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
July 19, 2023
Research Summary
Raising the Federal Minimum Wage Would Lift Millions Out of Poverty Despite Risks of Temporary Job Loss for Some Workers
A recent analysis finds that raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour could increase earnings in affected families by an average of $5,600 and enable more than 7.6 million people to leave poverty.
Employer practices
December 12, 2022
Article
Study Finds That 62 Percent of Organizations Devote Little to No Resources to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Published by the Boston College School of Social Work, this article highlights key findings from the National Study of Workplace Equity, a survey of over 1,000 workplaces on DEI practices.
December 12, 2022
Employer practices
October 20, 2022
Article
A Preview of WorkRise’s 2023 Funding Opportunities: Catalyzing Partnerships for Equity and Impact
In January, WorkRise will launch three new funding opportunities for research to inform solutions that advance economic mobility for workers earning low wages in the US labor market.
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
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
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.
Grantee Research
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.
Grantee Research
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.
Grantee Research