Post BREXIT the UK opened the doors for the migrants from across the globe to come and experience the work life here in the UK. This gave a lot of hope for many nationalities to start a new chapter of their lives post pandemic. With hope comes expectations, with expectations comes assumptions, and with assumptions comes dismay, and that’s the beginning of all the CHALLENGES…….
Welcome to the UK! The Land of the Opportunities and the journey through the obstacles faced by the recruiters to make their applicants successfully get to their dream country.
Post BREXIT there has been a huge shortage of staff in the UK overall and more in the hospitality sector. We at Vira International Ltd., specializing in the hospitality sector recruitment for over 50 years, and more than 25 years in the UK itself experience this turmoil firsthand. On one side we have 100s of sponsors looking for skilled migrants to come here in the UK and fulfill their shortage whereas on the other hand we have 100 more skilled migrants who wants to come to the UK however they have knitted their own dream of the environment here in the UK built out of their expectations and assumptions.
Sponsors in the UK seek for talented migrants to come and pick up the job right away, be hands-on and take on self-responsibility without seeking any additional help. Migrants on the other hand accustomed to a specific operating work culture finds it very difficult to adapt to this situation of self-responsibility. Back in the migrants’ home country or the places where they worked previously, they are accustomed to do specific job role only, nothing much nothing less. Everyone has their own bit to play, accumulating all bits resulting in a Teamwork. Here in the UK, it is just a one-man team, taking ownership of the job, and doing end-to-end as a responsibility. This comes as a cultural shock to the migrants.
With the above scenario, recruiters have two expectations to match, one that of a sponsor and the other of a migrant. The conflict is when the sponsor is expecting the migrant to be as swift as “Plug and Play” from the time they are in the country, the migrants on the other hand are in a cultural shock of the new work environment, seeking hand-holding help, expecting time to help them acquire to the new environment. This is an on-going circle and the challenge which recruiter has, is to keep up with both parties, managing their respective expectations individually.
There isn’t always a win-win situation for both the sponsor and the migrant which keeps the workforce shortage still a shortage and the recruiters having sleepless nights trying to manage the expectations of both parties.
