A bridge is a good metaphor for workplace cultural adaptation.  Initially, the employer is at one end of the bridge spanning the cultural differences and the new Canadian is at the other end.   The ideal bridging process has both parties meeting somewhere on the bridge.

Lionel Laroche, author of “Recruiting, Retaining, and Promoting Culturally Different Employees”, compares perceptions of adaptations between Newcomers and Canadians.  Both agreed that Newcomers should be responsible for ‘crossing the bridge’ 80% of the way and Canadians should cross about 20% of the way.  The perception difference lies in what 80% and 20% look like to each.  Laroche depicts it visually like this:

An employer provides English as Another Language (EAL) Training, a buddy program to introduce the newcomer to the new work place, an orientation program and in more rare cases, even a complete onboarding program.  The newcomer employee has taken part in a myriad of EAL Training, provided countless hours volunteering in order to gain “Canadian Workplace Experience, attended bridging programs, mentorships.  Both think they have gone the extra mile and way over the 80%/20% they believe is necessary.  Often frustrations are showing on both sides as different expectations are recognized.

Workplace Cultural Adaptation requires give and take on both sides.  It requires empathy and constant feedback.  Perhaps it’s dancing the Tango on the bridge going back and forth.  That sounds like another metaphor.