Unlocking the potential of immigrant talent
Credit to Author: Baisakhi Roy| Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2024 15:37:37 +0000
Immigrant talent plays a crucial role in addressing Canada’s structural labour needs. As the workforce grows increasingly diverse, leveraging the skills of immigrants is not just good ethics but smart business. However, attracting skilled immigrants is only part of the solution — companies must also create environments that allows immigrants to fully realize their potential and thrive.
The value of mentorship
When 34-year-old Pinar (name changed), an immigrant from Morocco, joined a top Toronto financial institution as a software engineer, her excitement was mixed with uncertainty.
From the fast-paced environment and banking jargon to English fluency concerns, Pinar felt overwhelmed. “I was sure I was going to fail,” she says. However, when she reached out for guidance, her experience transformed. Paired with a senior mentor, she rapidly advanced in her role, eventually becoming one of the most skilled engineers on her team. “In a few months at the bank, I could take on larger tasks independently. I was consistently delivering work beyond their expectations and well ahead of deadlines. This motivated me to work even harder.” Mentorship not only bolstered her performance but also helped her feel truly valued, signifying the benefits structured support brings to immigrant talent.
Yet, despite mentorship’s known value, many companies fail to invest in it, according to the recently released Talent to Win report. This report by Deloitte Canada and the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, based on feedback from over 40 industry leaders, highlights a common issue: poor onboarding and mentoring prevent many immigrants from realizing their potential. As a senior corporate leader noted, “companies are just not willing to invest in this anymore,” underscoring a significant gap between hiring and retention practices.
Moatassem Moatez
Moatassem Moatez, CEO of MYCourier Inc., emphasizes that mentorship benefits both parties when there’s mutual willingness to succeed.
“Immigrants are often hard workers and willing to learn, providing valuable cultural insights that enrich the workplace,” he says. For instance, Moatez mentored a senior immigrant employee hesitant about the logistics industry, guiding him through projects until he was independently leading a major initiative.
“Success depends on the commitment of both employer and employee,” Moatez adds, stressing that support like mentorship is critical for employee growth and company innovation.
The struggle for recognition and advancement
While Canada’s immigration policies bring in skilled immigrants, they don’t guarantee that this talent is utilized or retained. Economic immigration pathways are projected to comprise 61.7 per cent of total admissions by 2027, addressing labour shortages in sectors such as healthcare, technology and skilled trades. However, immigrants, particularly women and racialized groups, often face exclusion, pay disparities and limited career advancement opportunities, preventing them from reaching their full potential.
The Talent to Win report further explores barriers, revealing that newcomer ideas are often dismissed, with a pervasive “smug Canadian superiority complex” leading managers to overlook immigrants’ insights. When suggestions for improvements come from employees from countries seen — often inaccurately — as less economically developed, managers may feel defensive. Such dismissiveness stifles potential contributions that could drive innovation and reinforce inclusion.
For Mexican-born Estrella (name changed), this smug attitude in the workplace was a key reason she left her role at a prominent Canadian university. As an experienced researcher, Estrella faced micromanagement and scrutiny over minor errors, which contrasted sharply with the lenient treatment of her Canadian-born colleagues. Her manager would frequently interrupt her, demanding updates and imposing unrealistic deadlines. “I was nervous all the time and despite my skills and experience, I felt stupid,” she recalls. Although she was offered an extension at the end of her contract, she declined and instead accepted a new role where her manager’s open communication style made her feel valued.
Building an inclusive workplace culture
Being valued coupled with a sense of belonging is vital for immigrant employees. Indian-born content specialist Kaveri (name changed) says that while she hasn’t faced overt discrimination at organisations she’s worked in, she’s felt excluded on more than one occasion.
“We used to have team building activities where we had these games about Canadian television shows that ran in the 80s and 90s. I mean, how would I know about these pop culture references?” says Kaveri. “My other immigrant colleagues and I just looked at each other, obviously feeling so out of place. We had to quickly brush up and we were slightly better prepared for the next time. It seems like an insignificant thing, but that unpleasantness sticks and these experiences speak volumes about company culture,” she says.
Verônica Heringer
Kaveri says that employers should consider the cultural makeup of their teams and make an intentional effort to design inclusive activities that foster connections across cultural lines. “These small but important steps can help newcomers feel acknowledged, respected, and integral to the team,” she says.
Brazilian-born Verônica Heringer, a digital product leader in media, emphasizes that employers must focus on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) efforts to retain talent. “A sense of belonging is very important if you’re an immigrant, and if you can pass it on when you’re in the leadership position, that can really make a difference,” she says. Heringer leads a multicultural team at a major national media outlet and is keenly aware of what it means to retain immigrant talent in the current economy. “I think that employers right now should not be pulling back from EDI efforts because we are in a recession. In fact, they need to lean into it, because they’re going to lose really good people who don’t feel like they belong,” she says.
Heringer, who leads a multicultural team, feels fortunate to witness firsthand how immigrant employees can drive innovation by bringing different frames of reference to the table. “We have been developing a new platform at work and I had two designers, one from Korea and from Brazil come together to work on it and they both were able to draw on their experiences from their home countries which lent a fresh, authentic perspective that is reflected in the end product. This is the synergy that drives innovation which enriches not only the workplace but the work itself,” she says.
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