Perseverance the right business card for this Chinese employee

Roger and Cathy Burn had reached the stage in their business where they realised that if they didn't delegate, their growth would be limited to what they themselves could do. A trusted Chinese employee provided the opportunity for them to share some of the load.

Roger is managing director and Cathy is general manager of Dalton International. The company imports disposable protective clothing, high visibility vests and first aid kits, as well as products such as packaging and stationery tape, bag sealing tape and protective film and sells them to wholesalers. Based in Auckland's East Tamaki, the company employs four full-time and two part-time staff. Roger describes Dalton's culture as 'relaxed'. 'We work very much as a team.'

Roger and a Chinese business partner based in New Zealand, began the company six years ago. His partner did the purchasing in China and Roger was responsible for sales. He bought out his partner two years ago and since then his company has gone from strength to strength. Roger comes from a banking and insurance background and Cathy was a business analyst. It was a big decision for her to leave a secure and well-paid position to join the company as general manager.

Dake Liu, a new immigrant from Harbin in Northern China, with a degree in chemical engineering got his first New Zealand job with Dalton as a forklift driver. 'His English wasn't great, but I could see that he would come up to speed, and I was right,' Roger says.

Roger says that Dake is a very loyal worker. 'We helped him gain his residency permit and personally helped him settle into the country. He has proved to be an exceptional worker. He's intelligent and conscientious.'

Dake has since been promoted to logistics manager, in charge of all incoming and outgoing products. He visits China annually to do the bulk of the company's purchasing. He is being trained to use the company's sophisticated new computer system and this will give him an additional set of skills.

'Although we're only a small company, titles are still important,' says Roger. 'It's good for Dake and also for business if he can go to China, where status is very important, with a business card and a job title he can feel proud of.'

Dake's wife Linda also works at the Dalton's warehouse as a part-time packer. Roger's advice for other employers taking on recent migrants is to be open-minded and patient.  He admits that comprehension of instructions can be an issue. 'There's much head-nodding and you think they understand what you're saying, but often this isn't the case, as you sometimes discover later,' he says.

'Employers need to see new migrants as individuals and to forget about the stereotypes. Beneath the skin, people are not all that different. You can encounter migrants who are very decent and hardworking and some who are not as nice. New migrants often accept jobs way below their abilities and qualifications just to get a foot in the door,' says Roger. 'You're likely to get staff who are more qualified than those you'd normally attract. They'll be loyal, because they realise you've gone out on a limb to give them an opportunity to gain New Zealand work experience.'

'Take an interest in their country', Roger advises. His experiences with his Chinese business partner and his staff have prompted him to read as much as he can about China. 'I wanted to get an understanding of why Chinese think and act the way they do, and the ways in which history has shaped their views on life.'