A survey on how culturally responsive workplaces are to Maori employees has revealed that when employers respect a person's culture, their cultural well-being is increased and they are unlikely to go job hunting.
Raiha Hooker Photo: Supplied
The online survey was conducted by Raiha Hooker, a postgraduate student at Massey University.
It looked at two areas: the impact of a culturally responsive work environment on Maori employees and the job attitude and factors of retention of tangata whenua in organisations.
Ms Hooker said the preliminary results indicate that Maori are more likely to have better self-esteem if their employers and colleagues value their culture.
She said the cultural values she specifically looked at were whanaungatanga (building relationships), manaakitanga (hospitality or respect) and mauri (the vibe or the atmosphere).
The Nga Ruahinerangi descendant started the survey in July. She said when a Maori employee is satisfied with their job and feels their managers do regard their culture, it decreases the likelihood of them looking for other work.
Ms Hooker said more than half of the 113 responses she received came from people working in the health and education sectors.
The rest included those who work in business, the hospitality industry, dairy workers, broadcasting and media, Maori development and social development.
Sixty-one percent of the respondents were female and the average age was 42.
The full results of the survey would be released in February.