I have spoken about immigrants before but I wanted to share that every immigrant I ever met, worked their heart out.
Why am I talking about this again? To share my experiences that others may not have had. I grew up in a rural place that depended on immigrants to harvest agricultural products. There would be no economy without them. However, I have been around immigrants all my life, and they have been the most law-abiding, hard-working people I have ever known.
Many immigrants who are working for their H1B visas don’t get treated the same as regular US workers. I have seen in past companies I have worked at the different ways that non-white people were treated. When I asked about it and the unfairness I was told that they were “used to that” and that it wasn’t anything new or abusive. You can justify a lot of bad treatment by looking in terms of what people are used to, instead of what others routinely get and expect.
I see in the world of work two very different stories. Working in IT we have the rules that the majority get, and then whatever the VIP’s/executives want. Companies talk about “we are a family” but the family plays favorites. You can’t expect someone working with an older and slower computer to be as efficient as someone with new equipment, yet immigrants and others are routinely discriminated against in this way.
It isn’t right. It isn’t right when we are silent when others are abused. I shared that a company gave a certificate to a restaurant as thanks and the person getting the certificate couldn’t eat non-halal meat. When I talked to HR about it they were surprised and said they would fix it. It is this kind of white US-centric thinking that causes companies to fail. Rather than being places of inclusion and diversity, it is run by someone who wants to put their beliefs and values on people.
If you have an immigrant working in your company, please ask them how you can help them. If they haven’t gotten a cost of living increase, please give it to them. They have bills to pay as well. Treat others like you want to be treated, no matter if you feel they are like you or not.