Tina Varughese, a professional speaker and trainer with tWorks in Calgary, AB encourages pork sector employers who hire foreign farmworkers to be aware of how cultural differences can influence communications. 
Factors including increased farm size and challenges sourcing labour locally have pork sector employers seeking foreign farm workers. 
One topic ‘50 shades of beige,’ is up for discussion at the Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium 2021 in November in Saskatoon. 
Varughese said farms are increasingly relying on foreign workers. These workers come from all over the world with differing values.  
“Employers need to recognize the communication styles will differ with people coming from different countries. For example, if it’s Ukraine, they tend to be direct, employees from the Philippines tend to be indirect in their communication style.” 
Recognizing what that means as an employer when offering feedback to a worker and how that feedback should shame, blame or embarrass but help engage an employee. The aim is to have the foreign workers live at these farms and become part of the community. Many foreign workers moving to the smaller rural centers tend to stay and become part of the community and the economic growth. In larger centres like Toronto to Calgary to Montreal, there are more migration patterns with immigrants. When they become part of that community and feel like part of it, they’re more willing to stay, which will assist with the growth of those farms. 
Varughese said pork sector employers need to do their research on cultural differences. That doesn’t necessarily mean changing the farm but allows adapting. 
Varughese owns the company tWorks, speaking and training since 2008, highly focused on diversity equity and inclusion. She managed the immigration office for the province of Alberta, ran a relocation and settlement company with ex-pats coming from all over the world and has a good, strong understanding of cultural differences, opportunities and challenges. She started the company recognizing some knowledge gaps and became a professional speaker.  
“In terms of the pork industry, I’ve spoken at several agriculture conferences, mostly because of the changing landscape of agriculture and how ag firms source labour to increase productivity and profitability.” 

There’s a different face to who’s owning those pig farms from family-run farms handed down to children. Some of the children aren’t keen on taking over those farms. So, to keep them going and grow, farms are starting to outsource labour to foreign workers.  
“I’m hearing that sometimes it’s difficult to find local labour to work in such difficult jobs. And yet they find highly skilled foreign workers here by choice easily to train in the industry. In addition, the industry keeps advancing technologically with many farmers using very high-tech pieces of equipment.” 
While local people prefer not to work with pigs, many foreigners do. Farmers can use seasonal agriculture exchange visas and find great results with top source foreign workers for the pork industry, Mexico, the Philippines, Netherlands, the UK, Ireland, and Ukraine. Looking at how it compares to the top source immigrant countries currently coming into Canada, there are potentially new Canadians already here from the Philippines that might be great workers. Otherwise, they’re looking at bringing in foreign workers from some of those other countries. 
How can anyone interested get more information? 
Varughese writes a monthly blog and newsletter at tworksforyou.ca .  
“If you want to increase your leadership capacity, understand a little bit more about cultural differences, diversity, equity, and inclusion, visit my website and sign up for that newsletter to learn and evolve.” 
It’s essential to come from a place of curious compassion and not jaded judgment. As today’s world gets more polarized it’s important to go from a place of understanding, curiosity and listening.  
“We have two ears for a reason, so we need to understand one another and listen to one another.” •
— By Harry Siemens