Written by Sarah Diner, Employment Services Coordinator
We have heard from our refugee and immigrant clients that they have experienced a great deal of uncertainty, confusing information, and stress during this pandemic, particularly as it relates to maintaining or finding new employment. At the Catherine McAuley Center, we want to see our clients find work that allows their families to be self-sufficient, as well as support Iowa employers, who have faced challenges meeting their workforce needs in recent years, in making their hiring and training practices accessible to immigrants and refugees. That hope remains through this pandemic!
It has been shown that minority communities have been hit the hardest by the virus and the subsequent impacts on family stability. For data on how COVID-19 has affected minority households, take a look at The Urban Institute’s weekly update on COVID-19’s Effects by Race and Ethnicity. The closing of schools and other child care facilities has particularly impacted our clients’ abilities to go to work because many of them are essential workers and rely on these public support systems to keep up with their responsibilities. Many of CMC’s clients have come to the United States as refugees or asylum seekers, meaning they fled their home countries due to a legitimate fear for their life or their safety, and have been granted safety within our country in order to start a new chapter in their lives. Refugee and asylum clients who arrived just as the pandemic was taking over have been unable to receive Social Security Cards due to the closure of the offices, preventing them from attaining employment since they can’t be hired on at a company without their Social Security numbers. All these families want to do is be able to provide for themselves and create a sense of security after going through years of instability in their home countries and refugee camps.
Many of the employers we work with are in the food processing and manufacturing industries with others spread within the custodial and housekeeping departments throughout the healthcare and hospitality fields. The clients we see are proud of their jobs with these employers and eager to continue working, while also making sure they are staying safe and following company and national guidelines. The trouble they are facing is difficulties communicating and understanding their employers’ specific guidelines due to existing language barriers. In order to overcome this, it is key for employers to release patient, clear, accessible communication that avoids complex, technical language about topics like:
- paid leave or pay during a company shut down,
- employees’ level of exposure to coronavirus,
- new safety measures that the company may be implementing,
- protocols for informing the company of an exposure or positive test
This format in communication can help halt rumors in the workplace and helps non-English-speaking populations make informed decisions about their health and safety. Not only does taking proper safety precautions and communicating clearly recognize the dignity of workers, but we believe will also support employers in retaining their workforce.
CMC has already worked with employers across several industries in Eastern Iowa to provide guidance on how to overcome language barriers and make hiring and training accessible, and has created some videos about COVID-19 safety in multiple languages that are available on our Youtube channel.
We would love to continue supporting employers on their quest to ensure full understanding throughout the company by providing guidance on navigating communication on issues specific to their workplace so our immigrant and refugee neighbors can stay safe and healthy. If you are interested in how we can help support your company, feel free to reach out to CMC staff.
Contact: sarahb@cmc-cr.org