How to Support a Refugee Employee

Refugees understand that a job is the key to attaining self-sufficiency and integrating into their new community. They are willing to do whatever they can to maintain that job, whether that means working overtime, showing up early or staying late. They are usually helpful and courteous, and they have a strong work ethic simply because this is their chance to start over. That’s not to suggest hiring refugees is without challenges. The majority come to Canada with low proficiency in English, significant cultural differences and often lack the means for transportation. However, it doesn’t require a great deal of accommodation, or financial investment, to overcome such challenges. Refugees are survivors of great adversity, having lost their homes, personal property, and careers. Their personal need to regain self-sufficiency, interest in acquiring new skills and desire to attain economic stability for their families make them excellent prospects for hire at all levels. Refugee workers bring personal initiative, skills, strong work ethics and diversity to the workplace. 

The following are some of the challenges for refugee employees and how to support them: 

Lack of qualifications

Many refugees have high levels of education and unique skills gained and developed in their country of origin. However, these are often underestimated or disregarded due to language barriers and a lack of documentation or other proof of qualification. Employers have a variety of options to fully understand a candidate’s previous experience. Employers should consider evaluating skills and competence during on-the-job training through skills profiling tools. When documents outlining qualifications and education are only available in a foreign language, they can be translated into English with the help of translators. There are also resources available online that will verify educational and skills equivalence from institutions across the globe. 

Lack of skills

Some refugees may not be able to present their skills as well as non-refugee applicants, or their skills may be out-of-date. This is likely to be due to long periods of unemployment, a change of sector and job, and different technologies and different education in their country of origin. Employers can provide on-the-job training and offer additional courses to aid with learning and development. They can also provide opportunities for job shadowing. Utilize refugee employees’ existing skills and implement strength-based interview techniques that do not focus solely on Canadian work experience. 

Lack of English proficiency

Some refugees may not be completely fluent in English upon arrival in Canada, and this can create a perceived or genuine difficulty during recruitment and on the job. Employers can approach partner organizations to assist with English language training provision and with translation and paperwork completion during the interview or recruitment process. Employers could nominate a bilingual colleague to act as a mentor during the first few months to aid with English tuition and help to ensure important notices and documents are understood. Translations of such documents could also be provided to aid with training processes. Employers could incentivize English proficiency in some way and help employees to advance their language skills in the workplace. 

Cultural differences

Refugees may have different experiences of workplace culture and may practice different traditions or observe different religious beliefs. Some refugees may also have come from countries with different communication styles and may not be used to using such direct forms of communication as are commonplace in Canada. Employers can be open about the nature and culture of the workplace in Canada generally and the specific behavioural expectations of their organization. Strive for strong two-way communication between employers and refugee hires to ensure that both parties’ points of view are fully understood by the other and do not assume that refugee employees’ silence is confirmation of their understanding. Simultaneously, employers should make accommodations to account for cultural differences, such as allowing time off for religious holidays and ensuring leave is approved or allowing for modified break times or working hours (for example, during Ramadan or Eid). Finally, employers should consider offering diversity training for existing staff and assigning willing mentors to each new refugee employee could to facilitate integration. Local Immigration Partnership offers Intercultural Development Inventory to partner employers that can help create a roadmap to achieving a higher intercultural competency for employees and higher management. 

Providing additional support for refugee employees

Many refugee candidates have been through traumatic experiences and come to Canada in unique and often vulnerable situations. This may mean that extra support is required on many levels. Holistic support is valuable when a candidate is first seeking employment, and this will often range from emotional support and confidence building to helping understand the cultural differences of the workplace in Canada, interview procedures and professional business language training. Additional upskilling is often required to ensure employment is found and then sustained. This may not always be teaching new skills but also adapting existing skills to new settings and working cultures that refugees may not be familiar with. Specialized case working and coaching support from people that understand a refugee’s specific needs and vulnerabilities is beneficial and often necessary to ensure meaningful and sustainable employment. When relevant, this support should also be extended to line managers to ensure they are fully equipped to support refugees. Working with a partner organization can make all the difference in providing the additional support required to help integrate a refugee into the workplace, providing support to both refugee and employer 

Further reading: 

• Getting Started: Investing in Refugee Talent (Canada)
• Resources and Support for Refugees
• Refugee Employment