Who is hired to work for an organization?
Employment provides an important source of income. In contexts of scarcity, jobs are a vital lifeline for families in terms both of money and access to resources, and in providing meaning and purpose. Who is hired, for what positions, and how much they are paid relative to others are all potential flashpoints that can worsen Dividers. Handled with care and sensitivity, and with a close attention to the context, these decisions can foster intergroup linkages and strengthen Connectors.
How were staff chosen?
What is the pool of potential applicants? Where were jobs advertised? Who responded? Are staff hired through word of mouth?
What are the criteria that shape these decisions?
What criteria does an organization have for staffing its positions? How do these criteria reflect or interact with patterns of local history and education? Who can even be considered for the jobs and who is immediately excluded? Who never even applies for the jobs?
These questions also apply to international staff. When criteria for international staff are narrowly focused on the technical or educational aspects of their history, an organization cannot be certain they are getting someone with the vitals skills of building relationships.
What decisions do staff make?
Staff is affected by the context. Understanding the decisions our staff is making and how they may be affected by the context is necessary for good and compassionate management. Who is applying the criteria for targeting? Who is applying the criteria for working with partners? Who is being asked to work with local authorities?
- Does the whole staff (or a large part of it) share the same identity?
- Does the staff all come from the same geographic area?
- Were the staff hired by word of mouth?
- Were the staff selected by authorities?
- Were they hired based on technical or educational criteria in a place where those are or have been restricted?
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Related Topics
Critical Detail: Targeting – Who receives the benefits?
Critical Detail: Working with local authorities
Critical Detail: How to intervene
Using the Six Critical Details
Critical Detail Mapping
Lesson 5: The details of interventions matter
“In contexts of scarcity, jobs are a vital lifeline for families in terms both of money and access to resources, and in providing meaning and purpose.”
And in all contexts. Jobs are important.
