Citation

Abbott A. Nature 2019; 571(7763): 14-15.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1038/d41586-019-02052-2

PMID

31267060

Abstract

Most of the scientists who work for one of the world’s richest and most prestigious basic research organizations, the Max Planck Society (MPS) in Germany, have pride and trust in their institutes — but cases of sexual discrimination and bullying occur regularly, and nearly half of foreign scientists working for the MPS don’t feel they fit in.

These are some of the findings of a huge survey of the society’s staff and its working culture, which received responses from more than 9,000 people, or 38% of MPS staff, at the society’s 86 research institutes. The society commissioned the survey after two high-profile bullying scandals last year involving research directors. The study’s draft conclusions were presented at the society’s annual meeting on 27 June in Hamburg ...

Overall, 76% of staff members said they were proud to work at their organization and 84% said they would go above and beyond to support their institute’s success.

But about 10% of respondents said they had experienced bullying in the past 12 months, and 17.5% said they had over a longer period — figures similar to those measured by surveys of academic institutions in countries including the United States, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom. The incidence of gender-based discrimination or sexual harassment — reported by nearly 4% of respondents in the last 12 months ...

Language: en

Keywords

Institutions