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Enjoying Your Work Richard Brislin |
Reasons that pull
people to Hawaii
can change over timeWhen people decide to move to Hawaii from the mainland, there are almost always factors that pull them away from the communities where they are currently living. At times these pull factors change and contribute to people's decision to return to the mainland.
Some people find a move to Hawaii attractive because they "will be able to get away from it all" in their home communities. They may recently have gone through a bitter divorce. Or, they may have had a bad experience with a supervisor at work that became widely known, leading to negative letters of recommendation for other nearby jobs. A move to Hawaii can be part of "starting over" since they will be at least 2,500 miles away from people who remember their divorce or job problems. Once in Hawaii, they may discover the downside of this distance. Travel outside the state becomes a major investment of time and money. People find that they are not able to take much pleasure in coach-class travel and airline food.
Memories of home communities often become more positive over time, and this leads to decrease in the pull factor of "getting away and moving to paradise." People may find that family members and old friends now understand the reasons leading to the divorce or to the problems at work. With this more positive attitude, friends call or write with the inquiry, "When are you coming back to visit?"
Another pull factor for people is that Hawaii is perceived to have a less hurried and slower pace of life. Instead of rushing around and treating others in a curt manner, people in Hawaii have time to stop and chat and to enjoy the company of friends and acquaintances. This preference for a slower pace of life is sometimes appreciated more in the abstract than in specific cases. People may be in a hurry get to work but must stop at a store for office supplies. They may not appreciate the slower pace of life being lived by the customers in the line ahead of them. These other people may enjoy catching up with the cash register attendant, but those waiting to check out of the store often become irritated.
Differences between the abstract and the specific exist for other factors. People from a homogenous community on the mainland may be attracted to the cultural diversity that exists in Hawaii. But living with cultural diversity is different from being attracted to it. People must make adjustments in their behavior to work with individuals from other cultures. Examples abound in Hawaii: tone of voice when speaking, an indirect rather than direct style, thinking about others as members of ohana, and participation in events such as baby luaus and high school graduations. Adjusting to differences can be exhausting for some people, and the initial pull factor of cultural diversity can turn into a push factor that influences their decision to leave Hawaii.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
The purpose of this column is to increase understanding of human behavior as it has an impact on the workplace. Given the amount of time people spend at work, job satisfaction should ideally be high and it should contribute to general life happiness. Enjoyment can increase as people learn more about workplace psychology, communication, and group influences.
Richard Brislin is a professor in the College of Business Administration, University of Hawaii. He can be reached through the College Relations Office: cro@cba.hawaii.edu
