The refugee workforce: Welcome your best new workers home

4 mins, 3 secs read time

When I founded Amplio Recruiting, my goal was simple: help talented people find good jobs. Now we’re proud to place wonderful refugee workers at companies across the country – and introduce businesses to the best teams they’ve ever had.

I’ve met so many incredible people, and learned so much from them. If you’ve never had the pleasure of getting to know the refugee community, these are some of the most important things I think you should know about what they have to offer your team, your company and your community.

U.S.A., or Yo(U) Start Again

Let’s set the record straight: refugees are legal, documented immigrants. They are fully authorized to work and pay taxes from the moment they arrive – in fact, they undergo an extensive vetting process, with months of paperwork, exhaustive screenings and grueling interviews.

They have come to stay

Refugees have fled their beloved home countries in search of the most basic human rights, and given up everything for them. In exchange for essential safety, freedom and pursuit of happiness, many of them have left successful careers, their families and their whole sense of self – until they arrive here.

They’re not looking for a handout, they’re starved for opportunity – many have had little or no chance to work for months, or even years, and they’re ready to commit 110% at the first scent of a new chance. They’ll take every inch of the potential ahead, and they’ll give back even more – in fact, they’re some of the most dedicated workers in the field, and offer incredible loyalty and retention numbers.

From the second they get here, they are ready to work

When you have to rebuild a life – from scratch, in a language that’s likely completely alien to you – your drive is rivaled only by your focus. We’ve found that our talented refugees are fueled by the search for three serious things: career, capital and community. They know what it’s like to have that kind of dignity, and they want it back.

That drive makes talented refugees like Mohammad some of the hardest workers you can imagine. Mohammad wakes every day to catch the bus to school, where he’s cranking away to earn his G.E.D. – he has only learned English within the past year, and he refuses to let the gap in his education from his time in a refugee camp hold him back. After he finishes class, he logs a full shift with our friends at Gourmet Foods International before returning home to finish his studies.

Mohammad joins dozens of talented refugees from the Amplio family who are working to rebuild both their own lives and the American businesses who’ve welcomed them home. Their productivity is staggering – Compac Industries, one of our Atlanta-based clients, reports that production tripled because of refugee staff after just a few weeks. The team at Gourmet Foods, with help from Mohammad and the rest of their new Syrian refugee family, is happy to report healthy levels of staffing, productivity and morale – for the first time in years.

We laugh, we fight, we grow – together

While refugee workers craft a new life in a world they’ve never known, they’re rebuilding a sense of family, too. Their coworkers, teammates and managers play a huge role in creating a comfortable, genuine new world for Mohammad and so many others like him.

We’ve helped place people in industries of all kinds – in pest control squads, hospitality teams, mattress companies, food and beverage – and what we hear about most often, no matter the work or the worker, is their new “family.”

Orlando Morrow, one of the managers at Gourmet Foods International, set a high bar with the first refugees his team welcomed: as the manager, he has no time for racism, stereotypes or skepticism and his team followed suit. Today, you’d never know this was a group of people who once struggled with morale.

“It’s great to see,” he tells us. “They work together, eat together, do outside social functions. They’re mixing outside of work, learning [each other’s] cultures, too.”

Open your door — opportunity awaits

Refugee workers show up. They commit to their teams with an awesome appreciation and deep dedication. They take work very, very seriously – they arrive early, and they stay late. And their unique personalities, energy and vigor inspire everyone around them. I can honestly say that I’ve personally learned so much from them, and seen our refugee talent help so many teams succeed.

Their passion is, quite simply, unmatched.

Stay tuned for my next post with the Greenhouse Team – I’ll be getting into some of my favorite success stories, and introducing you to some exceptional talent.

Want to learn more about how Amplio Recruiting can introduce you to amazing refugee talent? Click here to see our video about hiring talent.