All cultures have values which are common to the people in that culture. Many cultures have similar values so, some argue that there is no need to learn ‘Indian cultural values’ or ‘American cultural values.’ While we may not need to know that people in both of these cultures hold ‘truth’ and ‘honesty’ as a value, we may want to understand how these values are bought out in day to day life through actions, behaviors, thoughts, and words. That being said, no culture wants to deny that they have values. For instance, which culture will deny that they have ‘family values’? . After thinking about this, I considered the value of ‘motivation.’ This is not one of the values I discuss explicitly in my American cross-cultural training, but it is an important American value. It is not exclusive to America. People from all cultures are motivated and want motivation. But, how and why are different people in different cultures (or people within the same culture) motivated? Here are some simple thoughts: Motivation in the Professional World Motivation is a vast topic. The source of motivation may differ from person to person. In the work environment, many believe that the level of satisfaction at work is a strong motivator. However, ‘work satisfaction’ as a motivator can mean two completely different things to two different people. Let’s analyze this. Two Aspects to “Work Satisfaction” as a Motivational Factor I understand there are many aspects to work satisfaction. For lack of time and space, I will limit this discussion to only two aspects. Person #1 may define work satisfaction’ as: "Going with the status quo - getting to a particular rank / position and just being happy there. Not rocking the boat, but making it to this place, and feeling pretty good about it." Where does his/her motivation come from? The motivation comes from predictability, tradition, and process (‘I understand my place in the hierarchy. Things don't change and I am fine with that. It motivates me.’) Person #2 may define ‘work satisfaction’ as: "I don't notice career development unless I can change my position - either in duties, rank, or title. I don't want to do the same thing for 20 years. I want to grow, acquire new skills, and mature in my thoughts and career, every year. Without change in my position, I'd be bored and never motivated." Where does his/her motivation come from? The motivation comes from change, new challenges, learning new things, innovation, creativity, among others. What can we learn from these scenarios? Both Person #1 and Person #2 have work satisfaction as a value but, they are motivated differently in their day to day life. They may appreciate each other's point of view, but may not really understand it. They may not want to live the other's idea of this value at all. It is true that people change throughout their life. A person who once was motivated by change may may not enjoy it anymore. Whereas, the person who loves monotony may want to experience change to get something different in their lives, or just to see if they are good at something else than what they been doing for many, many years. An Example: A Six Decade Job as a Telephone Operator There was a story of an American woman who at the age of 80 would not stop working. What was her job? She was a telephone receptionist at a hospital. She worked there since she was 16! She did the same job all those years. She was able to find motivation in this job without a change in status for that long. Reflection Questions:
Between Person #1 or Person #2, who do you think has a personality that matches that of the telephone operator?
After listening to this story, how do you think Person #1 and Person #2 will react to the telephone operator’s idea of motivation?
If you had the job of the telephone operator, would you have felt motivated? Why or why not?
Does your motivational behavior match with Person #1 or Person #2. Or do you think you have a motivation behavior that is different from them?
What are all the things that motivate you?
Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Conclusion This is a simplistic way of looking at how the same value is expressed by two different people with two different mindsets (and possibly from two different cultures). There are, of course, many more ways to approach this topic. That’s why the world is made up of so many people and so many different cultures. What are your thoughts about ‘motivation’ among different groups of people and cultures? What are your thoughts about ‘work satisfaction’? How would you adjust to a job and a company whose approach to motivation is different from yours? Author, Jennifer Kumar, Owner of Authentic Journeys, based in Kochi, India, helps you to realize success in your career abroad when there are communication and cultural barriers to overcome. Learn more about the American Culture Orientation Programs, or contact her for one on one coaching or specialized soft-skills training programs. Editor, Sufi Swarup is a freelance writer and editor based in Bangalore, India.
By: Pallavi Rao Edited by: Jennifer Kumar & Sufi Swarup In the previous post, I shared some general tips on hiring household help in Mumbai, India. Today, I would like to introduce you to all the different kinds of help that you can hire to for household jobs in Mumbai, India. Extra (Household) Help In Mumbai, the cost is calculated based on the kind of work as well as the area (neighborhood). Some areas are more expensive than the others. Maids can be hired for a full day (morning until evening) or for chutta work. A full day’s pay is a minimum of Rs 5,500 onwards. Chutta work is about Rs. 550/700 per job. In such cases, dusting and jharoo pocha are considered as two jobs. When chores like cleaning the bathroom, making the bed, washing the dishes, washing the clothes, and drying the clothes are added, it can become expensive though the price can be negotiated. Budget your time: A couple of hours. (2-3 hours) Cook A cook’s payment will depend on their capabilities. They charge according to how many cuisines they have to cook. The number of recipes that they can cook is equally proportionate to their charge. Their salary starts from Rs. 1,500/2,000 for very basic cooking, and can go up to Rs. 3,000/4,000 or more depending on how many times they would cook in a house. Budget your time: About one hour or more. Driver Their salaries are above Rs. 8,000 depending on the brand of car he drives. The bigger the car, the higher their charge. Tips: Generally, a whole month’s salary is given as a bonus for Diwali. Some drivers who been with you for a while also expect 15 days or more paid leave. There are three kinds of drivers: Home Duty, Office Duty, and Daily Wagers. Home Duty – They stay with you at home and take you for shopping, errands, taking kids to school, picking them up, etc. Office Duty – Takes you to office. Stays at your office and is ready for you if you need to travel around during the day for work-related commitments. Daily Wage- Paid based per hour or time frame (half day / whole day, etc). Budget your time: Varies based on commute. Dhobhi (Washerperson) The charges are between Rs. 2 to Rs. 5 per garment. Budget your time: They come daily or thrice a week as per your requirement. Car cleaner Car cleaners come six days a week. They charge Rs 250-500 per month depending on what they are cleaning. Generally car cleaners have other jobs, and do this to make extra money. A driver can also be a car cleaner if negotiated properly. Budget your time: Car cleaners can come up to six days a week. They prefer to come early in the morning. Twenty minutes is the time required to clean the car. You can use these tips as guidelines to help you in arranging for particular kinds of household help. Take note that drivers and car cleaners may not be readily available in all parts of India. They seem to be more in demand in bigger cities among particular groups of people. Do you have any other tips or guidelines that will be helpful to others in regards to household help in India? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments section below. Don’t forget to add in the city you live in India along with your tips for easier reference. Thank you. Glossary: chutta work – Freelance work, or work paid by each category of job (For instance these jobs would be paid for separately: making beds, sweeping, dusting, washing dishes, etc.) jharoo pocha – Sweeping and swabbing (mopping) **Take note that prices quoted in this article will vary based on cost of living in a particular city, neighborhood, and area or section of town. Pallavi Rao, lives in Mumbai and enjoys helping people understand the culture and lifestyle of Mumbai and India. She can be reached at: pallavidrao at yahoo.co.uk. Photo credit: reused under creative commons by- opalpeterliu @ flickr. Related Posts: India- America Cross-Cultural Holiday Calendar (Helpful for calculating tips) Tips for moving children back to India Tip for adjusting to a new neighborhood after moving (video)
Tips given by: Pallavi Rao Edited by: Jennifer Kumar & Sufi Swarup
Employing a maid and other household help in India is common. Many Non- Resident Indians (NRIs), including myself, have lived in the West where we had to do all the household chores without any help. However, when we come back to India, we realize most of the people behave as if they live in the raja saheb days, so maids and other household help becomes a requirement. While having household help can relieve some burden and simplify life, it also becomes increasingly complicated as we add on hired help to the list. We must remember that maids want their own holidays, take planned or unplanned leave for trips to their native place, or to attend to sickness and family concerns. Because of this, retaining maids can be and is a problem for many. To make life a little easier for you, I am sharing tips I have used to hire and coordinate maids in Mumbai, India. Tips for Hiring Maids and Household Help in India:
Find out the typical rate of pay in your area and pay 10% more if you want to hold on to good help.
Within the first few days of hire, ask your maid to provide a passport size photo, her full name, address and phone number.
Make terms and conditions very clear so that there are no issues later on.
Understand what times of year and holidays are important to them so you are aware when they plan to make trips to their native place.
If the maid wants to take a break for more then seven or eight days ask them to give a substitute at no extra cost.
Hire them through someone you or your family knows. These days a lot of household help is involved in robberies. Never ever get used to them. From time to time work alongside them. This will help you keep those muscles flexed and 'keep in touch 'with how things are done.
Refrain from hiring help from the same family. If both husband and wife work for you, they will take leave around the same time. If you fire one of them for any reason, you are retaining one resenting partner at home.
Be aware of the holidays in your area and always give tips on major holidays like Diwali. A good tip in metros is a whole month’s salary, or something equally valuable. [Only after the help has stayed with you for a year or more.] A tip is also calculated based on the area you live, and what others give. Ask around so you are giving enough and not giving too much.
If your maid is coughing a lot or doesn’t look 'healthy,' do get a routine blood check up done at your own cost.
Schedule your staff/help to come early in the morning or evenings. This frees up your afternoon for your own commitments. For weekend help, ask them to come a bit later in the morning or early afternoon so you can relax.
Avoid discussing personal matters with them or in car when they are present; especially monetary transactions.
Opt for literate help as far as possible.
Salaries mentioned are for experienced literate help over 18 years of age. Refrain from hiring underage kids who are easily available at cheaper pay.
Please use these tips as guidelines for hiring household help. When moving into your new area, do consult with your neighbors about their experiences to get the most up-to-date relevant information. In addition to general tips, there are also some guidelines to consider when hiring particular types of household help. I will discuss them in the next post. Thank you for reading. Do you have any other tips or guidelines that will be helpful to others in regards to household help in India? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments section below. Don’t forget to add the name of the city you live in along with your tips, for easy reference. Thank you. Glossary: raja saheb – Kings who did not do any household chores during their reign. **Take note that prices quoted in this article will vary based on cost of living in a particular city, neighborhood, area or section of town. Pallavi Rao, lives in Mumbai and enjoys helping people understand the culture and lifestyle of Mumbai and India. She can be reached at: pallavidrao at yahoo.co.uk.
photo credit: locket479 @flickr used under creative commons.
Completing 20 hours of intense one on one Spoken English Coaching is no small feat. Dedicating time to meet, undertaking the personalized assignments and using English in everyday, practical social and professional situations outside sessions are all key to completing and achieving goals in this form of conversational English coaching.
At the end of a cycle of classes (usually 10 class, 2 hours each), a coachee feels progress has been made and their confidence in using the language has helped them personally and professionally. Not only is the student proud and relieved to notice this tangible progress, but I as the coach is also overjoyed and extremely proud for the coachee.
Though many coachees have completed 20 hours of coaching, recently, a coachee in India requested a certificate of recognition from me. Being I am in a new culture, and a cross-cultural coach, I understood the cultural importance in India of such a certificate, and agreed to issue him a first personalized certificate.
Going through this process was an amazing experience for me as the coach, and I can only suggest the same of my coachee. I am reprinting the following photos with permission of the coachee. Thanks Hari! I hope I have given you at least half the gift you have given me by allowing me to help you on your path of achieving your goals and dreams!
Disclaimer: As all services through Authentic Journeys are confidential (see confidentiality agreement), all photos, names, or identifying information on the website is always used with previous permission of the person being named.
Jennifer Kumar, coach, is based in Kochi, India. If you have questions about individualized sessions in spoken English coaching, e-mail me at authenticjourneys at gmail dot com or learn more by reading the frequently asked questions. Through an honest self-test, we work together to close the gaps between your current English fluency and your ideal English fluency. More about this gap analysis in this video.
Johanna Marius Languages + Intercultural Training is a good resource for Indians moving to Munich, Germany. Non-resident Indians (NRIs), other immigrants, and newcomers can find a wealth of information here that will help them to adjust and find comfort in their ‘home away from home’. In my attempt to share worldwide resources to help Indians who live abroad, I would like to introduce this organization to you.. If you live in the Munich area, you may be interested in the program listed at the bottom of this post.
Here are a few FAQs that will give you some information about this crucial resource: What inspired your organization to work specifically with Indians? The idea of developing a program specifically for Indian women was conceived after a chance meeting with Ms Radha Shah. Radha is a language and intercultural trainer who went through her own challenges of settling down in Germany and felt a latent demand for a program like “Ghulo Milo Integrate Karo”. How many Indians live in the Munich area? According to the statistical office in Munich, 3.291 (almost four thousand) Indians were living in Munich in February 2012. From how far away do Indians come for programs in your office? At the moment, “Ghulo Milo Integrate Karo” is situatedin Munich and caters to the demands of Indians in and around Munich. How do Indians find out about the programs in your office? Our programs are marketed on platforms frequented by Indians, be it online platforms or local events for Indians. We also do extensive mailer campaigns. Last, but not the least, our programs get publicity through word of mouth advertising. Besides this program, what other services do you have available for Indians? Indian customers also enjoy our Business English courses which are “interculturally intelligent”. That means we don`t only teach the relevant grammar and vocabulary for business settings but, focus on the communication style. We teach Indians what Germans like to talk about and how to build a relationship with them. We also have Indians in our team building seminars where we implement a common work culture to boost international cooperation. What feedback have you received from your Indian customers? We often hear that we are emotionally open and caring and that they never expected to learn so much. What are the other groups of immigrants you help? We help immigrants of all nationalities. Editor’s note: For instance, they attempt to help newcomers understand the different cross-cultural communication styles. This video, How to Present Internationally demonstrates three different styles. Do you recognize the differences in the German, USA, and British styles of communication as presented in the video?
Do you help Germans who relocate to Munich or focus on immigrants? The focus is on immigrants. What are some services you have provided to Indians/foreigners that are different or unique? “Ghulo Milo Integrate Karo” is unique in the sense that it is not just another German language program. It combines language with essential information required for settling in, intercultural inputs, exposure to real life situations through excursions, and a lot more. What compels a person to sign up for your service? People see value in our programs because they are customer-centric and are designed with empathy to their needs. Most importantly, the trainers in the program are people who themselves have taken the journey and are therefore, knowledgeable and completely tuned in. Johanna Marius Languages + Intercultural Training is presenting a unique program for Indians shifting to Munich. "Ghulo Milo Integrate Karo" is a program specifically targeted at Indian women and is conducted by Indian expats and experienced locals. This is a six week program combining German language (practical and important topics up to A1 level), essential information for a peaceful stay in Germany, cultural inputs, excursions with an opportunity to practice the language learnt, and a lot more. Ghulo Milo Integrate Karo welcomes you to join them for an informative session on April 20, 2012. It’s an excellent opportunity to find out more about the scope of their program. Time: 5.00 PM – 7.00 PM Address: 81543 Munich, Freibadstr. 30 (U1/U2 Kolumbusplatz)Read more details about "Ghulo Milo Integrate Karo"here.
The Johanna Marius Languages + Intercultural Training team,
All cultures have values which are common to the people in that culture. Many cultures have similar values so, some argue that there is no need to learn ‘Indian cultural values’ or ‘American cultural values.’ While we may not need to know that people in both of these cultures hold ‘truth’ and ‘honesty’ as a value, we may want to understand how these values are bought out in day to day life through actions, behaviors, thoughts, and words. That being said, no culture wants to deny that they have values. For instance, which culture will deny that they have ‘family values’?
