Overview

Employer practices such as hiring, scheduling, promotion, supervision, and on-the-job training determine workers’ day-to-day reality and long-term prospects in the labor market. The growing prevalence of independent contractors and contingent workers underscores the continued fissuring of employer-employee relationships.

Working Knowledge

Employer practices December 04, 2023
Video

WorkRise Shorts: Paid Sick and Safe Day Policies with Marianne Bellesorte

December 04, 2023
Employer practices December 04, 2023
Video

WorkRise Shorts: Equity in the Workplace with Samuel Bradley, Jr.

Boston College assistant professor Samuel Bradley, Jr. discusses how to support organizational diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in employment systems.
December 04, 2023
Employer practices August 23, 2023
Research Summary

Compliance Challenges of Ban the Box

Ban the Box policies, intended to promote equitable hiring practices for those with criminal records, face challenges due to employer noncompliance. Clear legislation, communication, and enforcement are crucial for effective policy adherence.

Oluwasekemi Odumosu

August 23, 2023
Employer practices August 16, 2023
Research Summary

Agricultural Worker Shortage to Worsen without Wage Increases

Research finds that workers from Mexico are leaving farm work and are less inclined to participate in US agricultural work unless inflation-adjusted wages rise significantly, which in turn creates incentives for US farm employers to increase wages while seeking labor-saving technological solutions.

Enaya Saleh

August 16, 2023

Research

Employer practices Executive Summary December 13, 2023

Temporary Staffing Industry Testing Report

The temporary staffing industry is a $186 billion sector. The National Legal Advocacy Network team used matched-pair testing in Harris County, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee, to generate evidence on potentially unlawful employment practices in this industry and found widespread racial and gender discrimination in access to work. These tests showed that agencies offered fewer job opportunities, lower wages, and less frequent follow-ups to workers who were women and/or Black than they did to Latinx workers and men.

Grantee Research

December 13, 2023
Employer practices Executive Summary October 18, 2023

Who Has Access to Paid Sick and Safe Leave?

A new report by Family Values at Work and World Policy Analysis Center charts access to paid sick and safe leave in the US and identifies the most equitable policies in effect.

Grantee Research

October 18, 2023
Employer practices Executive Summary June 26, 2023

A Workplace Divided: Survey Research and Stakeholder Engagement to Advance Equitable Workplaces

A national survey by the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University explores workers' perceptions of discrimination and unfair treatment based on race and ethnicity. The survey reveals significant percentages of Asian-American, Black, and Latino workers experience discrimination in private-sector and government workplaces. Black workers are more likely to view workplace discrimination as a significant problem than white workers, with Black female workers reporting the highest levels of discrimination. The study highlights the impact of discrimination on career advancement and the need for government and employer interventions to promote workplace equity.

Carl E. Van Horn, Ronald Quincy, Jessica Starace, Anton House

Grantee Research

June 26, 2023
Employer practices Report December 10, 2022

The National Study of Workplace Equity

The National Study of Workplace Equity surveyed just over 1,000 workplaces to find that equity is inconsistently implemented across employment systems. Researchers from the Boston College School of Social Work and Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) find that equity is strongest in recruitment and hiring, compensation and benefits, and orientation and onboarding.

Samuel L. Bradley, Jr., Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, Kathleen Christensen

Grantee Research

December 10, 2022
Employer practices Executive Summary December 10, 2022

Executive Summary: The National Study of Workplace Equity

In a new study, researchers from Work Equity, an initiative at the Boston College School of Social Work, and SHRM find that much progress needs to be made on equity across the employment lifecycle. Based on a survey of just over 1,000 workplaces, researchers find that equity is implemented inconsistently across 10 discrete employment systems.

Samuel L. Bradley, Jr., Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, Kathleen Christensen

Grantee Research

December 10, 2022


Share your ideas for research, topics, or events to be featured on Working Knowledge by emailing workingknowledge@urban.org