Good Business Lab

Good Business Lab (www.goodbusinesslab.org) is an independent, non-profit research and innovation lab that uses rigorous academic research methods to develop scalable, market-ready interventions capable of providing dual benefits to workers and businesses. We design and trial interventions, using frontier research methods, to understand different programs’ impacts on workers and businesses. The founders of the lab are Ach Adhvaryu -an assistant professor at the University of Michigan (http://www.achadhvaryu.com/), Anant Ahuja – head of Organisation Development at Shahi Exports Pvt. Ltd. and Anant Nyshadham – an assistant professor at Boston College (http://www.anantnyshadham.com/).

We have conducted several studies at Shahi in the past five years to help understand how private business interests in India can be aligned with the welfare interests of workers. For example in one study they found that the net return to the firm from training women workers in life skills (such as financial literacy, communication and problem solving) is 250%, 9 months after program completion. This program called P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement), which was implemented by Gap Inc., has been scaled at a global level covering 40,000 women garment workers in 12 countries.

Going forward, research will be conducted on how to retain migrant workers by pairing them with experienced workers from their region (through a system called ‘the buddy system’), improvement in productivity by training of supervisors in soft skills, unlocking female labor force participation in rural India and how the setting up of a rural training center affects local economic conditions. To ensure the smooth implementation of all research projects, the lab is looking for a field assistant, details of which are given below.

Location: Bengaluru, India

Length of Commitment: at least 1 year

Remuneration: 3-4 lacs p.a. (can vary depending on experience and qualifications)

Start Date: ASAP (applications being accepted on a rolling basis)

The Field Assistant will work closely with academic researchers, the research implementation team, data manager and other field staff to help implement various projects.

Key responsibilities include (but not limited to):

• Conducting and coordinating field surveys and making regular field visits (can be to rural areas) to ensure that survey is being conducted properly
• Coordinating with the Organizational Development (OD) team at Shahi and the research team to ensure smooth implementation of all projects
• Work with the field team on preparatory work for the upcoming projects.
• Maintain and track field reports in google documents and spreadsheets.
• Maintaining relations with survey partners and other additional duties as and when needed.

Educational Qualifications/Requirements:

• Bachelors/Master’s in Economics, Social Work or any related field
• Ability to work in a team, manage multiple projects on the ground and be self-motivated
• Ability to work long hours and should be open for travelling (in and
• around Bangalore)
• Basic experience in Microsoft Word and MS Excel.
• Ability to converse in Kannada/Hindi/Odia

What should you be comfortable with?

• A dynamic environment with competing priorities.
• Working in a team with shared responsibilities.
• Independently coordinating with coworkers to accomplish goals.
• Being resourceful in new environments and scenarios.
• Problem-solving in high-pressure environments.

Perks of working with us

There are plenty of benefits at GBL, here are some examples:

• Flexible leave policy: Time away from work can be extremely helpful for maintaining a healthy work/life balance. GBL encourages managers and leadership to set the example by taking time off when needed and ensuring their team members do the same. We don't have a strict limit on paid leaves, only suggested ( extremely liberal) averages. 
• Flexible working hours: We recognize that a better work-life balance can improve employee motivation, performance, productivity, and reduce stress. The basis of our norms pertaining to this is a system of trust in each other and our common goals.
• Training and Development: GBL team members can set aside 10% of their work time / around 4 hours a week to improve their skills/knowledge on a subject that they think will help them perform their job better. We encourage all employees to focus both on technical and soft skills. We also facilitate employee mentorship programs.
• GBL Care Systems: As an organization, we are committed to ensuring the wellbeing of our team members and creating a thriving work environment- because that gives us, together, the best chance at achieving our shared mission and sparking joy at work. We do this by partnering with organizations such The Mindclan, Therapize among others for workshops and other wellbeing related initiatives. 
• Growth-oriented review policy: To foster collaboration, we have adopted regular reviews and check-ins among team members. We see a manager's role beyond what is expected from them by conventional management thinkers. Apart from delivering high-quality work, managers are responsible for the holistic development of their team members. This can be achieved through practices inspired by coaching philosophy.

Recent projects and blog posts

To acclimatize yourself with some of our work, you can read our blog posts on Medium, and also go through our LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The process

We are glad you’re interested in applying for this role!

After each step, we decide whether to invite you to the next one. The entire process may be a bit delayed due to COVID, given this context - it could take 4-6 weeks.

Our interview process for this role has the following steps:

1. CV and cover letter screening
2. Introductory Round Interview
3. Language and Communication Round
4. Take-home assignment
5. Fit Interview 
6. Interview with the founder(s) /Chief of Staff

"In light of the covid-19 situation, we are not onboarding any new team members until further notice. We will revisit this as the situation evolves. We will continue however to screen candidates for future needs and take those conversations forward remotely. Please participate in our recruitment process only if this is feasible for you. Feel free to reach out in case of any questions."

Note: By clicking on 'apply for this job' button, you confirm that you understand and accept GBL’s Privacy Policy. You also understand that GBL has zero tolerance against sexual harassment/ exploitation /abuse/misconduct ("SEA"). You confirm and declare that you have never been convicted by any court of law and/or you have never been subjected to any sanctions or inquiry or proceedings (be it disciplinary, administrative, civil or criminal) arising from an investigation in relation to sexual harassment/abuse/misconduct or left employment pending investigation and refused to cooperate in such an investigation