4 Ways To Help International Workers Integrate Into Your Workplace

So, you’ve decided to go global and hire international employees. This gives you the opportunity to create a unique corporate culture, hire global top talent, overcome skill gaps, and enrich your business growth plan with fresh and innovative ideas.

However, recruiting an international industry expert is not easy. In addition to numerous legal and financial aspects you need to keep in mind, you should also help your new employee assimilate and give them a sense of belonging.

Here are a few practical tips on how to integrate global staff into your workplace.

Provide Clear Guidance in Advance

To help your international candidates adapt faster to new circumstances, you need to be open with them. Talk to them and explain what they can expect upon arrival, both at your company and in a new country.

Don’t wait for an employee to move to start the adjustment program. Instead, you should provide them with valuable resources on your country, language, habits, daily life, public transportation, and so forth.

You should also familiarize them with your corporate culture. Ask them to work remotely in the beginning so they can meet new colleagues, communicate with them daily, and build relationships. These are important factors that may make the entire adaptation process simpler.

Alternatively, consider encouraging them to visit your country and company before making the permanent move. This is how they will experience their new surroundings and see whether they really fit it.

Help them Overcome Language Barriers

Language and communication barriers are one of the most common problems related to hiring global staff. And, that’s logical. Just imagine how you would feel in a country where everything, including language, is new to you.

Your foreign candidates probably speak English fluently, but if it’s not their first language, they may feel less confident about their communication skills. This may make interpersonal interactions and their daily tasks difficult for them.

For starters, ask the rest of the staff to be patient. Explain that their international colleagues’ communication skills are not always related to their language proficiency. This is something that depends on a plentitude of factors, such as adapting to a new culture, tradition, workplace, etc. And, as soon as they immerse themselves in their new environment, they will become confident speakers.

Sure, this process can take a little. To help your international staff overcome the communication barriers and feel satisfied, you could also provide IELT courses at EnglishWise for them. When ready, they can take a language test to assess their knowledge and prove their readiness to communicate effectively in an English-speaking country. They are even accepted by the government, meaning that they will also help your employees get their visas faster.

Make Them Feel Welcome

Working abroad is not all about meeting new people, making friends, and experiencing new cultures. On the contrary, most of your foreign employees will experience a culture shock and wish to ditch everything and return to their country. As an employer, your goal is to help your employees overcome a culture shock and feel accepted in their new environment.

There are numerous ways to do so.

First, try to understand their culture. Pay attention to the major employee management regulation and legal regulations, as they probably vary from the ones in your country. Research things like paid time off or employee terminations before asking them to sign a contract. If the regulations in your country are different, be open about these variations. Help your employees understand what is expected of them, what their roles are, as well as what their benefits and rights are.

Also, adapt your HR policies. Your global employees’ backgrounds, habits, culture, and customs are different and, if not predicted on time, they may cause numerous problems and conflicts. This is why you need to test and change your HR policies, creating a highly diverse, inclusive and cohesive company culture that will everyone feel welcome, whether they were born 5 or 50,000 miles away.

Finally, assign them a mentor. A mentor is, in this case, a staff member who can help international employees adapt to the new surroundings and guide their career path. Mentors will inform your global staff about the corporate culture and their roles and obligations.

Another option is to build a buddy system. Just like a mentor, a buddy answers their questions and familiarizes them with their new country and working environment. The main difference is that talking to a buddy is less intimidating and more natural, encouraging an employee to assimilate into the working environment faster.

Ask for Feedback

Gathering feedback from international employees is important. It gives you the opportunity to understand what the major problems they face are and adapt your corporate culture according to their needs. Understanding your international staff is the only way to make the onboarding process effective and flexible.

However, if your employee has just moved, don’t expect them to go to your office and talk to you. They will not be comfortable giving feedback the first day, so ask them for feedback regularly. As an employer, your goal is to support problem-solving and prioritize employees, their suggestions and ideas.

Above all, to encourage your international employees to keep providing feedback, create an open-door policy. Let them know that they should never hesitate to talk to you when they want to share their ideas or problems.

Over to You

As an employer, you need to optimize the onboarding process and ensure your global employees feel appreciated and accepted. Always keep in mind that, even though they don’t mention it, they may be facing certain issues as a result of their transition.

So, start the adaptation process before they even move to your country.

Encourage your staff to have patience and create a diverse corporate culture that welcomes every employee.

Help non-native speakers overcome communication barriers to adapt to new surroundings and make friendships.

Motivate your international employees to talk to you and even collect feedback from those employees that are working closely with them.

Most importantly, remember that there is a fine line between helping an employee assimilate and making them feel uncomfortable. Include them in the decision-making processes and prove you value their opinions.

Elaine Bennett is a digital marketing specialist and a regular contributor for Bizzmark Blog. She writes hands-on articles about business and marketing, as it allows her to reach more people and help them on their business journey.