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The symposium shed light on the safe and healthy integration of urgently needed workers from other countries. It looked at the bigger picture, including solutions from other countries such as Malaysia and different sectors such as transportation, health care and agriculture. One key finding was that safe and healthy integration requires more than just communicating health and safety regulations.

The discussions with people from different countries, such as Botswana, Mexico, the Philippines and Serbia, who are themselves directly affected by the subject, were particularly impressive. In addition to internationally active recruitment agencies and occupational health and safety officers, a number of immigrant skilled workers also had their say.

From the perspective of the migrant workers, emigration to Germany was only one of several options. However, as Germany is sometimes perceived as cold in terms of weather and people, bureaucratic and unwelcoming, it is not always seen as the most attractive option. In addition, skilled workers often have to deal with more than just their tasks at their new workplace when relocating. At the same time, they have to deal with feelings of loss – be it of family, familiar surroundings, familiar food, social status or simply better weather. Often, the focus is not on a better salary, but on the desire for a better life for themselves and their family, a secure place to live and the opportunity to thrive. Getting to know this perspective of immigrant professionals was very impressive for many guests at the symposium.

In order for migrant workers to work safe and be integrated in a healthy way, an effort is required from all parties involved. First and foremost, new employees must familiarize themselves with the new environment and learn the language, but employers can do a lot to ensure successful integration through the implementation of integration and diversity management, a culturally sensitive management style, language training during working hours and support with administrative formalities. Local managers and teams should establish a culture of trust, devote more time and patience to onboarding and set up buddy and mentoring programmes. Tasks for society as a whole, such as creating a welcoming culture and reducing bureaucratic hurdles or providing support with administrative matters, also play a role.

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One of the main challenges is the language barrier. There are many solutions to this, such as multilingual instructions, the use of interpreters, videos without text, pictograms, technical translation aids and language courses. However, language skills alone are not enough to overcome all challenges. Cultural aspects are just as important. It is essential to instruct in a culturally sensitive manner and to clear up misunderstandings regarding working practices. Values and questions such as "What does safe working mean to you?" should also be addressed. Open and culturally sensitive communication is crucial here; in some cultures, for example, the comment "if you have any questions, get in touch" is perceived as an invitation to confess a weakness rather than an invitation to dialogue.

The mental health and well-being of new arrivals are also crucial for successful integration. After an initial phase of euphoria, many immigrant workers suffer from loneliness and the feeling of not really belonging or not being fully recognized professionally and socially. Special consideration, care and support are needed here.

Across all industries, workforces are becoming increasingly multicultural, so it is important to take the issue seriously and work on it long-term. This includes effective diversity management as well as developing the new workforce, as they could be the safety managers and leaders of tomorrow. Human resource management also needs to adapt thematically, for example in leadership development and integration management or by further developing degree recognition procedures or relocation management.

The event was held in hybrid format, in English and German. A total of 130 people from 16 different countries took part, 80 of whom attended on site and 50 online. The symposium was organized by the Sections of the ISSA on Prevention in Transportation and on Prevention of Occupational Risks in Health Services.  If you have any questions, please contact the Secretariat of the ISSA Section on Prevention in Transportation at secretariat@issa-transportation.org.