Talking to Employers about Job Quality

Pain points are business needs that can serve as a starting point for internal job quality initiatives. Examples include high vacancy rates, long time to hire, high turnover, burnout, lack of diversity (overall or in specific positions), or low productivity. Employers may struggle with one or more of these issues. 

• The US Chamber Foundation's Talent Pipeline Management process is a great resource to assist an employer in thinking through their full business cycle and identifying key challenges. 
• The Aspen Foundation's Guide to Small Business Job Quality Advising is a useful tool for business services or economic development representatives to support job quality conversations.  
• The Workforce & Organizational Research Center's Job Maps can also be helpful in considering gaps in employer key performance indicators.

Internal data from the Human Resources Information System (HRIS), performance reporting and other tracking mechanisms - such as turnover, promotion rates, demographics - often demonstrate the severity of the pain point. 

Info such as whether a) earnings are self-sustaining b) benefits exist, individuals are eligible for them and the benefits are affordable c) growth is supported  and d) whether advancement comes from within or is largely external can provide more information on the cause of pain points. 

 Assessment tools such as Working Metrics (which enables employers to benchmark to the industry) or the Good Jobs Scorecard can be useful to inform the prioritization of steps to address an employer's pain points or to benchmark against other organizations in the same industry, similar size or related geography.

Workers are a valuable source of information when seeking to understand or address pain points.  Consider whether employees and candidates would agree with the current assessment of pain points.  Successful employer-led job quality initiatives generally require the entire organization to be involved and committed, from HR to executives to hiring managers and frontline employees. 

Worker engagement often takes the form of gathering information on employee perspectives through pulse surveys, stay interviews, and focus groups. Check out RFA's case study on an employee engagement survey in MI and see the Aspen Institute's Tool for Conducting Worker Surveys. 

Employee Resource Groups and other voluntary, employee-led groups whose aim is to foster a diverse, inclusive workplace can also be another source of information. Such groups are usually organized around a shared characteristic, whether it's gender, ethnicity, religious affiliation, lifestyle, or interest.

Job design is the process of creating a job that enables the organization to achieve its business goals while motivating and rewarding employees. This includes the work tasks, knowledge, skills and competencies, job qualifications, total rewards, and other job quality principles that matter most to employees. 

Understanding how current job quality offerings stack up relative to competitors, company values and aspirations, and employee expectations and priorities is critical when identifying where job design or redesign efforts may need to start. Consider the following questions:

• How do our offerings compare with employee needs and expectations, industry standards, and other career tracks or work experiences that employees choose to pursue?

• Are employees experiencing job quality features differently based on race, gender, age, education level, classification, occupation, team, department, or other factors? If so, what might be the root causes of these differences?

• What level of control do we have in affecting change in job design for critical positions and how might that impact where we spend time and energy on internal job quality?

Employers of choice are highly sought-after organizations where employees are excited to come to work. These employers proactively create a positive work environment, have an outstanding brand, provide industry leading job quality offerings, and reinforce a safe, positive, and productive culture. The aspects of the job that make the employer stand out usually map back to one or more of the eight job quality principles. 

Consider how implementing aspects of the job quality principles might address the cause of one or more pain points and set the organization apart as a highly desirable place to work. Click on the lefthand navigation to learn more about each job quality principle.

Workforce and economic development agencies can support companies on this journey by providing training, technical assistance, funding as well as recognition.