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        To Dos for employers and people in leading positions

      To Dos for employers and people in leading positions

      CHAPTER 1
      Induction: Get them on board
      CHAPTER 2
      Make sure you know
      CHAPTER 3
      Communication is the clue
      CHAPTER 4
      Cultural understanding
      CHAPTER 5
      Are you the right kind of leader for your newbies?

      Chapter 1: Induction: Get them on board

      Why should the onboarding be a bit different to the usual with an international employee?

      Relocation and international assignments are tricky! Not for you, but mainly for the person who does it: Your new employee. So, why not support them from the beginning onward?

      We know that in assignments there are more variables in the equation than work. Yet, work is an important part, if not the main reason for relocating, and why not make that part as smooth as possible?

      Let me ask you:
      Do you know what to consider in the onboarding of an international employee?

      Check out the list of what you should take into consideration and practice straight away with the exercise and facilitation tip.

      Exercise:
      Why is this important?

      Why is this important?

      As part of the onboarding process we know that the establishment of a trustworthy relationship among co-workers is essential for the integration of the new employee and consequently for the performance of the individual and the team.

      So, set up regular “meetings” right from the beginning!
      Wondering what this could look like?

      • Get relevant people together to talk about the accomplishments of the departments or the goals for the next six months.
      • Why not give the new employee the chance to introduce him-/herself a little bit more in detail? What were his/her previous positions? Where  has he/she lived/worked previously? What are his/her experiences in Finland so far and what is different to what he/she has previously experienced? Get the other team members involved to not make this a monologue, e.g. by having each person recommend one activity (in Finland, the place the company is located) for the new employee.
      • Why not schedule regular social occasions like team meetings, team lunches, regular extended coffee breaks, etc. to get to know each other or refer to Are you working on or as a team.
      Follow this checklist!
      Checklist for onboarding process

      Checklist for onboarding process

      • Give enough time for the onboarding process!
      • Pay attention to simple and clear language use: possibly adjust your language to the level of the new employee.
      • A successful cooperation with co-workers is based on a healthy relationship among them! -> Prioritize on “people “onboarding -> One example of how to do this? Check out the Facilitation tip of this chapter.
      • Make sure the new employee gets the information he/she need to be able to perform. Given different experiences and backgrounds of your new employee, it helps to give out a detailed task list and a job description so that there is no room for doubt about task range and responsibilities. Eliminate the room for misapprehension!
      • Macro-knowledge on paper: information about how the firms operate:
        • Organizational chart, staff structure with roles, lines of communication, hours of work, break times/rules
        • Clarify things like: coffee break does not mean you have to drink coffee, for example, payroll and tax procedure (e.g. payroll sent by email, action required from employee), use of telephone/internet/mobile at work place, etc.
      • Think about providing a mentor or alternatively a “buddy”.
        • If you provide a mentor: Assure that you do the pairing well: some people might not be comfortable, and therefore will not open up to talk about issues with people in a different position or of different gender or religion, etc.
      • Make sure the new employee knows about his/her rights but also his/her obligations at the workplace.
      • Provide new employee with instruction and/or contact person in case of discrimination or bullying at workplace.
      • Don’t forget to: Set up the workstation/office, and give a tour through the office/workstation/facilities/premises.
      • If necessary: arrange for pick-up of a new employee (and family) from airport, housing arrangements, etc.
      • Ensure that the most important aspects are understood by the new employee (e.g. safety at workstation): A nod or a “yes” is not always sign of agreement or understanding.
      • Are existing employees prepared for his/her arrival? Am I and are they prepared with awareness about the new employee’s values and work styles? Read more about culture’s effect on Culture – Why does it always start with me?
      • Make sure you understand that this is a team effort: It is not about one person becoming part of a team, but about the team receiving the new member as well. Start by letting them know he/she is arriving xx day.
        • What to do as a new team member? Approach people, get to know them. A good starting point is to talk about their role/job at the company.
        • What to do as a member of an existing team? Encouraging newbie to be him/herself, to approach and ask you and take initiative to get to know new member.
      • Make sure this is not a one-time-event but check in with your new employee on a regular basis to check if there are any open questions/matters during the first months. Schedule meetings with your new employee proactively to maintain interest in the settling-in process and identify possible supports in the different stages of the process.

      Important note:
      Remember: Every human functions on relationship and is looking for connection and belonging. Your focus should be to create that sensation of belonging in the first months! A successful cooperation with co-workers is based on a healthy relationship among them! Only then a diverse team will thrive.

       

      Food for thought:
      Have you ever thought about the opportunity it brings to get (anonymous) feedback from your new employee? What works, what doesn’t? How does the team come across, how the whole company? What are the perceived values?
      That can freshen up the company and also give valuable insights about perceived workings and work culture, whether the onboarding worked or has missed a few points, etc.

      Chapter 2: Make sure you know!

      Culture teaches us how to think about the world. It teaches us what is right and what is wrong, what is proper what is not, among many other aspect. It is our autopilot!

      Picture will enlarge by clicking it.

       

      Reference: Cultural autopilot

      Let me ask you:
      Do you know what your new employee thinks about what is right and wrong behavior in a workplace, for instance?

      Exercise:
      Exercise and facilitation tip

      Exercise and faciliation tip

      Follow the instructions  below to tackle crucial questions for successful collaboration in your surroundings.

      Why is this important?
      Everyone is growing up with certain ideas of how the world works and how interaction between humans are supposed to be. This might differ significantly in regards to people from different cultural backgrounds. Therefore it is important to make sure you know how they tick to enhance understanding of yourself and the (new) team member.

      1. Choose 5 – 10 questions that you think are essential from this list: 66 ways we differ
      2. What are your answers for these questions?
      3. Ask your new staff/colleagues/team! Possible ways of having an exchange about these topics: form pairs/ triads and discuss the question; send pop-up messages posing one question every week and discuss them in your weekly team meeting; schedule short coffee breaks to talk about one question at a time, etc.
      4. Define these questions for the collaboration with your migrant worker/team/company. Get everyone on the same page!
      Reference: Reproduced from Global Competence: 50 training activities for succeeding in international business, Jonamay Lambert, Selma Myers and George Simons, Editors, Amherst, Mass.: HRD Press, 2000

      Important note:
      Even if you do not discuss about these questions with your colleagues, make sure you know your own answer to the questions. This will raise your awareness on how you see the world and makes it easier for you to communicate the way you would like things to be in your team/company.

      Chapter 3: Communication is the clue

      As an employer/person in a leading position, communication plays a crucial role for success. Find out what to consider and how to build your intercultural communication skills here.

      Chapter 4: Cultural understanding

      To understand how other people tick might be the turning point in your co-operation with others. To increase your cultural understanding and the ability to be agile in intercultural contexts, start practicing now.

      Chapter 5: Are you the right kind of leader for your newbie(s)?

      Leadership and the debate of what a leader needs in order to be a good leader has been a vibrant discussion in the past years. While there are many valid points about leadership styles and widely accessible information on the topic, this section is again about you!

      Let me ask you:

      Are you aware what kind of leader you are?
      And more importantly: Are you aware of what kind of leader your migrant worker is accustomed to?

      Picture will enlarge by clicking it.

      Exercise:
      Facilitation and exercise

      Facilitation and exercise

      Why is this important?

      Leading a diverse team can hold extra challenges and most importantly extra advantages. Yet, it is essential to know how the individuals in your team tick and what their perception of a leader is, otherwise you might imply a leadership style that is not revealing the maximum potential. How about your new migrant employee? Is he/she used to be told or to be empowered to take own actions? What does he/she prefer? (In many literature leadership is defined and approached from a “western” point of view, yet, it is only recently that attention is drawn to the compatibility of those approaches. )

      1. Do the leadership test here.
      2. Reflect on the results: Do a small reality check by reflecting on the results in combination with your own awareness of your leadership style.
      3. Think about your migrant employee and reflect on their behavior towards you. How do they act towards you? Why do you think they act like that?
      4. Talk to your new employees and ask them about their perceptions of a leader. Be aware of the way to ask: Wording, phrasing, timing. To read more on different ways to communicate go to Workplace communication.
      5. Define and/or communicate the way you would like to be a leader to you, your team and new workers.
      Reference: Picture Source (accessed 19.09.17)

      Important note:

      There might be certain tendencies when looking at the macro-level of cultural behavior, yet, it is essential to keep complexity of culture in mind. Recommended reading on cultural understanding: Zooming in and out, Beachy culture

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      Index
      Chapter 1
      1. Induction: Get them on board
      2. Induction: Get them on board
      3. Induction: Get them on board
      Chapter 2
      4. Make sure you know!
      5. Make sure you know!
      6. Make sure you know!
      Chapter 3
      7. Communication is the clue
      Chapter 4
      8. Cultural understanding
      Chapter 5
      9. Are you the right kind of leader for your newbie(s)?
      10. Are you the right kind of leader for your newbie(s)?
      11. Are you the right kind of leader for your newbie(s)?
      End

      Table of contents

      11 Pages
      Key takeaways
      • The onboarding should take more aspects into consideration when hiring and international employee.
        The focus on relationship building and creation of belonging during the onboarding and he employee’s first months are important.
      • Culture teaches us how to see the world!
        It is our autopilot and makes us perceive certain behaviors, attitudes, actions, etc. as ”normal”. This is very individual, therefore I have to know what my values, beliefs, etc. are.
      • For mutual understanding it’s crucial to know what is ”normal” to the other person (team members, coworkers, etc.) through conversation about their values, beliefs, etc. Only then we can define fruitful working-together for the future.
      • Leadership style is context dependent and needs to be adjusted to the employees, once their preferences are identified.

      Item recap

      Olet nyt varjossa STAGING ("multisite-korjaus"). Poistu