Form 5 Employer Interview Guide

Implementation Study Instrument

Implementation Study Instrument

Work Share¹ Employer Interview Guide

OBJECTIVES/CONCEPTS & QUESTIONS	User	Non-User
INTRODUCTION: [Introduce interviewers] Your responses are private. Only those persons present and a few of the research team’s staff will have access to the notes and we have signed a privacy agreement confirming that the responses will not be disclosed with personal identifiers. Information for reports and publications will combine answers so individual identities are protected. In order to ensure the accuracy of the notes, we would like your permission to tape-record this interview. If you agree, please let us know if at any time you want us to turn of the recorder either for a portion or the remainder of the interview.	x	x
1. Firm Characteristics, Economic Climate, Level of Usage, and Future Intensions for Use 2
Name of Firm Address Respondent’s Name and Title Phone Respondent’s email Nature of Business Number of employees User/Not User: History of use (dates; extent of use)	x	x
1.1 We understand [nature of business] about your firm 3 Please describe what [name of firm] does, your role in firm and what else you think might be helpful for us to know.	x	x
2. Experience with Demonstration and Program: Assistance, and Enrolment
2.1 Have you heard of the Work Share Program?		x
2.2 [If yes} How did you hear about it (word-of-mouth, banner, brochure, letter, local events)?	x	x
2.3 What was your reaction to each of these contacts and materials (positive, negative, persuasive) suggestions?	x	x
2.4 Did you receive any assistance with the administrative process of developing and submitting a plan, submitting employee claims? Nature of assistance (in-person, email, phone)? How much time did you spend getting assistance? How helpful was this? Suggestions? [If not] Were you aware you could receive assistance?	x	x
2.5 Describe the process you went through to sign-up for the WS program (e. g, plan creation, approval, etc.). Barriers? Suggestions?	x
3. Usage: Decision Making Process, Burden, Costs, and Barriers
3.1 Please tell us about your firm’s usage of shared work (dates, extent).	x
3.2 When deciding to participate in the WS program, what, if any alternatives did you consider? Were layoffs considered? Do you know (or can you estimate) the number of jobs saved? [Method used to estimate? Any records available?]	x
3.3 What was the main factor in your firm’s decision to participate [or not] in WS? Were there other factors that affected the decision? Who was involved in the decision? Was there much consensus? What program features encouraged or discouraged your participation? Did the requirement to maintain employee benefits have any effect on your decision to participate?	x	x
3.4 What, if any, is the impact of the UI tax on your participation in the program? [Tailor to OR those who used when required to reimburse and IA when were reimbursed.] Was this a significant issue in your decision-making process? Please explain.	x	x
3.5 What are your expectations for future use of shared work (e.g. same, more, less)? Explain reasons.	x	x
3.6 To what extent does [state agency] monitor your firm’s compliance with the WS program requirements? Reporting requirements? Effect plan or participation (e.g. restrictions on part-time jobs)?	x	x
4. Selecting Employees
4.1 How did you select the work unit(s) to participate in the plan? Decide which employees in the department or unit will participate? [If more than one department/plan] How do the departments differ in terms of their WS plans? How did you decide on the percentage of hours for reduction? What are the characteristics of WS employees? Skill level, years of tenure, positions.	x
4.2 How and when do you communicate with the employees about their participation? What is their usual reaction? What, if any, role do employee reactions play in your decision-making? What, if any, role did Unions play in your decision-making?	x
4.3 What kinds of advantages and disadvantages of the program have employees expressed to you? Any concern about the effect on UI or firm benefits?	x
4.4 What attitudes or intentions have employees expressed about future use	x
5. Operation of the WS Plan
5.2 What have been your greatest challenges in implementing/operating the WS program and how did you overcome them?	x
5.3 Do [or could] you estimate how much time it takes for your firm to participate in WS? To develop the plan? To submit weekly claims? Is this a deterrent to your participation?	x
5.4 Have you [or could you] estimated the cost to your firm to participate in WS? How would you calculate the cost? How variable would these estimates be over time? Staff time to establish a WS plan; enrol employees; report weekly hours? Continuing to pay health and retirement benefits while workers at reduced hours Training WS employees Potential impact on UI tax rate Do you have existing data that would be relevant?	X	x
5.5 Are any of these costs [enumerate] a deterrent to using the WS program? If so, how significant?	x	x
6. Overall Assessment of the Experience, Promising Practices, Recommendations for Program and Operational Improvements
6.1 Overall, what is your view of the WS program? What do you like the most about the program? Anything you don’t like?	x
6.2 Are there any features of the program that you think are particularly helpful to encourage employer and employee participation? Any discouraging features or barriers to participation? What solutions would you like to see to address the barriers?	x
6.3 What, if any, improvements would you like to see to WS program?	x
6.4 Would you recommend WS to other employers or workers?	x
7. Wrap Up
7.1 Any other comments or suggestions that you have about the Work Share Program? The outreach materials or events?	x	x
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND ASSISTANCE!!	x	x

1 Oregon refers to its STC program as Work Share (WS) and that term will be used in this document. Iowa refers to its STC program as Voluntary Shared Work (VSW) and the Guide will be tailored accordingly at the time of the interview.

2 Some of this information will be available before the interview and the questions will be tailored to confirm or elaborate on existing information.

3 We will identify this information in advance of the interview.