DIVERSITY AT WORK: ASIAN-AMERICANS. (2/3)

To keep employees, Panda makes it clear that it's a growing company with a lot of opportunity to advance, based on its policy of promoting from within, Cherng says. The company provides managerial training and a "character enhancement program" in which employees learn how to improve their interpersonal skills and communicate more effectively. That's especially important when it comes to the Chinese, who "tend not to be as open" as Americans, Cherng said. "They don't express their dislikes," she explains. "Chinese are not assertive. They are very reserved." Overcoming language barriers takes a different twist for Jeffrey Yarbrough, founder of Liberty, a popular pan-Asian noodle restaurant in Dallas, whose Asian-American staff is predominantly Thai. "Sometimes it's easier to communicate in Spanish than in Thai or English," Yarbrough explains. "In Texas there's a large Latin-American population, and they teach Thai people Spanish. It's very difficult for Americans to learn Thai." The language problem shows up sometimes in subtle ways. Yarbrough says that an Asian-American friend of his told him that when a Thai says "yes" in response to a question, that can mean only that he heard you, not that he agrees to do what he's asked. Yet in some situations English is not the preferred language. "The biggest problem is to develop a program for Thais to learn the health code in their own language," Yarbrough says. Trying to understand the jargon of a municipal code is extremely difficult for Thais, he explains. Among Liberty's kitchen staff are six Thais, one Laotian and one Chinese. "We have found that Thai people are very, very sensitive people," Yarbrough says. "They're a very loving people. If you have someone with a gruff voice yelling an order into the kitchen, you might have the Thai people stop cooking. They say, 'He's yelling at us. That's disrespectful.' So we stop and we hug, and we pat everyone on the back and keep going." The most prominent Asian-American at Liberty is chef Annie Wong, described in a magazine story as the "mother of Thai food in Dallas." Yarbrough says he's the first non-Asian in Dallas to partner with an Asian-American, and Wong has influenced the way he treats the staff even when it comes to the feeling of community that is so important to Asian-Americans. "Annie has trained us that when you have a busy night, everyone shares," he says. "If we feel we have a really good night, we give spot bonuses. Everyone gets $10. It's not the amount that's important; it's that we shared in the wealth." Yarbrough says the staff is extremely loyal to Wong and will "do anything" to ensure that food quality meets her expectations. Jhemon Lee, national chair of the National Association of Asian American Professionals, says restaurant owners need to be aware of the cultural differences among various Asian populations. "Specific words, mannerisms and points of etiquette may vary from culture to culture, and you shouldn't try to over-interpret too much meaning from other people's gestures, diction and tone," he says. "But I think things like getting the work done and treating others fairly and equally can be recognized by anyone, regardless of cultural background." Although language and cultural differences are potential barriers to a successful employer-employee relationship, an employer who is aware of them and who tries to treat employees with understanding will enjoy a higher retention rate. With second- and later-generation Asian-Americans, language and cultural differences are minimal, if they exist at all, because those generations have grown up in the same environment as any other American, Lee says. Because many Asian-Americans place a lot of emphasis on education and their careers, the obstacle to retaining them in the workplace is likely their desire to remain upwardly mobile in their careers.