Introduction
The interviewee chosen for this assignment is a 34-year old white married male, currently working as a full-time police officer in the Miami Police Department. The man’s demographic characteristics successfully fulfill the required criteria, since he is eight years older than me and has Caucasian origin in contrast to my Latino background. Pursuing a career in nursing, I cannot imagine myself acting as a law enforcer, mainly for lacking proper physical training and satisfactory interpersonal skills, needed for offering reassurance to the public and interviewing suspects. Conducted to investigate the intercultural specialties across work cultures, this interview provides insights into the connections between demographic variables and work experience of the police officer, as well as industry-related distinctive attitudes and values.
Main body
With the affinity to other members of the community, the man has a relatively high status, determined by the social significance and increased level of responsibility for his work. In particular, by dealing with the daily hazards in his job, the police officer restores and maintains order in society, protecting the lives of city citizens. The essence of the law enforcer’s job comes down to the basic individual rights for safety, peace, and private life, preserved by the US Constitution. In other words, the interviewee is highly respected and recognized in his social circle for acting for the benefit of the community and taking responsibility for the well-being of its members. His excellent work ethic, zero tolerance to corruption, and strict adherence to the law, all together, contribute to the relatively high social ranking.
The relationship between the interviewee’s demographic characteristics and his work experience is common in the industry, portraying an average profile of the police officer. As estimated in the “Police officers” (2019), more than 85% of policemen are male. The prevalent race or ethnicity (77%) in the industry is white. The average age of the law enforcer is 39 years older, meaning that the interviewee is five years younger as per the moment this report is written. The man chosen for this assignment has a bachelor’s degree in Business, and a master’s in Protective Services, both of which fall in the category of the most common majors for the profession. Similar to approximately 84% of the police officers in the country, the interviewee is employed in the industry of Justice, public order, and safety activities (“Police officers,” 2019). The aforementioned demographic factors prove the prevalence of the respondent’s profile among the law enforcers.
The work culture of police officers encourages a series of attitudes, values, and behaviors for individuals working in the industry. According to Basinska and Daderman (2019), despite the differences in personal perceptions and availability of resources depending on the setting, the job of a law enforcer requires humane values, such as benevolence and compassion. Furthermore, to succeed as a police officer, an individual should show high levels of obedience and self-discipline. The most important behaviors of the policeman include abidance to the law, adherence to clear time limits, integrity, formality, and flexibility in everyday performance (Basinka & Daderman, 2019). As noted by Loftus and Price (2016), work-related attitudes in the profession frequently translate into individuals’ outlook on life. In particular, many police officers, whose organizations identify industriousness and perseverance as critical characteristics of their employees, fail to maintain an adequate work-life balance.
While the job of a healthcare provider and law enforcer shares a number of fundamental characteristics, the personal values of the employees may impact intercultural communication. On the one hand, I share the respondent’s altruism, empathy, and honesty, willingness to adhere to truthfulness in my practice. Just like the interviewee implements principles of fairness and equity in his duty, I support the need for impartiality in treating individuals. In addition, similar to the police officer, I value a proficient, formal demeanor when dealing with patients. On the other hand, I have a more open, eccentric personality than the interviewee. As a Latino, I appear to be easy-going and extrovert in contrast to the reserve and calmness of the respondent. Unlike the police officer, I demonstrate more independence and sensitivity when approaching the patients. While law enforcers commit to the strict wording of the legislation, nursing professionals receive more freedom in the interpretation of clinical guidelines, choosing the best care for the individual.
Conclusion
Communication among people with drastically different cultural and professional backgrounds may be troublesome unless they willingly agree to take each other’s differences into consideration. Based on this interview, discrepancies can appear if one employee is more reserved, shy, and calm, while another colleague is outgoing and talkative. Other potential bases for conflicts include lack of flexibility, lower level of emotional manifestation, and inability to make independent decisions. While mentality can also cause challenges in communication, the cross-cultural interaction between Latino and Caucasians in the form of this interview did not induce ethnicity-related difficulties. To abstain from potential problems, it is recommended to increase one’s level of cultural awareness, act with respect, be curious, acceptive, and open-minded toward other people’s ideas during discussions.
References
Basinska, B. A., & Daderman, A. M. (2019). Work values of police officers and their relationship with job burnout and work engagement. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(442), 1-13. Web.
Loftus, J., & Price, K. (2016). Police attitudes and professionalism. Administrative Issues Journal, 6(2), 53-73. Web.
Police officers. (2019). Web.