Though well-intended, generally employers can unintentionally undermine the company of refugee staff by victimizing them. (Shutterstock)
Over 5 million Ukrainians have fled their nation, and greater than 68,000 have made it to Canada. In the event that they haven’t already, most will start searching for employment of their new international locations quickly. Within the face of this, it’s vital that employers are prepared to rent refugees in a means that advantages everybody.
Our analysis sheds mild on the experiences of newly employed refugees and provides greatest practices for employers. Primarily based on the experiences of refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran from 28 German firms, we found the perfect methods employers can combine refugee staff into the office.
Our findings reveal that some refugee staff are unintentionally marginalized when their employers supply an excessive amount of assist. This occurs as a result of the employers see themselves as humanitarians and their refugee staff as victims — not as absolutely autonomous human beings.
One Syrian refugee worker instructed us how he felt about his boss: “She desires to manage all the things in my life. I can’t stand it any longer. If I had identified that earlier than, I might have by no means began the job.”
Though well-intended, generally employers can unintentionally undermine the company of refugee staff. As a result of refugees already expertise many challenges whereas searching for employment, managers ought to keep away from including extra boundaries whereas doable.
Ukrainian refugees board a aircraft earlier than flying to Canada, from Frederic Chopin Airport in Warsaw, Poland in July 2022.
(AP Picture/Michal Dyjuk)
Humanitarian managers
We discovered that refugees’ expertise within the office trusted how managers seen and understood them, producing three distinct forms of employers: humanitarian, lecturer and pragmatist managers.
Humanitarian managers portrayed refugees as helpless victims and targeted on their vulnerabilities. Employers adopting this lens targeted an excessive amount of on stopping refugees from failing, together with inappropriately intervening of their non-public household or monetary points as a substitute of constructing their related capabilities.
For instance, one employer admitted he had employed refugees based mostly on his Christian ideas, however later realized at the very least one didn’t have the best expertise for his job. “I can solely deploy him for unskilled labour.”
Whereas the humanitarian strategy may be useful for recognizing refugee staff’ particular wants in comparison with non-refugee staff, it’s problematic as a result of it downplays the flexibility of refugee staff to manage their very own lives.
Lecturer managers
The second class of supervisor was lecturer managers. The first objective of those managers was to cut back the chance of refugees changing into a societal burden.
Lecturer managers would police refugees’ behaviours to make sure they have been compliant with native cultural norms. One govt described how he would drive his refugee and home staff to spend time collectively throughout breaks as a result of he thought it was greatest for all of them.
The overreaching assist supplied by each humanitarians and lecturers typically made refugee staff really feel patronized and undervalued by undermining their self-reliance and autonomy.
Some refugee staff ended up wanting to go away their jobs due to lecturer managers. One worker described his expertise: “The group is in all places in my life. I really feel like I’m caught in a field.”
Additional, many humanitarian and lecturer managers felt let down when their extraordinary efforts weren’t adequately acknowledged by these they have been making an attempt to assist.
Pragmatist managers
The third class of supervisor — pragmatist managers — struck a stability between viewing refugee staff as victims and valuing their robust work motivation and the talents and data they developed of their dwelling international locations. This strategy was almost certainly to end in constructive outcomes for each the refugees and their workplaces.
Managers on this class helped refugee staff develop their careers by providing focused assist for work-relevant points, equivalent to lowering language boundaries, academic and data gaps.
The refugee staff we interviewed strongly most well-liked working with pragmatists. As an illustration, one Syrian refugee in Germany said:
“I’m so grateful. I used to be anxious about my future right here in Germany. I misplaced the assumption in my skills. She [supervisor] achieved that my perception in my skills is again. She was all the time saying to me: ‘You’ll be able to obtain it! You must strive. Imagine in your skills!’”
A Ukrainian refugee prepares a espresso at a store the place she works in Prague, Czech Republic, in July 2022. Many refugees are nonetheless struggling to search out jobs of their host international locations.
(AP Picture/Petr David Josek)
Methods for profitable hiring
We suggest 4 actions employers can take to assist refugee staff with out victimizing them and permitting them to manage their very own lives.
Keep away from seeing refugees solely as victims. Employers ought to worth refugees’ abilities whereas additionally recognizing when to point out empathy and compassion. For instance, pragmatist employers have been beneficiant when providing instruments or coaching to construct refugee staff’ capability at work.
Be delicate to refugees’ particular person wants. Not all refugees have the identical wants, and they aren’t outlined completely by their standing as refugees. One worker could profit from language coaching, whereas one other could also be prepared for management coaching. A one-size-fits-all strategy is unlikely to achieve success.
Acknowledge refugees’ company over their very own life selections. People who find themselves pressured to hunt asylum lose management over their lives, and most attempt to regain it as quickly as they’ll. Employers’ efforts must be directed in the direction of profession growth initiatives, somewhat than making an attempt to unravel all issues on behalf of their refugee staff. Employers are free to supply assist to their staff, however they have to enable them to say no any assist they don’t need. Employers should belief refugees to know what’s greatest for themselves.
Be selective whereas hiring. Employers ought to fill open positions with refugees who’ve the talents and experience required for the job, or the potential to develop them. Our examine discovered that some employers, motivated by altruism, supplied refugees jobs regardless of being unqualified, leading to dangerous outcomes for everybody.
Finally, irrespective of how educated or expert refugees are, they face distinctive challenges of their office integration. When executed proper, managers can play a key position in serving to refugee staff thrive of their new workplaces, as a substitute of robbing them of their autonomy.
Robin Pesch receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Analysis Council of Canada (SSHRC).
Ebru Ipek receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Analysis Council of Canada (SSHRC).
Stacey Fitzsimmons receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Analysis Council of Canada (SSHRC).
