••• employee research
Can surveys help retain unhappy workers?
Giving low-wage workers a “voice” on the job – the ability to communicate concerns to management – is believed to improve employee satisfaction and retention, according to a study by Michigan Ross Professor Ach Adhvaryu and two colleagues, Teresa Molina of the University of Hawaii and Anant Nyshadham of Boston College.
Using a field-based, randomized, controlled trial, the study was conducted in partnership with a ready-made garment company in India, Shahi Exports, which experiences high turnover among its 100,000 workers. The employees recently had learned that their annual raises would be considerably lower than expected. The researchers randomly selected a group of these workers to take an anonymous survey on wages, job conditions and environment and supervisor performance.
The researchers found that giving these workers a voice through the survey reduced both turnover and absenteeism, compared to those who did not receive the survey. The effect was greatest for the most-disappointed workers. Overall, giving workers the survey reduced their probability of quitting by about 20 percent. “Setting up that line of communication might actually generate less attrition and that’s potentially of value to both workers and firms,” Adhvaryu says.
Adhvaryu and his team are working to extend this research. One angle they’re pursuing is the value of using technology like text messaging and mobile apps – including one they’re developing themselves – to help enable worker voice. They’re also studying the power of incentives to encourage managers to respond to workers’ concerns.
••• economic research
Race, ethnicity color economic views
A report by Burbank, Calif., cultural insights agency ThinkNow shows differing views on the economy based on ethnicity and race. The survey, fielded in December 2018, found that more than one-third of Americans (35 percent) say their household financial situation improved in 2018, compared to nearly 20 percent who say it worsened.
According to the report, over half (57 percent) of non-Hispanic whites were most likely to say their household income improved from one year ago, while the share of Hispanics who stated their financial situation improved in 2018 dropped from 35 percent in 2017 to 27 percent.
Asian-Americans felt their financial situation remained stable the past year, with a slight increase saying their financial situation worsened, from 19 percent in 2018 compared to 15 percent in 2017.
Almost one-quarter (23 percent) of non-Hispanic whites believe the economy is growing rapidly, while 29 percent of Asian-Americans and equally as many African-Americans think the economy will worsen in 2019. Twenty-nine percent of the total market feel the economy will worsen in 2019 – a rise of five percentage points since 2015.