About 80,000 talented status holders are eager to get to work. In a tight labor market like now, the opportunities should be endless. Unfortunately, the reality is more unruly. Colleague Pegy Ibrahim and Suzan Peters, HR Business Partner at Sweco, discussed this: What is it all about, and how does it work?

Please note: this article was translated using a translator app

Plenty of talent

 About 80,000 talented status holders are ready to strengthen Dutch organizations. In a tight labor market like now, the opportunities seem endless. Yet the match is difficult to achieve. “Enter the conversation,” is the advice of Pegy Ibrahim, who guides organizations on this issue from the Refugee Talent Hub. Together with Suzan Peters, HR Business Partner at Sweco, she has now linked fourteen status holders to vacancies within Sweco.

Make the difference

 They have been working on this partnership for two years now: Suzan from HR and as a driving force within Sweco, and Pegy as a project officer within Refugee Talent Hub. Pegy knows well what it's like to have to find your way in a new country. “I was 16 when I came to the Netherlands from Syria. Being so young makes it easier in my opinion. Actually, I walked the same path as a Dutch person of the same age. And that helps, it makes it easier to integrate.” After studying International Business, she started working at Refugee Talent Hub, which aims to bring employers and refugees closer together with the aim of finding paid jobs.

 Pegy beams when she talks about her work: “Our candidates want to get to work. They want to be of value. And when a company opens the door to someone and says “Yes, come on, let's try it”, then I am very happy! I know that at Refugee Talent Hub we make a difference for refugees in the Netherlands,” she laughs proudly.

Better to know what you don't know

 In the pursuit of more ethnic diversity and in the context of the SROI (Social Return On Investment) and the Social Entrepreneurship Performance Ladder, Sweco has invested heavily in the collaboration with Refugee Talent Hub over the past two years. Suzan took the lead as project leader. “In order to be able to place status holders on vacancies, support is required from line management. The project team examined how we could support managers in this and what needs there were. That is why we organized information meetings and a workshop in collaboration with Refugee Talent Hub in the first year,” she explains. “We also hold speed dates. This resulted in fourteen new colleagues with a refugee background. Extremely inspiring. Line managers now also contact the municipality themselves, for example, to discuss status holders. A nice step forward.”

The bar is high

 Landing in a new organization takes energy, for everyone. For status holders, the bar is even higher, due to the language barrier and learning to work in an (often) completely different work culture. By paying attention to language and work culture from both the departments and the status holders, great initiatives are created. These initiatives yield enormous results, say Suzan and Pegy. “You learn so much about each other. You put yourself much more in the shoes of an individual. You know better what you did not know and you enrich your worldview and view of humanity,” says Suzan. “The mentor gets a much more personal picture of someone with a refugee background. It has a personal impact and deepens your knowledge.”

The office as enrichment

 One of these initiatives is the aforementioned mentor program for status holders by Sweco employees. “This program is extremely important for the mentees,” says Pegy. “Just basic knowledge about the Dutch labor market is valuable. Understand how it works in the Netherlands. For example, see what a working day looks like during a morning orientation. Someone recently asked whether it made sense to bring a mentee with him when he himself was sitting behind a computer in the office one morning. That's exactly what's so good. To simply let mentees experience how things work in the Netherlands. The simplest things! What is self-evident for mentors is often an enrichment for the newcomer.”

Everything comes together

 The foreign language network is also an example of how attention is paid to the language barrier and different work culture. Founded by non-native Dutch-speaking Sweco employees who convert their dilemmas into a toolbox that helps new non-native speakers to enter into conversations with their team. Suzan regularly joins the network: “We exchange tips and advice, including insights from the collaboration with Refugee Talent Hub. In this network they come together and reinforce each other. In this way, the employees take over the initiative. And that's what you want. That it is not something that comes from management, but that you do it together and for each other.”

Oh I didn't know this!

 “The fact that the management team visibly promotes the partnership also makes it stronger,” says Suzan. “For example, our director Eugene shared his LinkedIn profile with Murad, who fled from China, for two weeks. That gave a lot of positive reactions.” The role of Refugee Talent Hub is crucial in this. “Without Refugee Talent Hub we would never have met this target group,” says Suzan. “Many companies want something like this, but you also have to do it. Many employers lack knowledge. When they participate in speed dates or meetings, they often respond with 'Oh, I didn't know this'. Then they become motivated to do something themselves,” says Pegy.

 How do they view the future of the Netherlands? “Diversity is inevitable for BV Nederland,” says Suzan. “But how do we do that? That is an important question to discuss with each other as employers and politicians.” Pegy is hopeful: “Some companies are already doing so well. They have been involved for years. It's really going in the right direction. We take it step by step.” “The increased attention for the Sustainable Development Goals in the business community is also positive,” Suzan adds.

And now on...

 Hiring status holders goes further than the foreign-language network [of Sweco, ed.] and guidance programs. Looking at the diversity of Sweco, Suzan sees very clearly what challenges lie ahead. “It sounds so beautiful; increasing diversity,” she says. “But the moment you increase diversity, the challenge of inclusion becomes even greater. Because how do you ensure that you remain inclusive? Being inclusive and diverse requires that you encourage people to continue to pay attention to other perspectives. That you challenge people to look for beliefs that they unconsciously carry with them. It really demands something different from you as a company.”

Keep learning from each other

 “Every company implements diversity in its own way. But ultimately it really has to come from a company itself. Refugee Talent Hub facilitates the meeting. And we will probably need that for years to come.” Pegy is optimistic when she looks ahead: “We must continue to learn from each other and do it together as companies. Employers must learn to see the talents of status holders.” Her most important tip for companies that want to take a first step? “Start with a personal meeting, invite candidates for an interview. You see the talents when you meet someone.” You can contact status holders via Refugee Talent Hub. “But also in your own network or in the neighborhood. It doesn't have to be difficult!”