Dr. Anna Sender
Senior Research Associate, Lecturer
T +41 41 229 58 62
anna.sender @ unilu.ch
Frohburgstrasse 3, Room 3.A15
CV
Dr. Anna Sender holds a PhD in economics from University of Zurich. Her areas of expertise include strategic Human Resource Management imperatives such as talent management, compensation, international HRM as well as organizational and individual opportunities and challenges related to non-standard work. Having worked ten years for international organizations in the financial sector, her focus in research is on applied projects in close collaboration with organizations and with direct impact in the community of practice. She teaches courses on HRM, Strategic HRM and People Analytics on Bachelor and Master level at the University of Lucerne, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and University of Basel. She represents Switzerland in the international network CRANET and is a board member of ZGP, Zurich HR professional association.
Research
Anna Sender’s research focuses on HRM phenomena on both organizational and individual level. Her research interests center around employee turnover, job insecurity and non-standard work arrangements. She holds a PhD from the University of Zurich (Thesis “Push and Pull Factors in Employee Turnover”). Anna Sender has been involved as a co-investigator and leader of KTI, SNF and other third party financed projects. Currently, she leads the CRANET project for Switzerland (www.cranet.org) and the third party financed project on Board of Directors and Executive Board compensation. Her research is mostly quantitative and incorporates both international, comparative perspectives as well as multi-level approaches.
Projects
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The Cranfield Network on International Human Resource Management
‘Cranet’ is an international network of business schools, formed which conducts a regular survey of Human Resource Management (HRM), enquiring into policies and practices in people management through a set of common questions. The survey is undertaken approximately every five years. The purposes of the survey are to provide high quality data for academics, for public and private sector organizations, as well as for students of the field, to inform research and to create new knowledge about Human Resource Management across the world. 2013–2026 -
The talent recipe: Multi-actor perspective on managing paradoxes of talent identification in organization
Identifying and managing talented individuals has been a major concern for line managers and a top priority for CEOs. This project focuses on the bedrock of Talent Management: Talent identification. In this project we explore how organizations identify their talents and what contextual factors shape these decisions. 2022–2026
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Career success 4.0: An event-based intervention study among gig workers
2020–2021 -
Effects of pay transparency: A multi-level perspective
2017–2021 -
The Global Compensation and Pay Transparency Study
2012–2021 -
It takes a fool to remain sane: Integrating the court jester figure within the HR Professional Role
2020–2021 -
Self-nomination and transparency in Talent Management
2020–2021 -
Compensation Practices and Policies of the Board of Directors (BoD), the Executive Board (EB) and Senior Management (C-1) of listed and large unlisted companies in Switzerland
2016–2020 -
Professional social networks and job change
2017–2019 -
Innovative Talent Management Framework for Swiss companies of MEM industry in China
2017–2018 -
Improving the well-being and career outcomes of temporary agency workers: A two-perspective examination of employability-enhancing practices
2016–2018
Publications
- Sender, A., & Mormann, H. (2024). It Takes a Fool to Remain Sane: How and When HR Executives Use Jesting Techniques to Trickle Up Paradoxical Tensions. Journal of Management Inquiry. https://doi.org/10.1177/10564926241239546
- Schärrer, L., & Sender, A. (2023). Boomerang independent contractors: an experimental study using a psychological contract approach. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 34 (5), 966–986. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2021.2013922
- Arnold, A., Sender, A., Fulmer, I., & Allen, D. (2023). Variable Pay Transparency in Organizations: When are Organizations More Likely to Open Up About Pay? Compensation & Benefits Review, 56 (1), 16–36. https://doi.org/10.1177/08863687231200802
- Mormann, H., & Sender, A. (2022). Breaking up order through temporal role taking: HRM professionals as jesters in navigating paradoxes. Academy of Management Proceedings. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2022.128
- Schmid, A., & Sender, A. (2021). How social capital influences performance in family firms: the moderating role of nepotism. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 32 (18), 3973–3993. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2019.1674355
- Sender, A., Morf, M., & Feierabend, A. (2021). Aiming to Leave and Aiming to Harm: the Role of Turnover Intentions and Job Opportunities for Minor and Serious Deviance. Journal of Business and Psychology, 36, 449–460. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-020-09685-5
- Rutishauser, L., & Sender, A. (2019). Effect of Team-Member Exchange on Turnover Intention: A Cross-Cultural Perspective on a Selected Aspect of Employee Engagement. International Studies of Management & Organization, 49 (1), 43–62.
- Sender, A., & Korzynski, P. (2019). How peers’ updates on social media influence job search. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 35 (1), 1–12. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-10-2018-0467
- Sender, A., Rutishauser, L., & Staffelbach, B. (2018). Embeddedness across contexts: A two‐country study on the additive and buffering effects of job embeddedness on employee turnover. Human Resource Management Journal, 28 (2), 340–356. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3515859
- Sender, A., Arnold, A., & Staffelbach, B. (2017). Job security as a threatened resource: reactions to job insecurity in culturally distinct regions. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 28 (17), 2403–2429. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3515850
- Ligthart, P., Poutsma, E., Sender, A., & Miedtank, T. (2023). Compensation & Benefits. In CRANET Research Network (Ed.), Cranet Executive Report on International Human Resource Management: Summary and Analysis of 2021-2022 Survey Data (pp. 28–33). USA: CRANET. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4647015
- Krebs, B., Wach, B., Wehner, M., Heine, H., Reichel, A., Mayerhofer, W., … Ligthart, P. (2021). Human Resource Management in the Germanic context. In Parry, Emma, Morley, Michael & Brewster, Chris (Eds.), Handbook on Contextual Approaches to Human Resource Management (pp. 177–208). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Sender, A., Staffelbach, B., & Mayrhofer, W. (2021). One size fits all? Contextual factors and the profile of the HR director. In Parry, Emma, Brewster, Chris & Morley, Michael (Eds.), Handbook on Contextual Approaches to Human Resource Management (pp. 605–630). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Sender, A. (2013). Arbeitsplatzunsicherheit. Spielt Kultur eine Rolle? In Bruno Staffelbach (Ed.), HR Spotlights. Geistesblitze zur Personalführung. Zürich: Verlag Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
- Sender, A. (2013). Meine Chefin. In Bruno Staffelbach (Ed.), HR Spotlights. Geistesblitze zur Personalführung. Zürich: Verlag Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
- Kost, S., & Sender, A. (1 March 2024). Transparenz und Intransparenz im Talent Management: Nachvollziehbarkeit der Entscheidungen gewährleisten. PersonalSCHWEIZ, 26–27.
- Sender, A., & Kost, S. (2023). Macht Talent Management Talente immer glücklich? HR Today, (6), 39 ff.
- Sender, A., & Feierabend, A. (1 September 2023). Schritt zur Lohntransparenz wagen. PersonalSchweiz, 7.
- Haldemann, R., & Sender, A. (1 March 2023). Mythen und Fakten zur hybriden Arbeit. Möglichkeiten von Remote Work sinnvoll nutzen. PersonalSchweiz, 34–35.
- Sender, A., & Pletscher, M. (2022). Human Resource Management in Bewegung. Cogito, (8), 28–29. Retrieved from https://www.unilu.ch/fileadmin/universitaet/dienste/unikomm/dokumente/cogito/cogito_9_2022.pdf
- Sender, A., & Morf, M. (2022). Wenn flexible Talente ins Unternehmen zurückkommen. HR Today. Retrieved from https://www.hrtoday.ch/de/article/wenn-flexible-talente-ins-unternehmen-zurueckkommen-festanstellung-vs-freelancer
- Neyer, L., & Sender, A. (2021). Was erwarten junge Talente? So können KMU die Ansprache von Kandidat*innen optimieren. PersonalSchweiz, (10).
- Mormann, H., & Sender, A. (2021). Den CEOs den Spiegel vorhalten. cogito. Das Wissensmagazin der Universität Luzern.
- Sender, A. (2021). Der interne Arbeitsmarkt und seine Tücken. HR Today. Retrieved from https://www.hrtoday.ch/de/article/der-interne-arbeitsmarkt-und-seine-tuecken
- Sender, A., & Mormann, H. (2021). Plädoyer für den konstruktiven Umgang mit Paradoxien. HR Today, 10. Retrieved from https://www.hrtoday.ch/de/article/plaedoyer-fuer-den-konstruktiven-umgang-mit-paradoxien
- Sender, A., & Mormann, H. (2021). Was moderne Personalarbeit und Hofnarren gemeinsam haben (sollten): Ein Gespräch über erste Forschungsergebnisse aus dem Projekt «It takes a fool to remain sane». personalSchweiz.
- Sender, A. (2020). Ansteckungsgefahr in den sozialen Medien: Wer ist immun und wer lässt sich anstecken? HR Today, (10). Retrieved from https://www.hrtoday.ch/de/article/ansteckungsgefahr-in-den-sozialen-medien
- Sender, A. (2018). Deshalb kommen toxische Mitarbeitende weiter. HR Today, (4). Retrieved from https://www.hrtoday.ch/de/article/warum-kommen-toxische-mitarbeitende-weiter
- Sender, A. (9 March 2017). Altersspezifische HR-Praktiken. HR Today, (6/7).
- Sender, A. (2017). Schattenseiten der Lohntransparenz. HR Today, (10), 53. Retrieved from https://www.hrtoday.ch/de/article/schattenseiten-der-lohntransparenz
- Sender, A. (2016). Arbeitsplatzunsicherheit und deren Bedeutung für die Schweiz. HR Today, (10). Retrieved from https://www.hrtoday.ch/de/article/arbeitsplatzunsicherheit-und-deren-bedeutung-fuer-die-schweiz
- Sender, A. (2015). Das Geschlecht beeinflusst die Lohnpräferenz. HR Today, (6). Retrieved from https://www.hrtoday.ch/de/article/das-geschlecht-beeinflusst-die-lohnpraeferenz
- Sender, A. (2014). Vom Fairplay im Talentmanagement. HR Today, (7/8). Retrieved from https://www.hrtoday.ch/de/article/vom-fairplay-im-talentmanagement
- Sender, A. (2012). Haben Sie ein Problem damit, wenn Ihr Chef eine Frau ist? HR Today, (6).
- Pletscher, M., Sender, A., & Staffelbach, B. (2022). HRM in Switzerland: People and Practices. CRANET STUDY REPORT 2022. Retrieved from https://www.unilu.ch/fileadmin/fakultaeten/wf/institute/hrm/dok/Forschung/Cranet_Study_Report_2022.pdf
- Arnold, A., Fulmer, I. S., Sender, A., Allen, D. G., & Staffelbach, B. (15 January 2018). Compensation and pay transparency practices in Switzerland: Survey report 2018.
- Arnold, A., Fulmer, I. S., Sender, A., Allen, D. G., & Staffelbach, B. (2018). International Study on Compensation and Pay Transparency Practices.
- Rutishauser, L., Furrer, S., Sender, A., & Staffelbach, B. (2018). Talent Management Framework: Evidence-based Guidelines for Swiss Companies Operating in China. Retrieved from https://www.unilu.ch/fileadmin/fakultaeten/wf/institute/hrm/dok/Forschung/TMF_final.pdf
- Staffelbach, B., Sender, A., & Arnold, A. (2017). Studie zur Vergütungspolitik von Verwaltungsrat, Geschäftsleitung und höherem Management: Ergebnisse einer Befragung von börsenkotierten und nicht kotierten grossen Unternehmen in der Schweiz. Lucerne.
- Staffelbach, B., Sender, A., & Schmid, A. (2014). HRM in Switzerland. People & Practices. CRANET Study Report.
- Sender, A. (28 June 2023). Steiler Aufstieg zum neuen Job. Luzerner Zeitung.
- Sender, A. (7 June 2023). Lohnangabe im Jobinserat? Luzerner Zeitung.
- Sender, A. (19 May 2023). Schluss mit der Geheimhaltung: Der Ruf nach Lohntransparenz wird lauter. Handelszeitung.
- Sender, A. (24 April 2023). Für mich 140’000 Franken, bitte! Neue Formen der Lohntransparenz. Tagesanzeiger. Retrieved from https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/fuer-mich-140000-franken-bitte-334637063762
- Sender, A. (7 November 2022). Wie viel ist meine Arbeitskraft wert? Bei «self-set salaries» übernehmen die Mitarbeiter die Gehaltsverhandlungen. NZZ. Retrieved from https://www.nzz.ch/wirtschaft/self-set-salaries-das-lohnmodell-der-zukunft-ld.1709091?reduced=true
- Sender, A. (19 October 2022). Wenn der Lohn von Anfang an bekannt ist. Luzerner Zeitung.
Achievements
- Managing Paradoxes in Talent Management Communication: A Qualitative Study. Lecture, 13th EIASM Workshop on Talent Management, EIASM, Luxembourg, 2024
- There is T in Talent Management. Lecture, 12th EIASM Workshop on Talent Management, EIASM, Lyon, 2023
- Breaking up order through temporal role taking: HRM professionals as jesters in navigating paradoxes. Lecture, The 82nd Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Academy of Management, Seattle, 2022
- Navigating Paradoxes with Supporting Actors: How HRM professionals can learn from the Court Jester. (Panel) contribution, Sub-theme 09: [SWG] Unpacking Paradoxical Nestedness across Level of Analysis, 37th EGOS Colloquium 2021, Amsterdam (Online), 2021
- Navigating paradoxes with supporting actors—How Human Resource Management professionals can learn from the court jester. Lecture, Research Seminar in Human Resource Management, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, 2021
- Who is who in Talent Management - Bringing clarity to talent identification in organizations. Lecture, EIASM Workshop on Talent Management, European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management, Online, 2020
- How Does Pay Transparency Affect Pay Knowledge and Satisfaction? A Field Intervention Study. Lecture, 80th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Academy of Management, Vancouver, 2020
- Understanding the interplay among pay characteristics, pay transparency and outcomes: An organization-level perspective. Lecture, 7th European Reward Management Conference (RMC), EIASM, Brussels, 2019
- Getting what they have asked for: Testing a proactivity intervention among temporary agency workers. Lecture, 19th EAWOP Congress, European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology, Turin, 2019
- Different Pay Transparency Aspects and Components: An Organization-level Analysis. Lecture, 78th Annual Meeting of Academy of Management, Academy of Management, Chicago, 2018
- Turnover contagion in social media: The role of employability and job embeddedness. Lecture, European Academy of Management Conference, European Academy of Management, Reykjavik, 2018
- Volition of temporary agency workers as a predictor of agency commitment: The role of agency support? Lecture, 77th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Academy of Management, Atlanta, 2017
- All that glitters is not gold: Job insecurity and the role of HR devolution. Lecture, Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Academy of Management, Atlanta, 2017
- If Leaving is not an option: The role of unemployment rates in the relationship between turnover intentions and organizational deviance. Lecture, Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Academy of Management, Atlanta, 2017
- A Multilevel Study on the Role of Team Turnover for Stayers’ Turnover Intention. Lecture, Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Academy of Management, Anaheim, California, 2016
- When colleagues leave: The role of team turnover rate and loss of ties for job embeddedness and turnover intention. Lecture, Workshop on Research Advances in Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Management, Université Paris Dauphine18 -19 May, 2016, Paris, 2016
- Too Embedded to be Pulled: Job Embeddedness and Turnover Driven by Unsolicited Job Offers. Lecture, Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Academy of Management, Vancouver, 2015
- A Two-Wave Study on How HRM Practices Relate to Job Embeddedness in China. Lecture, Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Academy of Management, Vancouver, 2015
- When colleagues leave: A multi-level study on individual job embeddedness and innovative work behavior. Lecture, European Academy of Management Conference, European Academy of Management, Warsaw, 2015
- With a little help from afar: Examining the effect of agency support on temporary employees’ well-being. Lecture, Workshop on Research Advances in Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources Management, Université Paris Dauphine, DRM-Management & Organisation, Paris, 2015
- Employee turnover in China and in Switzerland – lessons learned from comparative research project. Lecture, Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Academy of Management, Philadelphia, 2014
- Impact of job embeddedness in turnover intentions in China and in Switzerland. Lecture, 13th International Human Resource Management Conference, Cracow University of Economics, Cracow, 2014
- Impact of uncertainty avoidance and performance orientation on the relationship between job insecurity and job satisfaction. Lecture, International Conference Sustainable Employability: Challenges for HRM Innovation, Radboud-Universität Nijmegen, Nijmegen, 2013
- Explaining Job Embeddedness in China and in Switzerland. Lecture, 9th EBES Conference, Eurasia Business and Economics Society, Rome, 2013
- Umgang mit Spannungsfeldern im Talent Management: Erste Ergebnisse aus dem laufenden SNF-Projekt «Talent Recipe». Lecture, 29. Treffen Netzwerk Center für Human Resource Management (CEHRM), Universität Luzern, Luzern, 2024
- Lohntransparenz: Entwicklungen, Aspekte und Auswirkungen. Lecture, Treffen: ERFA-Kreis zum Thema Compensation Management, ERFA-Kreis zum Thema Compensation Management, Zürich, 2023
- New Work in der Schweiz - Forschungsergebnisse. Lecture, ZGP Connect: New Work. Wo stehen Unternehmen heute?, ZGP, online, 2022
- HRM-Landschaft Schweiz: Ergebnisse der CRANET-Studie 2022. Moderation, Abendveranstaltung Zürcher Gesellschaft für Personalmanagement, Zürcher Gesellschaft für Personalmanagement, Zürich, 2022
- Ergebnisse der aktuellen HR-Umfrage: CRANET-Studienbericht 2022 (Schweiz) und Implikationen für HR auf dem Schweizer Markt. Lecture, Spotlight.HR, Spotlight.HR, Basel, 2022
- Die Werkzeuge des Hofnarren: Wie die HR-Verantwortliche das "sowohl-als-auch-Denken" von Entscheidungsträgern fördern. Lecture, International HRM Network Meeting, International HRM Group, Schaffhausen, 2022
- All that glitters is not gold: Job insecurity and the role of HR devolution. Lecture, Lucerne Research Seminar, Faculty of Economics and Management, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, 2017
- CRANET-Study – International HR-Study on HR processes and instruments. Lecture, Forum Zurich Society for HR Management, Zurich Society for HR Management, Zurich, 2017
- Vergütungspolitik von VR, GL und höherem Management. Presentation, Prämierung von beispielhaften Honorierungsmodellen, Swiss Institute of Directors, Luzern, 2017
- CRANET: HRM in der Schweiz im internationalen Vergleich. Lecture, 16. Treffen Netzwerk Zentrum für Human Resource Management, Universität Luzern, Luzern, 2017
- Same same but different: Examining the role of culture in the relationship between team-member exchange and turnover intention. Lecture, Research Seminar University of Lucerne, Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät der Universität Luzern, Luzern, 2016
- Best Paper Nominee for Paper "Breaking Up Order Through Temporal Role Taking", HR Division at 82nd Academy of Management Conference, 2022
- SNSF Grant for project "The talent recipe: Multi-actor perspective on managing paradoxes of talent identification in organization" (principal investigator), 2022
- SNSF Spark Grant "It takes a fool to remain sane: Integrating the court jester figure within the HR Professional Role" (principal investigator), 2019