Please click on the frequently asked questions below to read our responses about Engendering Engineering Success.
Please note that recruitment for this project is now closed.
How long is recruitment open?
We anticipate recruitment staying open through April 2015, but it will be based on the number of responses received. We encourage companies to sign up early, so that studies may commence at soon as possible. After confirming participation, studies will have rolling start dates depending on participant timelines.
What are the steps in your recruitment process?
Recruitment consists of several steps:
- Express interest in participating in the project, and correspond on any questions.
- Provide appropriate consent documents for each study you will participate in.
- You will be introduced to the researchers who will work with your company to conduct the studies.
a) Organizational Policies and Practices: your HR staff member or equivalent will complete a 20-minute online survey, and give a 30-minute telephone interview scheduled with the researcher.
b) Employee Experiences: the researchers will work with you to identify and approach possible study participants from your organization. Each employee will also provide individual consent as participants for 12 online surveys.
- At the conclusion of the study, all participating companies will receive a pre-print of our results and a summary of how they can be used in your organization to improve productivity, organizational commitment, and the retention and advancement of women engineers.
Does a company need to do both studies to participate?
No, companies can do one study, or both. The Organizational Policies and Practices study is a very small commitment – only one person aware of said policies is needed for one hour. The Employee Experiences study is more involved, with each participant spending a total of four hours on online surveys over 2-3 weeks.
Are you enrolling technologists/geoscientists/computer scientists/etc.?
The EES studies focus only on engineers (including geological and geotechnical engineers, but excluding geoscientists). Engineers are defined as those eligible for membership in the applicable Association for Professional Engineers (eg, APEGBC, APEGA, etc.), including Engineers in Training.
Does the study have to start immediately after we decide to participate?
No, there is some flexibility. Studies will have rolling start dates to allow you to fit the studies around your work schedule.
Do I have to do both studies during the same time frame?
No, they can be conducted at different times, and have rolling start dates. We hope to complete all studies by June 2015.
Do my employee groupings need to pick the same study time frame?
No, your employee groupings can pick different time frames, but the employees within each group must have the same start and end dates for the study. This is helpful for accommodating vacation schedules, field work, etc.
What is the minimum number of employee groupings we need for the Employee Experiences study?
The minimum is only one grouping – one male and one female engineer who work together.
Do employee groupings need to be pairs? Do they need to work together?
A grouping can be a pair, trio, or other small group. Each grouping must include at least one man and one woman. The members of the grouping must work together in the same work environment, and should interact regularly.
What are the requirements to receive company-specific data?
If you want to receive company-specific data (rather than a broader summary), we need a minimum of 30 groups. This will preserve anonymity and provide enough data to reach statistical significance, but we anticipate this will not be the case for most organizations. Smaller companies will still benefit by receiving early results on what policies and practices help increase employee productivity and commitment, and how to apply the findings.
Are employees on modified work weeks or flexible schedules eligible?
Permanent employees on a modified work week are eligible. The criteria are intended to exclude co-op, intern, or casual contract engineers.
What kind of results are you expecting?
At the end of the study we hope to identify which HR policies and practices best predict:
- Retention and advancement of women engineers
- Mental productivity and organizational commitment for all engineers
This will allow companies to make informed choices of which policies and practices are giving them the best return for their investment, and hopefully help companies choose to incorporate practices in line with diversity goals.
How will the results be made available?
The information will be made available in three ways.
First, all participating companies will get a summary of overall research results, and an interpretation guide with suggestions on how to apply the findings to your organization.
Second, we will be publishing a short summary paper for general industry use.
Third, we will be submitting manuscripts to academic journals and conferences to add to the body of literature on these topics.
