Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER DECEMBER 2019 INSIGHT 27 Five reasons to hire 'third culture kids' Often referred to as cultural chameleons, TCKs can easily build relationships I was born in France to French parents but grew up in international schools across Cambodia, Malawi, the Philippines and Tunisia. I then went on to complete an undergraduate degree between the United Kingdom and Australia and a master's degree in the United States, all while visiting my parents in Côte d'Ivoire from time to time. Now, I find myself in Canada, a cultural mosaic that makes me feel right at home. Once out of the international school system, I spent the better part of my adult life discounting that part of my identity. But that's where I was wrong. It wasn't until recently, after re-reading David Pollock and Ruth Van Reken's ird Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds that I realized the tremendous value third cul- ture kids (TCKs) can bring to the workplace. ird culture kids are defined as individuals raised in a culture other than their parents' or the culture of the country named on their passport (where they are legally considered native) for a significant part of their early de- velopment years. Cultural intelligence At its most basic level, cultural in- telligence is defined as being able to function and communicate ef- ficiently across cultural barriers and differences. e expanded worldview and, ultimately, open-mindedness that comes with a multicultural upbringing allows th to be able to understand, relate to and work within different cultures and systems. Third culture kids can be looked to to bridge culture gaps in the workplace with their tol- erant, understanding and diplo- matic points of view. "Because they often develop an identity that's rooted in people rather than places, TCKs tend to be more open-minded and sym- pathetic," says Peggy Smith in her "Why third culture kids make great employees" article in People Matters. Sensitivity to diversity and inclusion Fundamentally, this cultivated, cultural intelligence produces in- dividuals who are highly sensitive to diversity and inclusion. International schools are a breeding ground for multifaceted kids desperate to feel a sense of belonging — something a lot of them carry into their adult lives and, ultimately, their professional careers. They spent their childhoods surrounded by cultures that weren't the ones they were born into, having the opportunity to intimately interact with people from diverse backgrounds as their friends. With that, they developed a deep commitment to making sure everyone finds their place in social situations and are naturally drawn to finding commonalities between people to bring groups closer together instead of focus- ing on differences. "TCKs truly believe that people of all backgrounds are full and equal participants in any given situation," said Pollock and Van Reken. They are ambassadors for strength in unity and believ- ers that cultural diversity unites differences. Interpersonal skills, relationship building TCKs are constantly being up- rooted and placed in environ- ments where they are forced to meet new people from different cultures and create bonds, de- spite differences — it's the very nature of the international school system. As a result, third culture kids trend higher for interpersonal skills, especially as it relates to relationship building. I greatly attribute this to the two points brought up above — finding com- monalities and being great cross- cultural communicators. It is no secret that communica- tion is king (or queen) and skills such as problem-solving, trou- bleshooting, brainstorming and engaging team members lead to higher productivity and efficiency in the workplace. Additionally, as our world is becoming increasingly global- ized, individuals who have been intensely exposed to multiple cultures will find it easier to navi- gate a diverse workforce with their global perspective. Adaptive and high tolerance of ambiguity is was the first skill that came to mind when brainstorming ideas for this article. TCKs are often referred to as "cultural cha- meleons," meaning they can eas- ily build relationships by interact- ing meaningfully across different cultures. Beyond relationships, their ability to navigate through a broad spectrum of cultures, en- vironments and personalities, and to adjust to unfamiliar spaces and experiences, makes them ex- cel when it comes to adapting to workplaces. is ability to adjust, with rela- tive calm, often means that thrid culture kids "can generally ap- proach various changes in their life circumstances with some de- gree of confidence because past experience has taught them that given enough time, everything will fall into place. is sense that they'll be able to manage new situ- ations often gives them the secu- rity to go take risks others might not," say the authors of Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds. And the cherry on top? Flexibil- ity is one of the top traits CEOs look for. Innate curiosity and problem-solving It is true that TCKs tend to be rootless — a trait that can often be seen as having a negative im- pact. However, in his 2019 ar- ticle "8 Reasons Third Culture Kids Have the Potential to Be Great Leaders" on Lifehack, Lewis Humphries finds a silver lining in this rootlessness: "This lack of a fixed cultural identity tends to encourage curi- osity and empowers individuals to seek out their own sense of belong- ing. As a result of this, third culture children are constantly seeking out knowledge and understanding, as they look to carve their own unique place in the world. is translates well into leadership, where those with the responsibility for others must embark on a path of relentless self-improvement and constant learning." In short: TCKs focus on finding new ways to create value. ey are constant seekers of knowledge and understanding. On top of that, they have a "move forward mentality": By the very nature of their upbringing, they have the capacity to focus on where they're going rather than where they've been. is translates to the workplace as employees who rapidly evolve and waste no time finding their bearings. So, with that, a note to all TCKs out there: Leverage your strengths. at melting pot of cul- tures that makes up your identity is unique to you and will take you places. Based in Golden, B.C., Alice Sergent is an associate account manager for the marketing agency MKTG. She can be reached at www.linkedin.com/in/ alicesergent. Resignation notice: Making it stick If an employee quits, how can an employer make sure the resignation is binding? Question: If an employee says she is quitting, what does an employer need to do to make sure the resignation is binding so the organization can move forward? Answer: To be legally binding, an employee's resignation must be voluntary and satisfy two tests. First, the employee must take ob- jective steps that are consistent with resignation, such as submit- ting a resignation letter or stating she is quitting. Second, the employee must have the subjective intention to resign. It can sometimes be difficult for an employer to know whether an employee actually intended to resign, especially if the employee left the workplace suddenly in an emotional state or made com- ments that were ambiguous about their intentions. Factors that may be relevant in determining whether or not a res- ignation was voluntary include: the employee's length of service; the employee's financial circum- stances; what the employee said or did when they left the work- place; the circumstances leading to the employee's departure; the employee's emotional state when they left; whether the employee's conduct was consistent with res- ignation (for example, clearing out their office, saying goodbye to co-workers, asking for a refer- ence letter or submitting a resig- nation letter); and whether the employee asked to withdraw the resignation shortly after submit- ting it. In the 2016 Johal v. Simmons da Silva LLP in Ontario, a long-ser- vice employee was told that a staff member with whom the employer knew she did not get along would be assigning her work. The next day, the employee packed up her personal effects, returned her building pass and left the building. ere was some discrepancy later about what ex- actly was said at the time of the employee's departure from her employer. ree days later, the employee returned to the office and tried to continue her employment. However, the employer refused to allow her to do so and took the position that the employee had resigned. e Ontario Superior Court of Justice found that, in the context of the whole situation, it was not reasonable for the employer to think the employee had resigned, given that she had been with the employer for 27 years, had no oth- er job lined up, had never previ- ously talked about resigning from the job, had not provided any oral or written notice of resigna- tion and had not said goodbye to colleagues. The court stated that while the employer did not owe a pa- ternalistic duty to the employee, it did have an obligation on the particular facts of the case to do more to determine her true and unequivocal intention. e court commented: "e circumstances here cried out for further inquiry by the defendant." Best practices When an employee states orally that they are quitting, it is best practice for the employer to ask the employee to confirm in writ- ing that they are resigning and to specify the date when they will be leaving. If the employee leaves suddenly or appears to be in an emotional state, the employer should fol- low up promptly after the fact (as in the next working day) and make inquiries to confirm whether the employee actually intended to re- sign. If the employee says they in- tended to quit but will not put the decision in writing, the employer should write to the employee and confirm the resignation and its acceptance. Colin G.M. Gibson is a partner at Harris & Company in Vancouver. He can be reached at (604) 891-2212 or cgibson@harrisco.com. Alice Sergent Guest Commentary Colin Gibson Toughest HR Question As our world becomes increasingly globalized, individuals who have been exposed to multiple cultures will find it easier to navigate a diverse workforce. e employee should write to the employee and confirm the resignation.

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