How can employers help refugees become part of their communities?
Hiring refugees is a good and important step in helping them become part of their new societies, but employers making them feel like a valued member of the team also is important, a study co-authored by University of Missouri management professor John Schaubroek found. After declining during the Trump administration, the number of refugees admitted to the U.S. is increasing under President Biden. In May, 915 refugees were admitted, compared with 272 in February. The study surveyed 398 Syrian refugees at 88 companies, mostly manufacturing companies. The employed refugees participated in three surveys over two months. The employers also were surveyed to measure the initiative refugees showed. A diverse climate at a company can help refugees fit into the company and the society overall, Schaubroeck said the study found. "The surveys measured whether they felt like an insider in the organization," Schaubroeck said. "Those factors include where they identify with their organization; a sense of belonging to the organization." More:Agencies enthusiastically prepare for increased refugee resettlement in Columbia  The study looked at refugees' initiative at work and outside of work, joining community organizations and other extracurricular activities. The refugees' level of belonging in their company corresponded with their interaction in the community, he said. "If you have a favorable diversity climate in the company, your identity as a refugee is not something you're thinking about all the time," Schaubroeck said. Hiring refugees does a lot, he said. "It's not simply because of economics," he said about the jobs. "Otherwise you're sitting in an apartment only talking with other refugees. The employment provides some kind of engagement with the host society." The companies and refugees in the study were outside of the U.S., but Schaubroeck said he thinks the findings can apply to U.S. companies and refugees here and elsewhere. Social Identity Processes Influencing Refugees' Work Initiative and Community Embeddedness" is set to be published in the Academy of Management. rmckinney@columbiatribune.com  573-815-1719