Kav Mashve conducted its fifth annual survey of employers’ attitudes towards Arab professional employees in the months following Operation Protective Edge.The survey, given to 100 participants, focused on employers’ attitudes in times of crisis and in times of calm.
Major findings revealed a 30% increase in managers reporting concern or fear of employing Arab Academics (2013 20% – 2015 52%), a rise potentially directly related to Operation Protective Edge. At the same time, 85% of respondents reported there was no tension between Jewish and Arab employees in the work environment during times of peace. Kav Mashve writes that the fact that 85% of the organizations report no tension at all merely 3 months following operation protective edge suggests that organizations recuperate quickly and effectively from external crisis.
Similarly, when asked about crises such as Operation Protective Edge, 70% reported a sense of tension between Jewish and Arab employees, but in most cases there was no actual conflict and business continued as usual.
Other findings include a rise in organizational awareness regarding the importance of diversity (86% in 2015 compared to 51% in the 2011 survey). These results suggest positive interactions between Jews and Arabs reduce fears and stereotypes. Managers reported diverse teams were effective and generally consisted of positive interpersonal relationships.
Read Kav Mashve’s Executive Summary (English).
Read an article on the findings in the Jerusalem Post.