Interview was taken at 11.

00 AM, 4th September 2019 over a video call in an

app called BOTIM since (UAE blocks most apps requires users to pay a
package for it)

Samiul: Good Morning and thank you for doing this interview with me.

Jonathan: Good Morning, you are welcome

Samiul: I will brief you a little bit about the assignment.

It is an international management unit; to interview someone who
worked as an expat.The cultural problems and benefits faced by
the expat while setting up to the new environment and how that
person overcame this.

Jonathan: Okay so do you have any specific question that you have prepared?

Samiul: yeah so, my first question: Could you please brief me about the
company and the country you worked for?

Jonathan: All of them or one? I worked in a lot places

Samiul: Yeah sure, that would be good to know more perspectives

Jonathan: Since I am from Switzerland, my first job was in Ecole

Polytechnique federal de Lausanne, then I moved Carnegie melon
University in Qatar, ROTA(NGO) in Qatar, Erbil Manpower Co.
Ltd in Kurdistan, Midas Safety in Sri Lanka and finally to Emirate
National School in UAE.
Samiul: What do you think were some of the biggest cultural challenges
you faced while working in those countries?

Jonathan: So many… Firstly, language was an issue during my first few

months in Qatar as I often did not understand their English in such
thick Arabic accent, and I tend to have a French accent as my
mother tongue is French so they often would get confused.
Secondly, “punctuality” respect for time lacked so much and back
home in Switzerland everyone is on time otherwise it is an insult
for making the person wait. Thirdly, when I worked in Sri-lanka
the company’s decisions used to take a lot of time due to various
hierarchy levels. The power was concentrated in top management
and sometimes decisions were taken without consulting local level
management as they would by pass them.

Samiul: Was it difficult for you to make local friends?

Jonathan: Yes, our lifestyle as christian is very different, and part of there
culture is very family oriented, split male/ female. We have of
course friends but not close. Also, sometimes due to mentality
difference with the peers. I had one good friend but he was not
local

Samiul: Yeah

Jonathan: They view you as a foreigner and you are seen as a different
individual and locals have a tendency to stick together and use their
common language which becomes very hard to keep on. It
becomes incredibly challenging as you have nothing in common
 with them and you cannot infiltrate their group. The UAE and
Qatar however are places with more than 75% of the population
being expats from all over the world.

Samiul: What about organisational culture? Was it more or less same in

comparison to Switzerland?

Jonathan: Yes and No, the main difference was the relationship to time, and
perhaps the fact that family and friends were much more important
than work which can create conflicts at work.

Samiul: How come you overcame these challenges?

Jonathan: It requires a lot on your part to be relatable with everyone. You

get used to their way of speaking English and they got used to
mine also for instance knowing the latest trend, news, festival etc,
just so you have something to talk about. It can be as small as
asking someone for lunch or bringing someone in your office and
discuss about anything other than work. Being more empathetic
and understand that even though they are late they are not trying to
insult you but it is part of their culture. Also stop arriving 45
minutes before the meeting and be more on exact time and be
more loosen up in the sense of time. Since I like to plan
everything beforehand if I urgently needed them at any particular
time I realised they are more receptive towards phone calls than
meetings. You should also try to pay attention to people, be more
curious about their culture and being modest. Only thing that is
permanent is change and hence adopting yourself to the culture of
change management, managing relationship inside and outside
 the organisation and continuous getting communication and timely
update are much needed skills for the top management of local
organisation. Keeping yourself on continuous improvement and
awareness of major development with the skill to analyse within
short time are the key to success. Finally, being alone without your
wife so the University in Qatar helped me find employment for
her, so she does not need to struggle on her own.

Samiul: Any technical skills?

Jonathan: Nothing technical I can think of…….

Oh actually before going to Sri-lanka I had to attend training
sessions about cultural adaptation which was not something
remarkable but still helped me knowing more about the place.
Something I would recommend for other companies to adopt.

Samiul: Did you come across any cultural blunder?

Jonathan: The one going through my head is offering to shake my hand with
a female officer in Qatar. Offering food to a colleague during
Month of Fast. It was reflex from my end which later I understood.
You know how in funerals we wear black? Sri-lankans were
white…. But they were extremely kind enough to forgive these
since I did not know. However, now when I work in UAE, I don’t
do the same mistakes as I did in Qatar.
Samiul: How did you adjust yourself?
Jonathan: Like I have mentioned before through time and perseverance but
one thing I would say helped me a lot in Qatar was a friend I had
 from France, even though he was not from Switzerland, but we
spoke the same language and he was the closest from home.

Samiul: Could you tell me some benefits of working in so many countries?

Jonathan: The salary is certainly lucrative, and you are in demand. Also, you
have the opportunity to have been able to meet and work with a
vast variety of people, different cultures, different socio-economic
background, I likely met and work with the full range, poorest to
richest, alliterated to world class researched, CEOs, etc. Extremely
fulfilling. At a personal level it allowed also for a lot of travelling,
very nice. Also, the world is getting smaller and smaller and
gaining the skills to communicate with various background of
people will be very valuable in your work life. It would change
your whole perspective on how you think about something and
understanding the culture would help you fit in this new world

Samiul: So I guess that’s all for the day and thank you so much for your
time.

Jonathan: Okay, I am glad I could help. Good luck with your project.