Dalla Lana School of Public Health

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Safe Work Integration of Immigrants and Refugees: Employer Perspectives

Employers play an important role in the safe work integration of immigrants and refugees in Canada. Despite their central role in both hiring and subsequently providing safe work environments for recent immigrants and refugees, we know little about employers’ expectations, experiences, and challenges in relation to hiring and retaining them. In this presentation, Dr. Basak Yanar will provide insights from the interviews with employers and immigrant-serving organizations related to safe work integration of newcomer workers. She will discuss employers’ needs and experiences in keeping newcomer workers safe at work as well as gaps identified in employers’ safety practices and perceptions related to workplace health and safety, specifically in the context of linguistic and cultural diversity.

Presenter: Basak Yanar

Dr. Basak Yanar is an Associate Scientist at the Institute for Work & Health (IWH), and an Assistant Professor, Social and Behavioural Health Sciences Division in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. She holds a PhD in organizational behaviour and human resource management from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. Yanar’s research interests focus on migration, work, and occupational health and safety (OHS). She studies the working conditions of newcomers to Canada and the role played by employers, the settlement sector and the OHS prevention system in promoting safe work integration of recent immigrants and refugees. Her emerging program of research explores managing workplace health and safety within the context of linguistic and cultural diversity. As a social scientist with disciplinary training in organizational behaviour, Yanar is also interested in the psychosocial work environment and the ways organizations can promote healthier and safer workplaces.