strong relationship and fostering effective collaboration.
Celebrating diversity
This requires recognizing important activities and holidays that appeal to these colleagues and delivering on it. It could be as little as asking everyone to come with a food they like to share in the last staff meeting of the year, to hosting presentations where colleagues can share insights about their home countries.
For example, we did a presentation at our black history month event where every staff member was tasked to tell their favourite story related to black history – Music, Icon, Movie, and so on.
Officers from different nationalities will almost certainly push for a disruption in the traditional SU event calendar – to include some events that suit their culture or that of their constituents. The change request might also require blending some aspects of the culture of their constituents into what seems to be the normal business as usual of the SU – like diversifying the music, food or activities in the bar.
Accept this disruption as embracing diversity. Revisit your calendars of events for the year, make some changes to reflect the diversity of your student population and consider the changes you are making as a deliberate effort to ensure that there is something for everyone.
Communicate clearly and effectively
It is important to acknowledge that it’s likely for students from other nationalities to have another language as their first official language. Regardless of their ability to communicate clearly in English language, strive to always communicate concisely.
Always check to see if what you communicated is well received, avoid using jargon, and encourage written documentation where possible. Sometimes meanings get lost when we talk too fast, especially when the accent is strong. So check regularly for comprehension, and create an environment where they can ask questions or seek clarification at any point in time.
Also make effort to learn one or two words or a phrase in their language. This helps to build rapport and simply shows that you respect the differences. For example, “myguy” means my friend in Nigerian Pidgin. Now you know!
We’re lucky that USSU has a culture of giving quick feedback, in a fashion that builds trust and shows that the organisation cares and wants you to improve. I often get the impression that getting feedback in an environment where everyone will ask “are you alright” is rare, and always value any piece of positive or negatives feedback receive and that has helped me reflect and improve a lot. All these practices will demonstrate your commitment communicate in a clear and inclusive way.
Foster inclusivity and equity
Reflect internally on every opportunity for growth, and how it can be accessed. Are their barriers for people from other nationalities? What support is in place to help overcome that barrier.
For example, Wonkhe organises a trip each year to European SUs to share best practices, learn and grow. Whist officers from UK do not need a visa, it can be very challenging for overseas students – what support is in place? This also applies to providing the required support needed in renewing their Tier 4 Visa. Certain privileges inform how people are viewed and treated by others, and reflecting on and acknowledging your own privileges shapes how we relate with others.
How do you recognize the efforts and contributions? How involved are they in decision making processes? Overseas student bring a very rich diversity of thoughts and perspectives in discussions that will enrich the decision, and it’s important to encourage them to share their opinions in meetings. It also fosters a sense of belonging when everyone feel that their unique voices are valued, and they feel that they matter.
A common practice that has helped me feel included is our regular daily stand-ups with the CEO and some staff members. It has not only helped me to understand the organizational culture but serves as a space to provide quick updates and clarity on any previous issue. It has also strengthen the relationship between myself and others involved in this. This year, each officer is aligned to an SLT, and they meet regularly on 1-1 basis just to check in and discuss objectives, as well as pick up issues.
We are in discussion with the university to adopt a culture of assigning an officer to a member of the university leadership team, this might be an opportunity for mentorship and reverse mentorship as well, where we can share guidance and insights on the culture of the university and the SU. Hopefully, this will encourage open dialogue, create a safe space for everyone to share their ideas and opinion, and ultimately shape communications between the leaders of the two organisations.
Build trust and relationships
Be intentional about building a strong relationship that will help you win the trust of your colleagues. Care personally, by showing genuine interest in their backgrounds, cultures and experiences.
Ask about their loved ones, and try to remember any key personal details they share. And above all, make some effort to make them feel valued. For example, one of my best feelings at work was the day I discovered that my CEO had a photo of us as his phone wallpaper! – little things matter.
The organisation also demonstrates its trust for us. For instance, just like some staff members, the SU President has a purchasing card, with a specific amount of money that can be spent on work related matters with just very little admin from me and does not require immediate authorization from the SU. By building trust and investing in relationships, effective communication and commitment to work improves, and they give even more than required to the organisation.
At Salford SU, we take every opportunity to do some team building activities, especially such that celebrates the diversity of the team – for example, we go for a dinner after every trustee board, I aim at getting the board to explore different cuisines! We have an all staff lunch once a month, an outdoor wellbeing activity, we have some days out as an officer team, and some random “let me buy you lunch or coffee” and all these team activities encourages collaboration and bonding. Building trust and relationships will surely form an inclusive work place where everyone feels valued.
Adapt and be flexible
Working with Elected Officers from overseas means that you will be challenged to reflect if your current services and provisions are catering for the needs of all students including international students. They will identify the gaps and areas where the structure will require iteration.
Be flexible and quick to see things from their point of view and work collaboratively to first acknowledge and accommodate the differences, and next adjust to make the required changes to ensure that your structures and services are inclusive.
It could also stem from communication styles, meeting schedules, working groups or committee, or even deadlines! Adjust accordingly to ensure that everyone’s needs are met.
For example – A muslim officer will require some adjustments to provide them time to participate in daily prayers. Being adaptable shows respect and facilitates smother collaboration.
People from certain cultures might be reserved or choose to bottle up their feelings, or might be direct in their communication style when they choose to speak up, others might show deference to people in authority, leadership in this space requires creating a safe space where everyone is encouraged to share how they feel, and a positive atmosphere for feedback and learning. I hope to explore these issues more in a future blogpost.
During our residentials, I created a guideline of resources outlining some key preferences of every member of the team and their preferred ways of working. This information has shaped my understanding of key decisions of the team members and how to empathize and show respect to each other’s styles and cultural norms. Regular visits to these guidelines especially when in doubt has helped manage the likelihood of conflict and ensure that final decisions remain relevant and inclusive.
The diversity of thoughts and ideas that overseas officers bring to the sector should not be underestimated. By embracing cultural differences, communicating effectively, fostering inclusivity, building trust, and being adaptable, you can create a collaborative and harmonious workplace that benefits everyone involved.
Remember, the key to effective collaboration is understanding, empathy, genuine care and a deliberate effort and desire to learn from one another. Together, we can achieve amazing things and contribute to a rich and more interconnected global workforce.
