Kulttuurienvälinen viestintä työpaikoilla : vietnamilaisten maahanmuuttajien kokemuksia Suomessa

As workplaces become more diverse due to immigration, communication challenges often arise in multicultural settings. This thesis aims to investigate how immigrants experience communication in workplaces in their new home country, the challenges they face, and how workplaces affect support for multicultural communication among employees. The theoretical framework of this thesis employs a literature review and the intercultural communication competence framework to examine this topic. This research follows a qualitative approach, based on semi-structured interviews with eleven Vietnamese professionals working in Finland. The data were analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis. The findings of this study show that the communication experiences of immigrants can be dynamic processes that require adaptation, flexibility, and empathy to navigate these interactions. The interactions were found highly enjoyable and motivating by the immigrants. The main communication challenges experienced were due to differences between high- and low-context communication, such as directness and silence. Furthermore, practical language challenges were often present. The findings show that organisational support was often lacking, and immigrants often relied on informal support and observation to navigate these interactions. This study suggests that companies that aim to employ multicultural staff should provide intercultural onboarding, create an inclusive communication culture, and organise informal events that facilitate intercultural learning.