The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened appreciation for the critical role frontline workers play in keeping businesses running and communities safe. Business leaders increasingly recognize that listening to workers isn’t just an equity imperative; workers hold unique expertise that can improve business performance. Engaging workers and creating the conditions for them to fully contribute not only unleashes productivity, but reveals that the high cost of turnover need not be tolerated as a cost of doing business. Workforce organizations can serve as a key catalyst in unlocking worker expertise and engagement in ways that strengthen job quality, equity, and the business bottom line.
Our team at the Workforce Strategies Initiative frequently conducts focus groups and interviews with frontline workers to learn about their experiences at work and listen to their ideas about workforce practices that can help employees and businesses thrive. In recent years, many workforce leaders have expressed interest in learning how to conduct their own worker-focused research and have asked for tools to help them build worker input into the design and delivery of programs and business services.
In response, we have developed two tools: a guide to conducting worker focus groups and a tool for conducting worker surveys.
The tools were initially published in beta form in November 2020, with an invitation to workforce organizations and businesses to test and provide feedback on using the tools in their efforts to support employers to make job quality improvements. We are excited to be relaunching these tools in their final form, which have incorporated the generous feedback of our partners.
We encourage you to tell us how you’re using these resources, and share your experiences implementing worker voice in your programs.
We hope that these tools are helpful to workforce organizations and business leaders seeking to tap into worker knowledge and to listen and respond to the ideas, needs, and aspirations of frontline workers.
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Tweet Centering #WorkerVoice in Employer Engagement and Program Design: A Guide for Leading Worker Focus Groups for #Workforce Organizations. By @jennyweissbourd, Vivian Vázquez, @RanitaJain1, @yooriechang, @missmks88, and @amyblair63.
Tweet #Workforce organizations can unlock worker expertise in ways that strengthen safety, #jobquality, #equity, and the business bottom line. @AspenJobQuality developed a focus group guide to help achieve that.
Tweet Frontline workers play a critical role in keeping businesses running and communities safe. This guide by @AspenJobQuality can help #workforce organizations turn insights into action.
About Reimagine Retail
Reimagine Retail, an initiative of the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and supported by Walmart, explores ways to enhance job quality and improve mobility for workers in the retail and service sectors. As part of this initiative, we are partnering with workforce organizations and employers across the country to gather input from frontline workers to inform job quality improvements. We’re grateful to our local partners, and excited to share valuable lessons from their work on the ground.
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The Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy. Follow us on social media and join our mailing list to stay up-to-date on publications, blog posts, events, and other announcements.
