Neutral Management Policies for Engaging, and Retaining Employees in ISA

TanTec Ltd with 2 Facilities: HTL & STLUnited Nations Industrial Development Organization

Technical ReportVienna, Austria

Nina Schneider, B.ScSustainable Development Data Scientist

Research Rationale

Prepared by UNIDO to advise leather tanneries (tanning & finishing) of merits in adopting: socially blind, neutral hiring, retaining labor policies.

Create a corporate culture where merit and hard work are valued over simple characteristics.

ISA TanTec, Ltd.- Global leader in sustainable, top-quality leather production- Excellent Corporate Social Responsibility- Strong neutral policies and management attitudes to hire,

engage and retain management, technicians and employees.

Data Collection and Analyses

Tri-lingual research tool devised combining questions for qualitative and quantitative information

Analyses ProcedureDescriptive Statistics- To explain average

responses, identify biases

Correlations- Determine strength of

variable relationships

Linear Regressions- Determine significant

predictive nature of independent on dependent variables

Operational Hypotheses

1) Participants’ gender, job title and/or production facility contributed to employee engagement (observed via perceptions on productivity, work ethic, openness and openness to criticism among both female and male employees at all levels)

2) Participants’ gender, job title, and/or production facility contributed to employee retention (observed via perceptions on the importance of six traits on promotion opportunities)

3) Qualitative questions recording participants’ perception of management, company programs and work space as a whole.

IMPORTANT: Qualitative answers were voluntary. In other words, if the participant took the extra effort to record their suggestions, the answers in this section should hold extra weight.

Significant Results – Part 1[Data from all 5 cohorts]

Interpretation Guide:

Example

Gender predicted differences in the Perception of Work Ethic among F/M

Results:

F = If the participant was female, they answered that they have better work ethic (0.341, closer to 0 in the DV coding).

Significant Results – Part 2[Data from all 2 cohorts: Admin/Prod]

Interpretation Guide:

Example

Job title predicted differences in the Satisfaction with Job Performance

Results:

Admin = If the participant was administrative, they answered that they are satisfied with job performance(8.073, the higher the better in the DV coding).

There are 36 unique non-significant results. Pt 1: Data from all 5 cohorts

Gender, Status/Job Title and Production Facility were not salient, impactful constructs in work ethic, reliability, productivity, etc. due to Neutral Management Policies.

Pt 2: Data from 2 cohorts: Prod & Admin Gender, Status/Job Title and Production Facility were not salient,

impactful constructs in satisfaction with company policies, working conditions, level of management, etc. due to Neutral Management Policies.

Concept based on: Joshua Aronson’s Stereotype Threat- If a component of an individual’s identity (e.g, gender, work title, and

place of employment) is made salient, they may accidentally prove the stereotype true though the stress of trying to avoid it.

- E.g., Do not think of pink elephant. Now what did you think of?

Non-Significant Results (Pt 1 & 2)

Qualitative Results (Pt 1: All 5 cohorts)Exec/Middle Management, 2 high peaks: 1) desire for a

kindergarten for young mothers ; 2) no need for program. = Contradictory, indicates lack of consensus among upper

management levels re: strategies to engage employees

Prod/Admin: 2 high peaks: 1) desire for Women’s Day programs; 2) team-building programs organized around concept of “respect” = Employees want more inter-departmental trust and good

relationships

Exec/Middle Management: Percentage believing their answers are skewed by culture, lower than percentage for employees = Strength in management, culturally-sensitive attitude

In all cohorts: Do not have desire to alter female employment. Reflects strong corporate culture rooted in ability, learning and growth over person’s characteristics (e.g., gender, age, etc.)

Qualitative Results (Pt 2: 2 cohorts)Reason why Employees came to HTL/STL:Admin: Career development, benefits, friendly environment

and good managementProd: Salary baseline level, and gaining happiness from

work

Programs to Increase Productivity:Admin: Job-related trainingProd: Job-related training, better infrastructure (hygiene,

safety, cafeteria, etc.), better technology

RecommendationsWhen an employee feels secure that their gender, job title,

or place of employment will not be scrutinized or precede their career reputation, there is more freedom to express their unique productive potential as valued employees.

- So they trust that it is what they do, not who they are that is important for the company.

Management should invest time and capital into building a corporate culture which values corporate family as unique individuals - E.g., Interactive team-building activities, deepening supervisor-employee relationships, and job-related training, not only passive dinners.