Tag: Workplace barriers

As an immigrant who was raised by immigrants, and has been in touch with many immigrants throughout my life, I know the weight of a choice. There’s a lot of thought involved when it comes to making choices. We are surrounded by impending decisions, all of which alter our paths toward a new possibility and present us with unique opportunities. Some decisions loom over our heads and breathe down our necks, some pass us by and mist the air with a whiff of their scent, and then there are those which don’t seem important to most people but carve away at you until the mould staring back at you is difficult to recognize. 

These are the ones that immigrants have to be aware of because while they might appear small, and therefore harmless and innocent, they can start to pile up. A workplace setting, despite having the intention of inclusivity and a non-judgmental attitude, is filled with judging eyes that assess its immigrant employees. When we consider that Canada is a diverse country known for its multiculturalism, it’s not much of a shock to see someone who is an immigrant—but an unconscious bias leaves individuals with judgement in their eyes, and often, it is unclear whether it comes from a place of malice or curiosity (Canadian Immigrant, 2021). 

Immigrants on the receiving end of this treatment wake up every day preparing to make choices that suddenly hold a lot of influence on the way they are perceived, treated, and spoken to in the workplace by their colleagues and supervisors. Are these clothes too ‘ethnic’? Do these earrings look professional—as in, up to Western standards, or by my home country’s standards? Is my accent too strong? What lunch do I pack that doesn’t remind others that I am different? What can I do to ensure that I conceal my cultural identity in the workplace and prevent the risk of alienation,  continuing to shower love for my culture at home, without hurting my sense of identity? 

It’s these choices that become more and more integral to one’s self-perception and identity, yet, people often don’t make them consciously. They are an instinctive response to prior instances of discrimination. It’s quite a simple situation: immigrants whose cultural identity is not respected don’t want to be devoid of the opportunities, connections, and privileges that Canadian citizens in the workplace can obtain easily, so they code-switch to a Western-friendly ‘workplace identity’. They are making a conscious choice every day about the identity they want to present to the Canadian workplace, leading to an internal conflict regarding their true identity; a lack of self-acceptance; and a gradual disconnection from cultural identity, ultimately resulting in the alienation from their own culture. 

The ideal situation is one where employees have true freedom to maintain cultural identity in the workplace. This includes things like the ability to eat home-cooked cultural meals without hearing comments about their smell; speaking with an accent without being mocked, ignored, or looked down upon; and talking about cultural events or experiences during casual conversations without feeling like an unwelcomed outsider.

Workplaces can adopt a few practices to help create a more open, inclusive, and accepting environment for all of its employees, such as: creating opportunities for workers to share their culture and engage with other employees, providing a clear outline of workplace customs and culture, enforcing policies regarding diversity and inclusion in the workplace (Zaib). All this can help to cultivate an environment that provides immigrants with the room and opportunity to grow in their field. For instance, employers can establish work brunches, occasional social gatherings, and create opportunities for workers to celebrate and share special occasions in their culture, thus fostering a more comfortable environment for newcomers. This will help to eradicate the sense of isolation new employees suffer through, as well as the prejudice that non-immigrant employees might carry.

In addition, when new immigrants first join a company, employers can give them a rundown of that company’s work culture, expectations, environment, and social cues, and refer them to a colleague that they can lean on when needed. This can calm the fears and anxieties of starting over in an unknown environment in a new country, letting employees form connections and get accustomed to the Western work environment with the help of a guide. Policies concerning the transition into a foreign workplace, making accommodations available for such employees (e.g. translation services), and promoting inclusion in the work environment are all also vital to protect the rights of immigrants in the workplace (Zaib). Having these discussions sends a message to employees that the company does care about their well-being, respects their journey, and is willing to take the steps needed to support them.

As stated in part 1 of this blog, immigrants are the backbone of this country. The identity issues immigrants experience due to being unwelcome over their culture devoids the workplace of a truly diverse and rich environment where everyone can contribute unique perspectives free from prejudice or judgement. It’s important to be mindful of these diverse perspectives, create space for people who might be unlike you, and aim toward building each other up in order to nurture a healthy and productive work environment.

Sources

Canadian Immigrant. (2021, August 19). Diversity and inclusion in Canadian workplaces. Canadian Immigrant. https://canadianimmigrant.ca/careers-and-education/workplace/diversity-and-inclusion-in-canadian-workplaces 

Zaib, A. (n.d.). Being more than diverse: How to be inclusive of immigrant hires in the Workplace. Recruiter.com. https://www.recruiter.com/recruiting/being-more-than-diverse-how-to-be-inclusive-of-immigrant-hires-in-the-workplace/

This article was written by summer student Ilesha Prabhudesai and edited by summer student Cossette Penner-Olivera. This article was funded by the Government of Canada.

Education. Merit. Credibility. These words are often loosely thrown at anyone seeking employment. A term most forget to mention is ‘validated by Canada’. Education that is validated by Canada. Merit that is validated by Canada. Credibility according to what is validated by Canada. It’s understandable that Canada has many of these policies to regulate the stream of workers entering the workplace and ensure they fit in with the Canadian work environment. However, in doing so, Canada is denying immigrants who are qualified, sometimes overqualified, for a position of authority thus increasing the unemployment rate of skilled immigrants (Sakamoto et al., 2010).

As an immigrant, I know of countless highly skilled workers who, now proud citizens after a decade in Canada, still struggle to maintain a well-paying permanent job. These individuals have completed their Bachelor’s as well as their Master’s degrees and were formerly professors, physicians, therapists, teachers, and bankers with years of prior experience. Once they arrived in Canada, seeking a better lifestyle and education for their children, they were faced with a harsh dismissal of their expertise by the Canadian government. How invalidating must it be for you to spend so much time and money on your education so you can be independent and work tirelessly for years only for someone to tell you it is insignificant and you must start over?

A paper published by the University of Toronto recognizes this dissonance by stating that barriers such as the invalidity of foreign credentials, language barriers, and the ever-so-necessary ‘Canadian experience’ requirements prevent skilled immigrants from entering their fields of expertise (Sakamoto et al., 2010). 

In Canada, fluency in English and French is greatly valued as an asset to boost employment prospects, however, this works against immigrants who have spent their entire lives honing their skills, only in another language. According to the government of Canada, skilled immigrants entering the country must complete either the Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) examinations for English proficiency in order to work here (Language testing- skilled immigrants, 2022). Once they pass it with adequate scores, they can ‘officially’ communicate effectively with others in said language.

So, for those who can communicate in one of the two languages mentioned above, many fall victim to the ‘broken English’ circumstance, which both harms their prospects in the hiring process, and curates challenges amongst colleagues when on the job. ‘Broken English’, granted that the language being spoken is English, refers to the small gaps in an individual’s aptitude for English where one may use incorrect grammar, have a limited vocabulary, and struggle with creating or understanding very complex sentences. In spite of the broken English barrier, these individuals are able to communicate effectively, get the message across, and get the job done, but it is the lack of support due to prejudice from colleagues and individuals in higher positions that situates this as a problem.

Speaking a foreign language like English often comes laced with an accent, which furthers the pre-existing cultural divide for immigrants in the workplace. Their culture, which influences how they dress, speak, behave, interact with others, and look at the world can all feel ostracized in the workplace when it does not equate with the Canadian culture and workplace etiquette. It’s not an inclusive environment until all individuals feel comfortable and safe to express themselves and learn about new customs and norms without the breath of judgment breathing down their necks. That is a topic I will be discussing in a follow-up blog article.

This is to say, Canadian workplaces focus on the soft skills that are significant in the Canadian culture, otherwise known as the ‘Canadian experience’, which swiftly erases many immigrants from having a fair chance at getting the job (Sakamoto et al., 2010). For instance, a family friend of mine who applied for teaching-related jobs in math and physics, as they were a physics teacher in their home country, would be asked about their soft skills rather than their knowledge of the subjects. Their home country has a different culture and approach towards education, so does that mean their knowledge, skills, and experience are invalid in Canada?

Canada is a country driven by immigrants, whom it profits off of ever so graciously. The diversity of Toronto alone is enough to make Canadians label this country a ‘melting pot’, and pride themselves on its multiculturalism, however, Canada’s alarming population of struggling immigrants establishes a daring reality. It is extremely important to examine the roles and challenges of immigrants in the Canadian workplace because immigrants are the backbone of this country. We have a moral obligation to respect them and create accessible avenues for them to succeed.

Sources

Government of Canada. (2022, March 3). Language testing—Skilled immigrants (Express Entry). Canada.ca. Retrieved August 22, 2022, from https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents/language-requirements/language-testing.htm

Sakamoto, I., Chin, M., Young, M.(2010). “Canadian Experience,” Employment Challenges, and Skilled Immigrants A Close Look Through “Tacit Knowledge”. Settlement of Newcomers to Canada, Canadian Social Work, 12, 145-151

This article was written by summer student Ilesha Prabhudesai and edited by summer student Bayden Summers. This article was funded by the Government of Canada.