Bodywork industry business management, Business management in innovation, Mechanical business management, News, Raynald Bouchard
PRIORITY TO IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION
(Article published in L’Automobile magazine, June 2023)
By Raynald Bouchard
“The key to successful recruitment lies in the integration of newcomers. You have to wait at least three months to see if these new employees have started to settle in. That’s when it all comes down to it.”
Jean-Guy Roy, General Manager of the Charles Turcotte et Fils team, is a leading figure in the automotive maintenance and repair sector. He has been with Desharnais Pneus et Mécanique for 32 years, including 25 years as General Manager of one of Québec’s largest organizations in the National Capital Region. Feeling that the time had come to retire and make way for the next generation, he moved to his home in Deschambault, only to realize a few months later that he was not yet ready to give up his profession.
On Familiar Ground
Following a fortuitous meeting with the president of Charles Turcotte et Fils in Trois-Rivières, he accepted an invitation to join the company, still as General Manager. He picked up where he left off, continuing his annual tour of the Maghreb countries to scout French-speaking immigrants to pursue their careers in Québec as technicians, technical advisors or other related jobs. He recruited fourteen in the past year, his average performance since he started eight years ago. He doesn’t criticize the work of specialized agencies that do this kind of work—a monk’s job, he says—but asserts that he attracts French-speaking workers who will have less difficulty integrating into their new home.
Integration First
Once the recruitment phase is over, it’s the integration of new arrivals that represents the biggest challenge. Even if they speak French—one of the sine qua non conditions for being hired—it’s the new faces, different life experiences and ways of working that sometimes raise concerns among some existing employees, who seem to fear for their own jobs: “It’s a natural reaction that I always try to counter in several ways, such as direct communication with all or some staff, and pairing the immigrant worker with one of the existing employees.”
The Host Company’s Duties
The host company’s duties towards these new arrivals begin with welcoming them at the airport, registering them with the RAMQ and SAAQ, opening a bank account, issuing them a social insurance card, taking steps to extend their work permit, etc. The host company is also responsible for ensuring that the newcomers are properly informed of their rights and obligations. The company is responsible as well for finding them a home, if they have no family in the region.
To facilitate the accommodation of new workers, Charles Turcotte et Fils has acquired an apartment block which is available to them on a temporary basis, until they can find suitable longer-term housing. After a year or so, the puzzle has been solved, and the women and children can now put the family unit back together.
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