Diversity benefits the modern workplace. It makes your company competitive on a global scale and enriches everybody’s experience. Incorporating foreign talents, though, isn’t as simple as you might think. For everything to go well, you need to invest in proper planning.
One of the most critical group of people to play a part in this is your human resources department. There are steps you can take before and during the inclusion of foreign workers to ensure that the entire workforce operates at its best.
Learn the Ropes
There are a lot of processes and terminologies to learn when it comes to hiring foreigners. If your need for global talent comes from a demanding new project, you’ll have to create a feasible timeline. Expect that you won’t be hauling in people from Tokyo to Townsville in a week. The process can take as long as a couple of months to accomplish.
Avoid prolonging the wait by learning the ropes as early as possible. Familiarize yourself with immigration laws and visa options for the type of workers you’re hiring. It can get overwhelming when you’re starting. Establishing a relationship with the proper institutions and authorities can make learning easier.
Don’t hesitate to hire or consult with a third party if that will ease the burden for your team. It’s always best to go with the option that saves you both money and time in the long haul.
Support Them
You must also plan the type and level of support to give to your foreign employees. Those who are arriving in your country for the first time will need much help from HR in their first few weeks or months.
You have to decide whom they can contact for emergencies or what to do if they’re experiencing problems at work. The language and cultural barriers might affect their performance, and you have to know when to intervene.
Invest in seminars that will expand your knowledge on how to care for foreign workers. Design a program you can use to assist them during their transition and throughout their tenure. This is critical in employee engagement to ensure that they can work at their best even while they’re still settling into their new environment.
Propose Workshops
It’s not only from HR that foreign employees should get their support. It’s essential in a diverse workplace that each member of your company knows how to work together.
You need to introduce the concept of diversity and inclusivity to the entire workforce as your company makes the shift. Some of the most effective ways to do this are workshops and team-building activities. Hiring speakers and facilitators to improve everybody’s attitude towards differences in perspective and background will help them work better as a team.
Developing the potential of a diverse workforce takes time, consistency, and strategy. HR must conduct surveys and follow-up interviews to identify weaknesses and strengths in this area. You might not get everything right the first time. What’s important is that you keep improving until you find the formula that works for your team.
When you do well in ushering diversity in your workforce, you increase your company’s chances for growth and success. It’s no small task, but it’s nothing that good old teamwork and perseverance can’t pull off.
