Hispanics in the Workplace
Appreciating the Role of the Hispanic Supervisor
They face communication and interpersonal issues that many of us will never encounter or even begin to appreciate. Employees rise through the ranks because they demonstrate special leadership skills in their day to day tasks. They show that they can be relied upon to go that extra mile. As new team leaders, they’re challenged to lead and manage the individuals they used to work with on the production line.
Unfortunately, this transition does not often settle well and; it may even be a source of resentment among some of the team members. While many may applaud the promotion, some individuals can't get over the fact that their former team member and "buddy" has moved ahead and they have stayed behind. She has joined the "other side" and become the new boss. The old alliance has been broken.
In order to understand this gut reaction, it's important to know that first generation Hispanics in the American workplace are bonded by a common language, history and culture. They quickly learn about each other's family history, they ask personal questions and share each other's food. Hispanics forge workplace friendships that are much more intimate and less restrictive than their American co-workers and managers.
So, when one of their own leaves the group for greener corporate pastures, it feels as if a close friend has achieved a remarkable feat. She has succeeded in breaking the language and cultural barriers and the others have been left behind. For some, it's a bitter pill to swallow. This resentment may manifest itself in various ways. A few team members may decide to challenge the new supervisor and test the limits of her authority. Unfortunately, this causes undue hardship to the supervisor who now has to learn the art of skillfully leading the team, managing personalities and communicating the department's policies and production goals.
For the most part, there is general acceptance and cooperation with the new team leader. However, there are usually a few individual “troublemakers” who are very skillful at creating an environment of tension and disunity. They may be highly critical of anything the supervisor says or does and may spread malicious rumors in an attempt to undermine the supervisor’s role and authority.
Since they’ve had little, if any formal leadership training, many supervisors are unsure how to deal with this sudden turn of events. Their immediate reaction is to overcompensate by attempting to maintain the old "buddy" relationship that existed prior to the promotion. By giving the message that nothing has changed and that their working relationships will continue to operate on an equal basis, they unknowingly cause more harm than good.
And that’s not all. On the management side, the supervisor is faced with other challenges that require special administrative and communication skills. She has to step into an entirely different role when dealing with the English speaking managers and department leaders. Conversations at this level are more formal and structured since they are concerned with satisfying the business needs of the organization.
The front line Hispanic supervisor often feels as if she is trying to satisfy the needs and requirements of two different and opposing forces. In dealing with management, the supervisor must be able to portray a more professional image and provide facts, figures, and timely reports. In dealing with the team members, the supervisor must deal with a wide variety of interpersonal issues, conflict management and hidden agendas. It’s not easy to deal with two different work cultures that require two different sets of communication skills.
Management would do well to acknowledge the special role that the supervisor plays in an organization with Hispanics in the workplace.
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