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And, members of the India office will also observe different holidays
(such as Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday, observed on Oct. 2).

Most people will appreciate the information and will work hard to
understand different needs and different means used to reach common
goals. However, when this is not the case, make it clear that you
expect to be followed down a path of open-mindedness, acceptance
and tolerance.

TIP:

Tolerance is essential, however you need to maintain standards of
acceptable behaviour. The following "rules of thumb" seem universal:

 Team members should contribute to and not hinder the team's
mission or harm the delivery to the team's customer.
 Team members should not damage the cohesion of the team or
prevent it from becoming more effective.
 Team members should not unnecessarily harm the interests of
other team members.

Other factors (such as national law) are obviously important. When
dealing with people in a different culture, courtesy and goodwill can
also go a long way in ensuring successful communication. Again, this
should be insisted on. If your starting point in solving problems is to
assume that communication has failed, you'll find that many problems
are quickly resolved.

KEEP IT SMILE

When you communicate, keep in mind that even though English is
considered the international language of business, it is a mistake to
assume that every businessperson speaks good English. In fact, only
about half of the 800 million people who speak English learned it as a
first language. And, those who speak it as a second language are often
more limited than native speakers.

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