Providing proper guidance within a working environment during the first few months is essential for the sustainability of a match. Therefore it is worthwhile to decide on clear agreements from the start; to establish a point of contact, then to stay in contact for instance to reduce and overcome possible language barriers as much as possible. We cannot expect someone to have a perfect language proficiency: to master a language one must practice, but to practice the language one must have access to new contacts for instance at their job. For language requirements, we speak in the European CEFR language levels. The rate at which a person learns a language can give information about learnability. But the learning process is accelerated many times if a person is immersed in a Dutch-speaking environment.
Embracing cultural differences
Cultural differences can create (unconscious) biases and inteference from the very first step in recruitment and selection. For example, when reading an initial motivation message "I want a job" or while reviewing resumes with a gap and (missing) current work experience. Everyone wants to be a good employee, but what behavior you associate with that may be culturally determined. For example, a job seeker with a background as a refugee may want to have their own income, but the motivation "I want money" may be interpreted as disinterest or not being motivated enough for the job. Another example is the interpretation of one's attitude during an interview: in one culture, reticence is understood as modesty, while in another culture it may come across as lack of motivation and assertiveness. A clearer and culture-specific overview of the most common cultural differences and how to bridge or recognize them can be found in the theory of "the culture map”.
These 8 tips could be helpful to get started:
1. Take a critical stance and be open-minded about your current recruitment process
Focus on competencies and look critically at your language and degree requirements. It is good to be aware that a first phone call or a digital Dutch test with time slots can be very difficult if someone is less language proficient.
2. Look beyond the refugee status
It is nice to be seen as a human being and that there is room for (some degree of) personal contact.
3. Invest time and effort
Provide clear agreements and offer support by:
Extending the onboarding process
Determining what phrases and concepts someone needs to know first in order to do the tasks
Consider "Jobcarving," where you divide a job into parts so that the employee can meet all the requirement of the job in steps
Ensuring clarity on both sides and staying in touch. Provide support to recruiters, HR staff and hiring managers in this as well.
4. Create support among your staff and management
Look carefully at the support base to welcome newcomers and the additional workload for a team.
5. Ensure good Diversity & Inclusion (DE&I) policies and a safe working environment
Be aware of the unwritten rules, work culture and language used within your company. Ask about the experiences of the refugee.
6. Organise mentoring programs
For example, arrange for a buddy within the company.
7. Create time for extra education or training
Consider opportunities through WEB funds (The Dutch Education and Vocational Training Act) and financial support from the municipality or with the O&O fund (Dutch organisation), for example.
8. Work together
There is no need to manage everything independently. Especially for an SME, it can be helpful to cooperate with other companies that are also hiring refugees.
Looking for support?
There are also external parties who can help you guide new employee(s). Especially if there is no possibility or capacity to give thorough support, you can call on a person or agency for assistance, for example VluchtelingenWerk Nederland (the Dutch Council of Refugees) or the municipality. For instance, employment coaches, individual coaching or in some cases guidance for the employer can be arranged.
