STEFANIE NETH MASTERS CANDIDATE INTERCULTURAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION ROYAL ROADS UNIVERSITY BRITISH COLUMBIA How are Employers Facilitating the Adaptation of Immigrants?

Before we get started… 10 Surprising ways to offend people in other countries

Goal of Research Yes, Canada has a skills shortage Yes, there are benefits of having a diverse workforce  What are employers doing from the immigrant perspective  Increase awareness of initiatives  Make findings accessible to the general public  Give employers ideas for their own initiatives

Research Question What are employers doing to help integrate their immigrant workforce and how are these initiatives facilitating cross-cultural adaption from the perspective of the immigrant employee?

Cross-Cultural Adaptation Theory Dr. Young Yun Kim’s cross-cultural adaptation theory: Individuals who enter a new culture will experience some form of new cultural learning and acquisition of native cultural practices John W. Berry’s acculturation strategies: Suggests that newcomers experience cross-cultural adaptation in different ways based on variations in attitude and behaviour. Both theories help to understand those factors that facilitate as well as impede the adaptation process of immigrants.

Ethnographic Research Study What? Why? How? The purpose of ethnography is to describe and interpret the shared and learned patterns of values, behaviors, beliefs, and language of a culture-sharing group (Harris, 1968).

New Knowledge “Qualitative research and qualitative data analysis in particular have the power to be transformative learning tools through their ability to generate new levels and forms of meaning, which can in turn transform perspectives and actions” (Kraus, 2005).

Method of Data Collection Ethnographic interviews with 15 immigrants currently living in British Columbia Purposeful Sampling  Criterion Sampling  Maximum Variance Ethnographic interviewing allows for a genuine exchange of views and enough time and openness for the participants to explore purposefully with the researcher the meanings they place on events in their worlds (Atkinson, Coffey, Delamont, Lofland & Lofland, 2001)

Method of Data Collection Criteria:  Employed full time by an employer located in Canada  English level is intermediate to advanced Maximum Variance  Men and women  Different size of company and industry  # of years living in Canada Recruiting  Contacts, already established network  Snowball Sampling

Details about the Data

Preliminary Findings Themes Initiatives implemented by employers  Diversity Training  Social Events  Mentorship Programs/Buddy Systems  Help with obtaining professional designation Leadership  Trickle down effect Adaption and adaptation responsibility  Taking the best of both worlds  Immigrant is responsible

Limitations/Future Research Criteria (e.g. # of years working for a company) Case Study (e.g. bank) Looking at a specific industry (e.g. IT, Finance)

Why is this important for Career Practitioners? Do you work with immigrant clients? Encourage clients to seek out employers who are open to diversity Research  Who qualifies under Canada’s Best Diversity Employers?  Are companies looking to expand overseas?  Do they need people with language skills?  Who are their clients? Are the majority of the clients they serve immigrants? Do you educate employers on the importance of successfully integrating their immigrant employees? There are employers who value and embrace diversity!

Why is this important for employers? Are there any employers in the audience? Are you successfully integrating your immigrant workforce? There are initiatives that don’t cost a lot of money or use a lot of resources Size shouldn’t be an issue

Questions?

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