Employment

Communication skills in Canadian workplace

Acknowledging the importance of communication skills in Canada’s dynamic workplace have encouraged me to learn and polish my speaking skills and enhance my communication abilities as a whole. I’ve encountered many situations where Canadian employers\employees have utilized shortened sentences and idioms in their communication structure which often posed challenges for me in grasping the true intentions behind messages conveyed.

Employees across this nation have struggled to communicate with the supervisors/ employer which can impact the personal employment chances. This is justified due to this statistic: 77.1% of employed persons in Canada mainly used English at work, while 34% of men and 48% of women who immigrated to Canada have limited proficiency. This fear is particularly acute among new employees who may already feel vulnerable in unfamiliar professional environments. Therefore, newcomers like me to Canada often feel forced to accept survival jobs.

Since they lack communication skills, employees lack the confidence to speak out against unfair or inappropriate actions within the workplace. I would like to share my story to encourage every employee to enhance their communication skills to understand the employee’s rights and keep a strong position in the workplace. I don’t want to create a healthy, safe, and inclusive workplace environment across Canada.

MY WORK EXPERIENCE IN CANADA

As a newcomer in Canada, I got a survival job after applying for around 30 jobs on job searching sites such as Indeed and LinkedIn. Although I lacked prior experience, I tried to improve the product in appearance and quality. While my efforts earned recognition from the manager, my inability to effectively communicate with my direct supervisor proved to be a significant obstacle in obtaining a higher position in the organization. One day, the supervisor requested a faster pace from my position, she communicated this in a verbally foul manner. Devastated by the event, I shared my experience with my English teacher with the intention to quit this job. Encouragingly, my teacher encouraged me to report this incident to higher administration and talked to me about employee’ rights in the workplace. I decided to report this incident, prepared to give up the position if necessary.

Fortunately, my decision to report the incident presented positive outcomes. The admin undertook a thorough investigation and swiftly addressed the issue with my supervisor. After one day, the supervisor sent me an apology letter about her words and advised me to continue working there. I intended to leave this company, however I should prove my ground and secure the fact that I haven’t done anything wrong and stand in my position there. After getting a new job, I thanked them and left this company with my honor that I will leave my reputation and responsibility in there and the employer will never forget about my contributions.

From my experience, I would like to send the message to all newcomers – we all have our own significant values and we should defend and stand up to an employee if we see an unfair, non inclusive conflict within any environment, from work to school.

Thanks to my teachers – Tayaba Saberi and Achev’s employment consultants who always encourage me to move forward and surpass all barriers I might face as a newcomer to Canada.