Aboard an impressive Air France Boeing 747, we take our seats. To my left, my father; to my right, an imposing businessman in his forties. He is going home, he tells me. Being sociable and curious by nature, I know we will not run short of conversation over the six hours of the flight. But then a smell fills my nostrils: “it smells ripe”, as we say in plain Quebec French. It is going to be a long trip…
I have since found myself in similar situations many times over.
Many years later, as a business owner, I realize how much a simple cultural trait can interfere with relationships and even break a team's dynamic. So I have a duty to find solutions when that happens: collective well-being depends on it.
Come to think of it, we Quebecers are a bit strange! Our relationship with smells is particularly… sanitized. We do not like it when “something smells strong”. Sweat, food, perfume: in moderation, please! Elsewhere in the world, people are often more tolerant of body odour. Why is that?
My answer: our climate, our history, our way of living. Our Quebec winters force us, for several months a year, to take shelter in houses with an insulation factor that disorients many immigrants — range hood, air exchanger, triple-glazed windows. Complex, tight management of smells is essential here: otherwise the aroma of fish cooked in January will still be there when spring arrives.
In the company, we discuss this kind of delicate subject openly, and it matters enough that it appears in a document setting out our “essential rules of living together”. Present at every international recruitment mission, I make a point of travelling out for an important one-hour meeting where I explain this aspect of our culture. We have prospective candidates sign a symbolic agreement, and then I head home.
In my view, communicating these cultural expectations before staff from abroad start work is the employer's duty, a basic gesture of respect.
Today, strengthened by these shared convictions, we allow ourselves to speak up, for the common good. “The president talked about it, so we can too.” Today, knowing how to talk about body odour and hygiene is a recognized skill. Our future managers will be excellent communicators, humble and courageous.
Like any society, Quebec has its cultural particularities, and understanding them makes for smoother adaptation and shared progress.
We are on the verge of seeing a new generation of leaders emerge who will set us apart and could well establish Quebec as the benchmark for integrating newcomers. It is up to us to make it happen.
