Soft Skills Training for Supervisors to Boost Productivity and Worker Satisfaction in India

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J-PAL evaluation summary; ongoing study · J-PAL

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Multi-Source Administrative-Survey Data Triangulation

"Researchers will conduct baseline and endline surveys with workers, floor managers, and supervisors, alongside administrative and vacancy data from Shahi Exports."

Behavioral and Personality Supervisory Screening

"Factories in this group received access to Pratibha Tools, which included a screening tool assessing management and leadership skills using a set of personality and behavior-based questions (taking 60-90 minutes to complete)..."

Digital Soft Skills Screening and Training

"The training covers personalized modules on leadership, stress management, and gender sensitivity, and the tool is designed with incentives to complete the training within three months."

Formal Management Practice Deficit in LMICs

"However, many firms in LMICs struggle to adopt key managerial practices such as performance monitoring, target setting, or incentive systems, which can lead to inefficiencies and poor working conditions."

Gender-Sensitive Workplace Harassment Mitigation

"Workers often experience high-stress production timelines and gender-based discrimination like abuse and harassment. These factors contribute to low worker well-being and undermine retention, attendance, and overall productivity in the sector."

LMIC Managerial Practice Adoption Friction

"These challenges are particularly strong in export-oriented, labor-intensive manufacturing sectors, where firms operate on thin margins and may not be willing to invest heavily in identifying and training effective managers."

Rural-to-Urban Migrant Female Labor Vulnerability

"India's garment manufacturing sector, where this evaluation takes place, employs over 45 million people, mostly women from lower-income backgrounds, in labor-intensive jobs. Many workers have limited formal education and migrate from rural areas to urban manufacturing centers for employment."

Standardized Digitized Technical Assessment

"While their standard hiring process remained unchanged, the new tablet-based evaluation provided a standardized measure of technical skills, ensuring consistency in hiring and promotion decisions."