What happened?
Kiranpal has recently come to work in the UK from India. She doesn’t really know anyone properly yet and feels isolated.
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Kiranpal’s English is excellent, but there are some more colloquial phrases and expressions that she doesn’t always understand. This makes Kiranpal feel out of the loop sometimes.
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Kiranpal is unsure of the policies around medical procedures in her new UK unit. They’re different from those she was very familiar with in India.
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Often, Kiranpal has to ask questions of her colleagues to confirm she’s got the procedures right. She is worried that she is underperforming.
And then?
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Carole had noticed that Kiranpal often seemed unsure of procedures and that she was often quiet and didn’t mix socially with her colleagues.
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Carole took some time to go through the unit’s policies with Kiranpal on the intranet to help her become more familiar with them. She also suggested that Kiranpal join the buddy system for international staff members.
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The international buddy system put Kiranpal in touch with Farhan, also an international member of staff. Farhan met up with Kiranpal and they were able to share their experiences of what it was like coming to the UK from India.
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Kiranpal felt more at home after speaking with Farhan and she began to feel more confident with the policies and procedures now she knew where she could find the details.
How to improve
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A buddy system for international staff can help them feel more at home when they’re new to the UK. This can make people feel more a part of the team and help them integrate into the unit.
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Information about policies and procedures needs to be available to everyone, but especially to international staff who are used to things working differently.
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It would be beneficial for international staff to have access to the intranet before they arrive so they can familiarise themselves with how things might be different in advance of them starting work in PCC in the UK.