By Zoe Allen, Sona Circle

A diverse and inclusive workplace is an asset to any business. If you have read our previous blog post on the key benefits of hiring refugees, and are now ready to integrate refugees into your workplace, congratulations on making a great business (and humanitarian) decision!

Here are our top tips for making your recruitment practices refugee-friendly.

1. Review your language requirements

Refugees may still be developing their English language skills, and therefore job descriptions specifying a high level of English may be off-putting. Of course, some jobs, such as some content writing roles, will require a thorough knowledge of the English language, but many roles will not.

Have a second think through your role requirements to see what level of language skills is absolutely necessary.

In addition, consider whether key instructions and documents could be translated to different languages to accommodate refugee candidates and employees.

To make your roles even more accessible to refugees, you can embed English language training into your workplace. Currently, refugees can access funding for English tuition whilst unemployed and looking for a job, why not support their development by continuing this training in the workplace.

2. Support refugees to transfer qualifications

Many refugees have prior qualifications, attended university, or were previously employed in skilled employment; however the majority end up working in manual or unskilled labour in the UK.

It is important for employers to be open to helping refugees prove and verify their qualifications, by working with regulatory and industry bodies, or by consulting the NARIC (National Academic Recognition Information Centre).

This will allow refugees to access employment that fits their skills and interests which will be both much more rewarding for refugees and also enable employers to benefits from the full knowledge and talents of their employees.

3. Support employee’s mental health

The long hours and demands on employees in the workplace can be stressful for us all. More employers across the country are coming to realise the importance of supporting their employee’s mental health.

This requirement is even more critical when working with refugees who have often had to overcome traumatic experiences before arriving at their host countries.

Making sure your workplace prioritises the mental health of employees, such as by allowing mental health sick days and creating a supportive and open environment around mental health, will help refugees (and other employees!) feel much more comfortable and also perform better.

4. Offer internships and apprenticeships

Internships and apprenticeships, which provide on-the-job-training, can help refugees ease more gradually into the UK workplace, gain new skills, improve existing ones, learn about the workplace culture and also gain confidence.

As with job applications, try to ensure that entry requirements for internships and apprenticeships are accessible to refugees, for example by reviewing the language requirements.

More information and support on refugee internship and apprenticeship programmes can be found on the Sona Circle website.

5. Publicise inclusivity in your workplace

Being a socially conscious and inclusive organisation is something to be very proud of. Be sure to let the world know that your practises are aligned with your values. Your actions could inspire others to follow suit. As a thought leader in the marketplace, this is your responsibility.

Make it clear on your website, social media and PR campaigns and also on job adverts, that you are a refugee-friendly, diverse and inclusive employer.

Share the steps you are taking to make your workplace inclusive, such as by making space for religious holidays or setting up a Cultural Awareness Network.

6. Combat unconscious bias by educating employees

To make your workplace even more inclusive, be sure you are promoting inclusion and diversity at all levels.

This can include delivering unconscious bias training to all employees, rather than just for the hiring managers. Engage senior management in the refugee hiring programme, and offer training to supervisors to help them support their refugee hires.

This will all lead to the creation of a positive, diverse workplace environment, not only for refugees, but for all employees.

7. Find a partner to help you recruit refugee candidates

Get in touch with the friendly and supportive team at Sona Circle Recruitment to help you access refugee talent for your business and for advice with your recruitment process.

At Sona Circle Recruitment, we offer refugee employment and internship programmes for employers to recruit talented and committed employees.

We simplify the process by selecting a pool of great candidates who fit your requirements, before you interview the candidates and make your selection.

If you aren’t hiring right now, you can show your support by donating to the Sona Circle Refugee Employment Campaign. Sona Circle is a non-profit social enterprise and 100% of donations go directly to helping create employment opportunities for refugees.