Advice On How to Integrate Skilled Migrant Workers into Your Workplace

As an accredited employer, when hiring migrant workers into your workforce, it is necessary for you to help them integrate and adjust to their new country as well as your workplace. As an accredited employer, you need to help your migrant employees find accommodation, ensure they understand how to access healthcare, and help them obtain an IRD number. ‍

By supporting your new team members with information related to living in New Zealand, the rights they have, and what local services can help them, you are empowering a sense of security. The challenges of adjusting to a new country are large enough. Therefore with this information, they will know who to talk to and where to get help outside their work. You are minimising issues with their settling in and allowing them to concentrate more on their performance at work. ‍

Adjusting to the change in their environment, surrounding people, and culture can be daunting. They may take a bit more time adjusting to how things are done in NZ. Depending on where they come from, they will need to learn about the new Kiwi way of living and practical things like the NZ banking system, new road rules, laws, etc. ‍

As an accredited employer, be prepared to help their family's settlement process. Many migrant workers come to New Zealand with their families or partners. 

At Malcolm Pacific Immigration, we understand this process can be time-consuming for your team. We have developed employer and employee education modules to help you and your migrant workers gain the right information and support to simplify this process. Get in touch with our licensed immigration advisers.‍

In the meantime, here’s our advice on effectively integrating your new migrant workers into your place. 

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Tips for Integrating Your New Migrant Workers

Be Culturally Supportive in the Workplace

To ensure skilled migrant workers feel included in your work community, it's great to celebrate that difference. As an employer, if you show that you embrace different cultures and lead by example, your workforce will follow by embracing people from around the globe.

Employees should show a positive and helpful attitude towards each other and learn to enjoy new experiences of new cultures entering the workplace. You could start with recognising or celebrating your team's cultural or religious days. By creating a company culture of inclusion with zero tolerance for racism or bullying, your migrant workers will feel safe and be seen as part of a team, not outsiders.  ‍

Also, businesses that take care to train their existing workers to support new staff members create much better teams. Create a system to integrate new workers and foster a culturally aware workplace for better employee engagement and loyalty. 

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Support Their Families

Your business is not just an organisation to make money or provide services, it is a living organism where people spend a great portion of time away from their families. By creating a feeling of inclusion for their families and partners, you will also find that it makes it easier for the migrant to keep all sides happy. This supports their loyalty to your company, a happier working environment, and more security for the people you are employing.  ‍

This could be a BBQ where you are inviting families to attend or encouraging staff to include the new member's families in work events that they are holding.

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Talent and Qualification Identification

Another issue faced by migrants with their new job in New Zealand is their qualifications and skills could be far higher than the role you are employing them for. This could happen when an overseas qualification is not recognised by the New Zealand system, and the migrant would have to spend time re-qualifying to practice. The draw of moving to New Zealand could be so strong or necessary that they were willing to give up on the profession of their dreams to settle into this new position. 

‍This can be a positive opportunity for both sides if the employer can utilise the migrant's skills to fit within their business and create an extra stimulus for your worker. 

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Support for the Mental Health of New Migrants 

Most people, when they change their environment, need time to adapt. During this time, human beings can be very susceptible to mental health issues due to stress and anxiety. 

Immigrants have to face changes such as a language barrier, a new culture, a new home, different workplace culture and sometimes loss of family support as well. A migrant has to adapt to all these changes at once with the additional pressure of a new job and workplace. They may need more care and support during this period in order to bounce back quicker. 

Strong support from friends and family and a friendly environment can help in this adaptation more efficiently. However, when they have left both behind, helping your team know where to look to help create new bonds is a great way to support them. ‍

You can help your new immigrant employers by:

• Creating and maintaining a healthy and friendly environment in the workplace.
• Giving them advice on cultural groups in their area
• Mental health awareness programs.
• In-house health checkups.

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Is Employer Accreditation Required in New Zealand?

It is mandatory to be an accredited employer to hire migrant workers on work visas. It ensures the employer has done everything in their power to employ within the country, and for the migrant worker, the process safeguards their transition into this country.  ‍

To secure employer accreditation, you have to show Immigration NZ that you are a good employer in terms of the welfare of workers as well as meeting standards of remuneration. If you need more information on how to qualify to become an accredited employer, get in touch with Malcolm Pacific Immigration’s licensed immigration advisers.‍

Get in touch with our NZ Immigration Advisers today for more information and support.

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The Bottom Line

Employers who take responsibility for the safe and successful integration of their migrant workers seriously are likely to see their teams flourish. 

The transition period between countries can be a stressful one for both your employees and their families, but when done well, you are gaining a loyal employee who is determined to make the best out of this move for themselves as well as your business. Everyone wins!