INTERCULTURAL MEDIATION AS AN INSTRUMENT FOR THE PROMOTION OF INCLUSION AND INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANTS IN THE WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT IN IRELAND

Abstract

The aim of this study is to collect migrant workers' impressions of the Irish workplace integration process, with the goal of establishing how such workers would regard the use of intercultural mediation as a technique to help them integrate into Irish companies. This study used an inductive method, and a quantitative and pragmatic approach. A total of 113 immigrants who are currently or have previously worked in Ireland responded to the survey. A study of all data obtained found that the majority of immigrants in this poll felt integrated at work in Ireland, which may represent the wider immigrant population but does not refute their opinion of a visible lack of cultural understanding in Irish workplaces. In terms of migrants' perceptions of workplace attitudes toward cultural diversity, the findings of this study show that it is more likely to reward cultural competence development at all levels at the workplace rather than at the managerial level. The vast majority of participants thought intercultural mediation was a worthwhile and desired strategy, preferring to delegate this task to a co-worker who shared their immigrant status. In summary, the most important findings are not totally consistent with the author's initial projections. The preliminary adoption of the intercultural mediation techniques by creating cultural competence development inside Irish workplaces, notably among management levels, was what this study initially proposed, followed by the introduction of staff specialised in this area within the workplace. However, based on the outcomes of the study, it is concluded that both tactics would be seen positively by immigrants, implying that concurrent implementation may be feasible from the standpoint of immigrant staff.