Your colleagues are often among the first people to know your name when you start working in another country. They see you regularly, know what you are busy with and can explain how things in your environment work.

An invitation to have lunch together, someone explaining an unfamiliar abbreviation or a colleague asking how your family is settling in, can mean more than they realise.

For South Africans abroad, the workplace can therefore also be an important space where a sense of belonging develops.

What South African experiences shows

A study by Danielle Allen, published online in December 2021 in the Journal of Cultural Geography, used interviews with 18 South Africans who lived and worked in the northeastern United States to investigate this topic.

The research shows how participants found their place in the work environment and how their background and the way in which others perceived them influenced their experience. For some, their knowledge, skills and cultural references helped them fit in.

It was a small study in one region. The findings cannot be generalised to all South Africans or countries. However, it does show why the everyday work environment deserves attention when we talk about adjustment.

The unwritten rules take time

You can know your job well and still be unsure about how to conduct yourself in a new team.

How directly can you disagree with someone? Are you expected to speak spontaneously during a meeting, or to prepare your input beforehand? Does a short message imply that someone is in a rush, or dissatisfied? Is socialising after work part of the team’s regular routine?

These habits vary across countries, companies and individual teams. It therefore helps to ask questions out of curiosity rather than taking every unfamiliar reaction personally.

Questions such as “How do you prefer to give feedback?” or “What is the usual way to address a problem here?” can reduce unnecessary uncertainty.

Small gestures make access easier

A helpful colleague can explain a great deal that is not in the staff manual. For someone who is already established in your position, it offers a simple way to support a new team member.

Invite the person to join, explain any internal reference and give them a chance to share their experience. Ask how their name is pronounced. Take notice who remains silent because the conversation is moving too fast or is full of unfamiliar expressions.

For the new employee, a brief conversation after a meeting or a regular lunch with a colleague can serve as initial point of connection. No one needs to become everyone’s friend right away.

Make space for your own identity

Getting to know a team’s way of working does not have to mean hiding your language, humour and background. There can be room to learn from one another while working together professionally.

It is also valuable to gradually build connections outside of work. A congregation, sports club, Afrikaans network, or other interest groups offer opportunities where you are known as more than just an employee.

AfriForum Worldwide helps connect South Africans with one another through community, language and shared experiences. This connection can complement the relationships formed at work.

What unwritten workplace rule did you have to learn while abroad and who helped you to understand it? Tell us more about your experience.