DE&I at Biotech Week: Creating a Path for Foreign-Born Workers

Sep 30, 2021 | Community, Human Resources Services

We proudly sponsored Biotech Week Boston’s Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Summit last week.  The Summit brought together panelists and attendees from over 22 countries around the world, each with a diverse set of experiences, perspectives, and important themes to add to the conversation.  

WR Immigration’s Julie Galvin led a session focused on overcoming common obstacles, including incorporating a DE&I lens when hiring foreign-born employees.  

The Summit’s keynote, Incorporate the Right Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Processes for Your Company, included insights from leaders at some of the world’s largest pharma companies. They touched on themes critical to an inclusive workforce, such as foreign-born worker engagement, bias correction, the future of work, the LGBTQ+ community, and workplace agility.  

 A few key points emerged throughout the day: 

Incorporating DE&I requires investment, passion, and purpose. Human Resource leaders are investing their time to embed company values, facilitate transitions, and improve the hiring process for foreign-born workers. For those in the Life Sciences community, these efforts make real contributions to overcoming barriers, bringing impact, and accelerating innovation.  

Connect with people first. Understand their “why.” Hiring talent within the Life Sciences community can be challenging when, at times, there are a handful of people around the world who specialize in the skills that a company may need. Attracting and retaining this talent requires a willingness and ability to connect with people regardless of their location, cultural affiliations, or diverse views.  As hiring efforts for foreign-born talent expand, companies are making deeper investments to demonstrate flexibility and agility across markets.  

Have courageous conversations. During today’s Great Recession, the younger workforce is more closely analyzing a company’s profile before joining a team. There is a heightened need to not just “check the box” for diversity but also to disclose information and make a commitment to these transparent conversations. Consistency to follow through on DE&I commitments will help HR teams attract and retain top talent on a global scale.  

Consequences for not including DE&I are significant. As Julie highlighted in her roundtable, policies and programs are required to help foreign-born talent transition to their new roles, especially in their first 100 days. Companies are also faced with important decisions around how to decrease attrition rates. This intersection of immigration and culture is clear: a DE&I lens is required to efficiently move the needle for global mobility teams – and move employees through the immigration process and into the company culture.  

Rules are changing on travel bans, visa policies, and exemptions; at WR, we partner with HR leaders to keep pace with the immigration changes and help provide that path for foreign-born talent.  

We also understand the value DE&I plays in our community, partnerships with HR, and their contributions among global mobility teams. We know our role goes beyond the crucial work that we do; as a result, we have built a firm that prioritizes opportunity for all. Our goal is to help empower innovation by bringing foreign-born talent to Life Science companies and beyond.  

Related Posts:

WR Immigration Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month: And the Oscar Goes to…Rita Moreno

Puerto Rican-born and New York-raised, Rita Moreno started her career early on Broadway at the age of 13, performing “Skydrift.” Since then, she has become a household name over the decades, starring in over 40 films and captivating audiences with her portrayal as Anita in the 1961 West Side Story. Moreno’s role in West Side Story has set her name in history by winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar, becoming the first-ever Hispanic American woman to win an Academy Award. Born December 11, 1931 in Humacao, Puerto Rico, Moreno took her father’s last name after migrating to New York with her mother in 1936. Whether on the Broadway stage or the Hollywood screen, Moreno broke racial and gender barriers through her vast characters and riveting performances. Throughout her extensive career, Moreno became the only female performer to win all four of the entertainment industry’s most prestigious awards – the Oscar, the Emmy, the Tony and the Grammy. A brief glance at Moreno’s profile will attest to these achievements. Rita Moreno’s talent is unlike any other and has created a legacy that she has yet to end. She continues to steal the Hollywood screen as her name has been teased to […]

Webinar: I-9 Updates & Covid Flexibility Termination, Part 1

WR Immigration attorneys Kimberley Best Robidoux and Josune Aguirre Gamez update employers on required actions for Form I-9 and workplace compliance as COVID-19 flexibilities end. Also Covered in this Presentation: And much more!