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‘The cultural stuff around how to talk to people’: immigrants' intercultural communication during a pre-employment work-placement

Holmes, P.

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Abstract

This paper reports on a small in-depth study of 16 immigrants' intercultural communication experiences as they enter the workforce in New Zealand through a volunteer work-placement scheme. The key research questions are: What intercultural communication challenges do immigrants face during work-placement with (1) co-workers and (2) employer(s)? How is intercultural communication facilitated/constrained in intercultural encounters in the workplace? The findings highlight how cultural, social, economic, political and contextual factors support immigrants' intercultural communication and work experience in their respective organisation. The outcomes provide important feedback to employers, immigrant communities, funders and other voluntary organisations, community workers, and politicians on the value of work-placement programmes and the intercultural communication challenges immigrants face when entering the workplace.

Citation

Holmes, P. (2015). ‘The cultural stuff around how to talk to people’: immigrants' intercultural communication during a pre-employment work-placement. Language and Intercultural Communication, 15(1), 109-124. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2014.985309

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Nov 3, 2014
Online Publication Date Jan 20, 2015
Publication Date Jan 20, 2015
Deposit Date Jan 29, 2015
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Language and Intercultural Communication
Print ISSN 1470-8477
Electronic ISSN 1747-759X
Publisher Taylor and Francis Group
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 15
Issue 1
Pages 109-124
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2014.985309
Keywords Social constructionism, Immigrant employment, Intercultural communication, Workplace communication, Intercultural encounters, Capabilities.

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