Research That Matters (January 17 - 20, 2008)

Purpose: As the debate continues over the best means for reducing poverty and increasing economic self-sufficiency among workers in the United States in the lowest income brackets, a growing population of workers poses additional challenges for researchers and policymakers. These workers, often referred to as the “working poor,” are individuals who are working, yet still earn incomes near or below the poverty line. In 2003, 7.4 million workers in the U.S. lived at or below the official poverty threshold. Despite growing concerns about the working poor in the U.S., minimal attention within the social work profession has been paid to the work/family challenges encountered by people employed in low-wage jobs. Frequently, the work conditions in jobs that pay low wages place burdens on workers and their families. In these jobs workers have little say about when, where, and how long they work; they are often required to work evenings, nights, rotating shifts or on weekends; and they have minimal opportunities for advancement. Moreover, compared to higher-wage jobs, lower-wage jobs generally have limited access to flexible work practices, ineffective supervision, and limited opportunity for employee development. Individuals employed in poor quality jobs experience significant work-family conflict, limited wage growth, and a sense that it is impossible to “get ahead.” This study examined the relationships between quality jobs and employee well-being, work-family conflict and employee engagement. Methods: Data were collected from lower-wage hourly workers employed by a national retail firm*. All employees working in one of the pre-identified 388 U.S.-based stores received a request to complete a survey. The study yielded a 72% response rate. For the purpose of this study, the sample included full-time lower-wage hourly workers. Path analysis was used to examine the association between six responsive workplace factors: 1) schedule satisfaction & control; 2) schedule flexibility; 3) learning and advancement opportunities, 4) team work, 5) job-fit, and 6) supervisor effectiveness and three dependent variables:employee well-being, work-family conflict and employee engagement. Employee engagement is an 8-item measure used to assess overall job satisfaction, job commitment, and intent to stay with the firm. High employee engagement is predictive of overall customer satisfaction and store sales. Employee engagement is used as the organizational outcome. Results: Analyses demonstrate that quality jobs are good for employees (well-being and work-family conflict) and for the business (employee engagement). After controlling for demographic factors, all six independent variables were positively associated with well-being, lower levels of work-family conflict and employee engagement. Within each of the three models, different factors emerged as explaining a higher portion of the variance within each of the dependent variables. Implications: Findings provide evidence that quality jobs are advantageous to working families and to organizations. Jobs offering lower-wage hourly workers flexible work options, opportunities for learning and advancement, a culture of support among co-workers, and effective supervision result in a highly engaged workforce and encourage long-term labor force attachment. Results will inform state workforce and economic development policies and workplace policies. Implications for further research are discussed. *Research funded by the Ford Foundation.