Launch of a cycle of webinars: foreign workers: a responsible recruitment is possible

Published on Mar 25, 2021

In April, the NGO Human Resources Without Borders is launching the first French cycle of webinars dedicated to the responsible recruitment of foreign workers targeting employers and human resources professionals in SMEs. Participants will be able to address the fundamentals and practices of responsible recruitment as well as the issue of intercultural relations. The cycle, co-financed by the European Union and the Occitanie Region, is organized in collaboration with the National Association of Human Resources Directors (ANDRH), the MEDEF 31, FACE Grand Toulouse and the European project In Terras.

The risks of abusive work are a reality in France, where they particularly affect foreign workers with little or no qualifications. Covering realities that are still poorly understood and violations of fundamental rights, these risks can occur without the employers’ awareness. While the recruitment of foreign workers presents opportunities, particularly for SMEs in sectors under pressure, it also poses its share of challenges. The European project MiraGE is dedicated to the professional integration of foreign workers and promotes responsible recruitment.

Human Resources Without Borders (RHSF), the project leader in France with the association Assfam (Groupe SOS), has more than 15 years of field experience in preventing indecent and forced labor. It tests and shares operational solutions for responsible recruitment along the entire supply chain.

The study conducted by RHSF with employers as part of this project enabled them to express their main difficulties in recruiting foreign workers: complexity of administrative procedures, management of intercultural relations, language barriers, etc. This study also confirmed that employers are largely unaware of the risks of abusive situations related to recruitment.

“The French law on duty of care requires large companies to ensure that their suppliers, including SMEs, prevent these human rights risks. We are aware of the realities and specific constraints of SMEs. Therefore, we propose simple principles that will help prevent the risks of abusive labor in their recruitment“, says Martine Combemale, President of RHSF.

3 webinars:

• Recruiting foreign workers: fundamentals and key issues (May 18/ April 22)
• Recruiting foreign workers: the keys to responsible recruitment (extension of the “Fundamentals” module) (May 27 / June 3)
• Intercultural relations in the workplace: meeting the challenges and seizing the opportunities (April 8 / June 1)

Buyers, human resources professionals, lawyers or any other professional who has to recruit in SMEs will be able to acquire knowledge on the mechanisms of indecent work in recruitment channels and the risks to which workers are exposed, the fundamentals of responsible recruitment, the regulations on the recruitment of foreign workers, and intercultural relations and communication. A guide of best practices observed, and operational tools to enrich vigilance practices (such as the “Vigilance Plan, are you ready?” questionnaire from RHSF) will also be widely distributed to SME employers. Registration for these online webinars is free, and can be done here. A cycle is organized for members of the ANDRH network: here, in partnership with the ANDRH headquarters and the local Midi-Pyrénées group.

Abusive labor covers flagrant cases of violation of fundamental rights, which can go as far as forced labor. If it is present in the underground economy, it can also be found in companies which, while respecting labor laws, may be unaware that some of their employees are in a situation of forced labor, due to their recruitment process. At the origin of these situations, recruitment intermediaries may propose contracts that are out of touch with reality, impose recruitment fees and various other charges leading to situations of debt bondage… Recruitment is thus an essential, often ignored, issue in the prevention of abusive and forced labor.

This project was financed by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund ( AMIF) of the European Union and the Region Occitanie. The content of this document represents only the point of view of its author and is his sole responsibility. The European Commission and the Occitanie Region accept no responsibility for the use that may be made of the information contained herein.

Press contact:

Marie Grandchamp
m.grandchamp@giesbert-mandin.fr
06 87 85 94 61

About RHSF:

The NGO Human Resources Without Borders (RHSF), a “public interest” association, has the mission of preventing the risks of child labour, forced labour and, more generally, indecent labour in supply chains. RHSF relies on its international network to offer an effective field approach. It focuses its action on testing pilot prevention solutions with companies and their subcontractors, and sharing its expertise with all those working for decent work throughout the subcontracting chain.