Integrating & Retaining

Hiring a newcomer can be life changing for the successful candidate as they start a new life in a new country. As an employer, supporting newcomers and their families to integrate into your workplace is essential.

Just as you would for any new employee, it is essential to set job expectations and goals and provide an in-depth orientation when welcoming newcomers to your workforce. Ongoing training and onsite support should also be offered to newcomers starting their new job. To successfully integrate and retain newcomer talent, you should focus on ensuring that your workplace is inclusive and accessible and that the contributions of newcomer employees are recognized and valued by everyone.

Employers are also encouraged to support newcomers to integrate outside of their work life. Helping newcomers to network and connect with community supports and resources is proven to be an important retention strategy. As an employer, you can ensure your new employees find the right help to buy a house, register children for school, get involved in recreational activities and meet other newcomers.

Tips for Integrating & Retaining Newcomer Employees:

  • Create a welcoming and safe environment, by providing all employees with culture competent training as well as training in how to communicate in a culturally diverse workplace.  
  • Set your business up for success by identifying and recognizing potential cultural differences before the newcomer's start date.  
  • Foster human resource practices that are reflective of and responsive to all cultures, backgrounds and communities.
  • Ensure that you continually update your existing workplace policies and procedures so that they remain current and introduce new policies that affect the workplace such as human rights and anti-discrimination policies. 
  • Host team-building workshops and company events to enable relationship building among employees. 
  • Provide newcomer hires with a mentor who will be available to them for any questions or support. 
  • Assist by helping newcomer employees to get connected in the community outside of the workplace.
  • Provide newcomers with opportunities for ongoing development and look for ways to reward innovation.
  • Examine your workplace signage and internal/employee communications to ensure they are culturally inclusive.
  • Check-in regularly with newcomers to ensure they are comfortable and finding the local supports and resources they need to be successful.

Newcomers are important to Northwestern Ontario’s workplaces, social fabric and economy.  When newcomers successfully integrate, it not only benefits the employee and their family but it also has positive impacts on your organization and the region. As the demand for skilled labour grows, the integration of newcomers into the regional workforce is critical to maintaining economic stability and ensuring growth for our communities.

Contact(s)

Share