You are considering employing workers from abroad. Congratulations! Hiring talent from outside your nation has many advantages. It enables you to generate new business ideas, broaden your corporate culture, reduce skill gaps, and increase the pool of talent available to you.
However, hiring and managing foreign employees involves many challenges. A 2016 CEMS research study states that over half of companies have trouble finding qualified international applicants.
What are the main risks of hiring international workers, and how can they be avoided?
Let’s investigate!
- Recognize the local laws and ethical standards.
Know the worldwide employment laws before recruiting workers from other countries. For instance, under U.S. law, an at-will employment arrangement allows for the abrupt termination of the employment connection without giving notice to either party.
Certain foreign nations do not have these kinds of laws. Therefore, confirm whether the prospective employee’s country requires justification for ending an employment connection and what the requirements are for doing so before sending them an employment contract.
Paid Time Off (PTO) is no different. These rules do not distinguish between personal, sick, or vacation days in the United States. However, some international nations have a distinct legal entitlement for these kinds of employee accommodations.
Because of this, you should always seek the advice of a local HR specialist, accountant, and lawyer. They can assist you in comprehending local laws and incorporating them into your hiring process with ease.
- Getting Past Communication Obstacles
Language and communication problems were identified by 16% of HR professionals as one of the main obstacles to hiring international talent, according to the CEMS poll previously cited. For this reason, among the elements you should consider before hiring an overseas employee are their communication skills.
Your first focus ought to be assisting your foreign workers in overcoming language hurdles. To begin with, provide materials and language instruction so they may become proficient in the language and fulfil the prerequisites for their position. For instance, by offering PTE sessions to your staff, you may assist them in developing all facets of their language proficiency, from talking to writing. Numerous academic, corporate, and fundamental English courses, such as IELTS or OAT, might suit them.
Most crucially, all of the exams listed above can be used to verify a candidate’s language skills. Thus, you can select lessons that enable them to advance at a speed that works for them in terms of language proficiency.
- Recognize the cultural background of your foreign workers.
Living overseas is a fantastic opportunity for international employees to meet fresh people and experience different countries, lifestyles, and worldviews. It is a fascinating experience. But it’s not a simple task. If you’re not ready, your staff could feel disoriented very quickly.
This is known as “culture shock,” it should be no surprise that foreign workers frequently experience it. However, it is vital to comprehend that cultural shock is a gradual process.
An employee often experiences culture shock in four stages:
The stages of an international employee’s transition include the following: the honeymoon, when everything seems ideal; frustration, when it’s challenging for them to adjust to the fresh environment and customs; adjustment, when they start to feel more at ease and start to accept it; acceptance when they realize they don’t have to know all that about the new nation right away. Employees begin to blend in as they already have an elementary grasp of how things operate.
It’s common to experience employee culture shock. The main issue is that many foreign workers will quit and return home if their new supervisors or coworkers don’t get them. This means losing money for your firm on hiring, training, and moving.
You must treat culture shock carefully and assist your new hire in overcoming it.
Hiring someone new without acclimating them to their workplace or ensuring that their personality fits in with the community’s way of life is one of the things that leads to culture shock.
Therefore, adequately prepare your applicants before asking them to migrate. Provide them with many materials to help them better understand what will be expected after relocating.
Leila Dorari highlights in a new Juice piece that companies should hire the finest individuals for remote work before relocating. This is an excellent method to learn more about them and decide if your company should hire them. Inviting an applicant to come to your nation before relocating is an option.
Furthermore, merely implementing your current foreign personnel management practices will not be sufficient. You must comprehend the culture from which an employee originates, consider any potential cultural differences, and implement any necessary adjustments.
Start by customizing your human resource policy to the cultural background of your foreign employees. Consider culturally diverse aspects that could affect your employees’ performance, loyalty, happiness, and motivation.
Remember that several other aspects of managing employees, such as resolving conflicts, working together, and offering and receiving feedback, are also different in other countries and will likely significantly influence international employee happiness.
For Recruiters looking to hire international talent
Hiring foreign talent may seem intimidating, but it doesn’t mean you should lose up. Hiring foreign workers will assist you in creating distinctive teams, filling talent shortages, and revitalising your company culture.
All you have to do is figure out how to best incorporate these procedures into your hiring process.
Conduct in-depth research, discover regional employment laws, and modify your business plan accordingly.
Next, give your staff members access to language learning materials and seminars to overcome language hurdles and succeed in their new roles.
Lastly, make them feel at home and assist them in effectively overcoming culture shock.
The sole means to draw in and keep the best foreign talent is in this manner.
TAKEAWAY
In overseas manpower recruitment, Soundlines stands out as a leading RPO partner that checks all the boxes. With decades of experience, a global network, and a specialization in sourcing and recruiting talent across borders, Soundlines is well-equipped to be your strategic recruitment partner. Their expertise spans compliance, cultural understanding, and cutting-edge technology, ensuring a holistic and practical approach to talent acquisition.
‘Soundlines’ has offices in 25 countries, making the process easier for employers and candidates. It provides organizations with access to their global experience while maintaining a local presence, ensuring it comprehends their brand, culture, needs, and future objectives.
Soundlines has been a leader in the HR recruitment industry for more than two decades, serving clients in the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Poland, Russia, and Romania.
With a massive database of over 500,000+ candidates, our clients never lose hope in finding the “right fit,” With the best in-house speciality centres and qualified technical evaluators for every job trade, finding the “ideal candidate” is a breeze with Soundlines.
As businesses expand their horizons, partnering with a reliable RPO partner like Soundlines can make all the difference in building a workforce that propels your company’s success. Contact Soundlines today to embark on a journey towards streamlined, efficient, and top-quality overseas manpower recruitment. Your path to excellence starts here.
