Every strong business knows the capital potential of hiring new Canadians. Or they should.
By 2030, immigrants from other countries will be Canada’s main source of population growth, Statistics Canada reports. Many who have already come are well trained in their home countries and eager to contribute to the Canadian economy.
But throwing these often highly qualified employees into the fold without knowledge of the work environment or any kind of guidance could be crippling not only to the new immigrant but also to the company bottom line.
Enter the concept of mentoring – matching current employees with new additions to the company to help show them the ropes. Mentoring programs are flourishing at top-rung companies across the country such as TD Bank, KPMG and Deloitte and are expanding across the country. They’re also coming out of immigrant employment councils and organizations helping new Canadians adjust to the professional landscape here.
How mentoring works
Usually, a new Canadian will enter a workplace and be matched with a more senior or more established colleague at the same professional level. They’ll connect a few times a week to discuss the transition into the workplace.
Deloitte, recently named one of the Best Employers for New Canadians, encourages all employees to join its mentoring program but started a new network in 2009 that speaks to new Canadians. The pilot partnership with the Canadian Asian Network assigns newcomers a mentor who comes from the same culture, says Jane Allen, partner and chief diversity officer at Deloitte.
“It eases people’s way into our business environment and helps to avoid any culture shock or any issues that they may have had if they hadn’t had a mentor from their same culture,” she says. “It eases their anxiety about being in a workplace where they’re not the dominant population.”
Benefits for the employer:
By giving new Canadians the confidence to show their stuff in the workplace, productivity is bound to improve, says Peter Paul, the project leader of Assisting Local Leaders with Immigrant Employment Strategies (ALLIES), a pan-Canadian project out of Maytree and the McConnell Foundation that helps new Canadians find work in their new home.
That confidence helps employers become better performers in a market that is becoming ever more globalized.
“One of the challenges that companies have faced is suddenly their market looks quite different than it did 15 years ago,” he says. It’s much more cross cultural, and having an outgoing, team player who has context from other world markets can be invaluable for the company, he says.
The mentorship programs also boost morale. Fatima Laher, 42, an associate partner at Deloitte and a long-time mentor, says gets a lot of fulfilment from helping others build up their careers in the company. She’s currently mentoring eight people. “I think I get more out of it than they do,” she says. “It constantly reminds me of how thankful I’ve got to be.”
Benefits to mentors and mentees:
Often mentors and mentees can relate to one another, having shared the immigrant experience. Ms. Laher, who moved to Canada from South Africa about 12 years ago, says she tries to relay some tales from that transition when connecting with her mentees.
The Canadian workplace culture was different from what she was used to abroad. “I always said it was a very humbling experience. I came here and dropped a few levels,” she says. “I knew the South African market inside out and I needed to master that in Canada.”
The mentorship program also improves coaching and leadership skills in mentors and builds confidence and skill sets in mentees.
