Note To Reviewer - ATUS 2017 Leave Questions

March 10, 2016

NOTE TO THE REVIEWER OF:	OMB No. 1220-0141 Cognitive and Psychological Research
FROM:	Bill Mockovak Survey Methodologist Office of Survey Methods Research Bureau of Labor Statistics
SUBJECT:	Submission of Materials for Cognitive Testing of the American Time Use Survey’s 2017 Leave Questions

Please accept the enclosed materials for approval under the OMB clearance package “Cognitive and Psychological Research.” In accordance with our agreement with OMB, we are submitting a brief description of the research, and the materials to be used in the research.

We plan to interview 60 participants. The maximum number of burden hours is estimated to be 43 hours.

If there are any questions regarding this project, please contact Bill Mockovak at (202) 691-7414.

Attachments

American Time Use Survey (ATUS)

Leave Module

I. Introduction and Purpose

The American Time Use Survey (ATUS) is an ongoing, nationally-representative telephone survey of the civilian non-institutional population age 15 and over. Respondents are asked to sequentially describe what they did “yesterday,” from 4 a.m. of the previous day to 4 a.m. of the interview day. The sample is chosen from those households that completed the eighth (final) CPS interview, and in each of these households, one person is randomly selected to be interviewed for the ATUS. Each person is also assigned to be interviewed on a particular day (e.g., Tuesday), with interviewers attempting to reach the designated person for up to eight weeks. About half of the respondents are interviewed on a weekday and about half on a weekend day.

In 2011, BLS conducted an ATUS Leave module that captured information about Americans’ access to and use of paid and unpaid work leave. A 2017 Leave Module to the ATUS will offer researchers the chance to examine how alternative work schedules affect time spent in nonmarket activities such as housework, childcare, and volunteer activities.

The ATUS collects time use data from approximately 11,800 Americans a year. The 2017 ATUS Leave module will accomplish similar objectives as the 2011 module. Although many questions remain the same, some have been dropped, and some have been added to obtain better information about the availability and use of flexible and alternative work schedules. As in 2011, data will be collected on employees’ access to paid and unpaid leave (e.g., what types of leave are available and for what purposes) and their leave activities (e.g., instances of leave taking, leave denials, and non-use of leave). The purpose of this study is to conduct cognitive tests of the proposed leave items in order to gain insight about respondents’ understanding of the terms, definitions, and concepts associated with leave. The tests will be conducted by BLS staff in the Office of Survey Methods Research (OSMR) and Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics (OEUS). Both in-house and online testing will be used. The online testing will use participants recruited by TryMyUI.¹

II. Participants

Thirty in-house and 30 online participants will be recruited for this study. The TryMyUI online participants are recruited from across the U.S. and can be selected based on criteria such as age, education, gender, computer literacy, household makeup, employment status, different occupations, or any desired special criteria (such as “took leave in the past week” or “work irregular work schedules”). All of the TryMyUI participants are trained in talking out loud.

The in-house participants will be recruited from OSMR’s database of general population study participants. During recruitment and screening, we will collect the following information to ensure that we are interviewing a cross-section of the target population: employment status (full vs. part-time), class of worker (government, private, not-for-profit), age, and education. An effort will be made to interview eight individuals who are shift workers (for example, nurses, fire fighters, factory workers, security guards, etc.).

III. Research Design

Research psychologists from the OSMR will interview the participants individually in the OSMR behavioral science research laboratory, and each session will be audiotaped. TryMyUI produces a 20-minute video and audio recording of each session, which will be reviewed and coded by OSMR researchers.

There are six sections in the ATUS leave module questionnaire. Many of the questions in Sections 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 were tested when the module was last conducted in 2011 (Section 4 is largely new and will receive the most emphasis in testing). In-house participants will answer all the leave module questions, but online participants will be divided into two groups that focus on certain sections to ensure they have adequate time to comment on questions. The online groups will further be divided into four groups as shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Sections to be tested by different online groups

Location of Probes	Group 1 (N=15) Embed At End		Group 2 (N=15) Embed At End
Section 1: Access to paid leave	X	X	X	X
Section 2: Access to unpaid leave	X	X
Section 3: Leave taken in last week			X	X
Section 4: Job flexibility and work schedules	X	X	X	X
Section 5: Non-use of leave			X	X
Section 6: General health
Total	8	7	7	8

The in-house cognitive testing protocol will follow a structured format (see Appendix B). The online protocol will also follow a structured format, and rely largely on data provided by “talking out loud.”

A small, exploratory study will also be built into the online testing. One version of the online testing protocol will use embedded probing questions, which are asked immediately after a survey question is asked (referred to as “Embed” in Table 1). Whereas the alternative online testing protocol will ask the probing questions after all the survey questions have been asked (referred to as “At End” in Table 1), which is similar to the approach being used in the in-house testing, except that emergent (not preplanned) probing can also be used in the in-house testing. The protocol for the embedded probing questions is shown in Appendix C. The probing questions will be the same in both online protocols.

During the first part of the interview, in-house testing respondents will be introduced to the study and then administered the proposed leave module questions; the last half of the session will be spent administering the debriefing questions. The in-house interviews should last about 60 minutes on average.

We will make an effort to stratify our interviewing days during the week in order to capture a representative range of reporting days (i.e., weekdays vs. weekends).

IV. Burden Hours

BLS anticipates that 30 individuals will each participate in a 60-minute, in-house cognitive test session, for a total of 30 burden hours. Recruitment will take approximately 5 minutes and we expect to need to contact 40 respondents to obtain 30 participants, for a total of3 hours for recruitment (see Appendix E for recruitment script). Thirty online participants will participate for a total of 20 minutes each, for a total of 10 burden hours.

The total burden hours for this study will be 43. Thirty participants will be recruited to participate in this study. We anticipate a moderate acceptance rate for the initial recruitment contact with potential participants (approximately 75%), so estimate we will need to contact approximately 40 people in order to get 30 interviews. We expect these initial recruitment calls to last 5 minutes. The screening protocol is included in Appendix E. This will add 3 burden hours (40 participants X .083 hours) to the study.

The TryMyUI online participant sessions will last 20 minutes at most. This will add 10 burden hours (30 participants X 0.33 hours/session) to the study.

	N	Burden Hours/ Participant	Total Burden Hours
Initial Recruitment	40	0.083	3
Lab Interviews	30	1	30
Online Interviews	30*	.33	10
	TOTAL		43 hours

*Note: There is no recruitment time for the online interviews. Recruitment is handled entirely by TryMyUI, and they maintain an active list of ready participants.

V. Payment to Respondents

The in-house participants will be compensated $40 upon completion of the session. Participants from TryMyUI are compensated $10 upon completion of the session.

VI. Data Confidentiality

In-house participants will be informed of the voluntary nature of the study and asked to sign a consent form. Participants will also be informed that the study will be used to help staff of the ATUS program better decide what information should be collected in a leave module. Information related to this study will not be released to the public in any way that would allow participants to be identified, except as prescribed under the conditions of the Privacy Act Notice. A copy of the consent form is included (see Appendix D).

Online participants will not be given a pledge of confidentiality.

VI. Attachments

Appendix A: Draft questionnaire

Appendix B: Interview protocol for in-house testing

appendix c: Interview protocol for embedded online testing

Appendix D: Consent form

Appendix E: Recruitment script

appendix A: Draft Questionnaire

2017 Leave Module Questionnaire

Table of Contents

Introduction 3

Section 1. Access to Paid Leave 4

Section 2. Access to Unpaid Leave 8

Section 3. Leave taken in the last week 12

Section 4. Job flexibility 17

Section 5. Non-use of Leave 24

Section 6. General Health 25

Section 1: Access to Paid Leave

The Leave Module will include all wage and salary workers except those who are self-employed. The Leave Module begins with an introduction explaining the content of the next set of questions and then proceeds to a screen asking about access to paid leave at one’s job. Access to paid leave questions were designed to provide information on who had access to paid leave at their jobs, reasons for which workers were able to take paid leave from their jobs, and the types of paid leave plans workers had at their jobs.

PAID

Universe: All Leave Module respondents

Do you receive paid leave on your [current/main] job? [Fill: By main job, we mean the one at which you usually work the most hours.]

1. Yes [Go to RSNPD_A]

2. No

Don’t Know/ Refused [Go to UNPD_INTRO]

RSNPD_A

Universe: Respondents who receive paid leave

I’m going to read you a list of reasons why you might have to miss work. For each reason, please tell me if you are able to take paid leave in your [fill: current/main] job.

Own illness or medical care

1. Yes

2. No

Don’t know/Refusal [Go to RSNPD_B]

RSNPD_B

Universe: Respondents who receive paid leave

Illness or medical care of another family member

1. Yes

2. No

Don’t know/Refusal [Go to RSNPD_C]

RSNPD_C

Universe: Respondents who receive paid leave

Childcare, other than for illness

1. Yes

2. No

Don’t know/Refusal [Go to RSNPD_D]

RSNPD_D

Universe: Respondents who receive paid leave

Eldercare

1. Yes

2. No

Don’t know/Refusal [Go to RSNPD_E]

RSNPD_E

Universe: Respondents who receive paid leave

Vacation

1. Yes

2. No

Don’t know/Refusal [Go to RSNPD_F]

RSNPD_F

Universe: Respondents who receive paid leave

Errands or personal reasons

1. Yes

2. No

Don’t know/Refusal [Go to RSNPD_G]

RSNPD_G

Universe: Respondents who receive paid leave

Birth or adoption of a child

1. Yes

2. No

Don’t know/Refusal

[Skip to PDTYPE_A]

PDTYPE_A

Universe: Respondents who receive paid leave

Now I’d like to ask you about the types of paid leave plans offered by your employer. Some employers offer leave plans that require workers to use paid leave for specific purposes. For example, sick leave might be available but it cannot be used for vacation time. I’m going to read a list of different types of paid leave plans.  Please tell me if you have a separate leave plan available to you for... (read each item)”

[Interviewer: If the respondent mentions that he/she has a consolidated leave plan or PTO, mark that column for vacation, sick leave, and personal days]

	Yes	No	PTO	DK
Vacation
Sick leave
(females only) Separate plan for maternity leave
(males only) Separate plan for paternity leave
Personal days

(sick leave skip to PDTYPE_SL, others skip to PTO)

PDTYPE_SL

Universe: Respondents who report their company has a paid sick leave plan

Can you use paid sick leave for family members who are ill or need care?

1. Yes

2. No

Don’t know/Refusal [Go to PTO]

PTO

Universe: Respondents who receive paid leave

Some employers also offer a paid leave plan, called a consolidated leave plan or PTO. In this type of plan you get a fixed number of hours, which you can then use for whatever reason you would like to take leave — whether you’re sick, going on a vacation, or need some personal time. Does your employer offer this type of plan?

1. Yes

2. No

Don’t Know/Refusal [Skip to UNPD_INTRO]

Section 2: Access to Unpaid Leave

Questions about access to unpaid leave were designed to provide information on workers’ understanding of their access to and use of unpaid leave and reasons for which workers were allowed to take unpaid leave.

UNPD_INTRO

Universe: All Leave Module respondents

Now I’m going to ask you about unpaid leave.

Enter 1 to Continue [Go to UNPAID]

UNPAID

Universe: All Leave Module respondents

[In addition to your paid leave/In your main job/In your current job] are you allowed to take time off from work without pay?

1. Yes [Go to RSNUN_A]

2. No

Don’t know/Refused [If PAID ≠ 1, go to JF_INTRO],

[Else go to LEAVE_INTRO]

RSNUN_A

Universe: All respondents who can take unpaid leave

I’m going to read a list of reasons why you might have to miss work. Assuming that you have received your employer’s approval, for each reason, please tell me whether or not you are able to take time off from work without pay.

Own illness or medical care

1. Yes

2. No

Don’t know/Refusal [Go to RSNUN_B]

RSNUN_B

Universe: All respondents who can take unpaid leave

Illness or medical care of another family member

1. Yes

2. No

Don’t know/Refusal [Go to RSNUN_C]

RSNUN_C

Universe: All respondents who can take unpaid leave

Childcare, other than for illness

1. Yes

2. No

Don’t know/Refusal [Go to RSNUN_D]

RSNUN_D

Universe: All respondents who can take unpaid leave

Eldercare

1. Yes

2. No

Don’t know/Refusal [Go to RSNUN_E]

RSNUN_E

Universe: All respondents who can take unpaid leave

Vacation

1. Yes

2. No

Don’t know/Refusal [Go to RSNUN_F]

RSNUN_F

Universe: All respondents who can take unpaid leave

Errands or personal reasons

1. Yes

2. No

Don’t know/Refusal [Go to RSNUN_G]

RSNUN_G

Universe: All respondents who can take unpaid leave

Birth or adoption of a child

1. Yes [Go to UNEVER]

2. No

Don’t know/Refusal [If (RSNUN_A = 1) OR (RSNUN_B = 1) OR (RSNUN_C = 1)

OR (RSNUN_D = 1) OR (RSNUN_E = 1) OR (RSNUN_F = 1),

Go to UNEVER]

[Else go to LEAVE_Intro]

UNEVER

Universe: Respondents who indicated they could take unpaid leave for at least one of the reasons listed above

In your [fill: main/current] job, have you ever taken unpaid leave for [fill: this/these] reason(s)?

1. Yes

2. No

Don’t know/Refusal

[Go to LEAVE_Intro]

Section 3: Leave taken in last week

The next set of questions collects information about the amount, type, and reasons for which

workers took paid or unpaid leave in the week prior to the interview day.

LEAVE_Intro1

Universe: Respondents who have access to paid or unpaid leave

Now I want to ask you about your work time in the past week.

* Enter 1 to continue. [Go to LEAVE]

LEAVE

Universe: Respondents who have access to paid or unpaid leave

Did you take any paid or unpaid leave from your [fill: main] job over the past seven days, that is from last [fill: current day] through yesterday?

1. Yes [Go to LVHRS]

2. No

Don’t know/Refusal [Go to JF_Intro]

LVHRS

Universe: Respondents who took paid or unpaid leave

In the past seven days, how many hours of paid or unpaid leave did you take in total?

<1-168, Don’t Know, Refusal> [If PAID = 1 go to PDWK]

[Else go to LVMAIN]

PDWK

Universe: Respondents who used leave in the previous week, and who have access to paid leave

Did you use paid leave for any of the time that you took off from work in the past seven days?

* If necessary, probe to determine which “yes”—1 or 2—is applicable.

1. Yes, paid for all

2. Yes, paid for some

3. No, not paid

Don’t know/Refusal

[Skip to LVMAIN]

LVMAIN

Universe: Respondents who used leave in the previous week

Question text:

Thinking about your longest period of leave in the last seven days, what was the main reason you had to take off from work?

* Read highlighted options.

1. Own illness or medical care

2. Illness or medical care of another family member

3. Childcare, other than for illness

4. Eldercare

5. Vacation

6. Errands or personal reasons

7. Birth or adoption of a child

8. Other, specify

Don’t Know/Refusal

[Go TO JF_Intro]

Section 4: Job flexibility and work schedules

JF_INTRO

Universe: All Leave Module respondents

The next set of questions ask about how much flexibility you have in arranging your

work schedule.

* Enter 1 to continue. [Go to JF_1]

JF_1

Universe: All Leave Module respondents

Do you have flexible work hours that allow you to vary or make changes in the times

you begin and end work?

1. Yes (skip to JF_1A)

2. No (skip to JF_4)

Don’t know, Refusal (skip to JF_5)

JF_1A

Universe: Respondents who can vary or make changes to the times they begin and end work

Can you change the times you begin and end work on a frequent basis,

occasionally, or only rarely?

1. Frequent basis

2. Occasionally

3. Rarely

(Skip to JF_2)

JF_2

Universe: Respondents who can vary or make changes to the times they begin and end work

Is your flexible work schedule part of a program or policy offered by your employer?

1. Yes

2. No

Don’t know, Refusal

(skip to JF_3)

JF_3

Universe: Respondents who can vary or make changes to the times they begin and end work

Are the times that you can begin and end work completely flexible, or are there certain hours of the day, such as 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., that you have to work each day?

1. A lot
   Some
   A little
   None at allA lot
   Some
   A little
   None at allA lot
   Some
   A little
   None at allCompletely flexible

2. Must cover certain hours

3. Other – specify

Don’t know, Refusal

(skip to JF_5)

JF_4

Universe: Respondents who are not able to vary or make changes to the times they begin and end work

Do you have any input into the hours you begin and end work or does your employer decide?

1. A lot
   Some
   A little
   None at allA lot
   Some
   A little
   None at allA lot
   Some
   A little
   None at allWorker has some input

2. Employer decides

3. Other

Don’t know, Refusal

(skip to JF_5)

JF_5

Universe: All Leave Module respondents

How far in advance do you usually know what days and hours you will need to work?

1. 1 week or less

2. Between 1 and 2 weeks

3. Between 3 and 4 weeks

4. 4 weeks or more

Don’t know, Refusal

(Skip to JF_6)

JF_6

Universe: All Leave Module respondents

On your [main/current] job, do you USUALLY work a daytime schedule or some other

schedule?

*Read if necessary: Daytime is anytime between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

1. Daytime (skip to JF_9)

2. Some other schedule (skip to JF_7)

Don’t know, Refusal (skip to JF_9)

JF_7

Universe: Respondents who said they do not usually work a daytime schedule

Which of the following best describes the hours you usually work at your [main/current] job? (Response options are read aloud.)

1. An evening shift – any time between 2 p.m. and midnight

2. A night shift – any time between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m.

3. A rotating shift – one that changes periodically from days to evenings or night

4. A split shift– one consisting of two distinct periods each day

5. An irregular shift

6. Some other shift (if person says flexitime, etc., probe to determine if shift actually falls in a day, evening, night, rotating shift, or split-shift category)

Don’t know, refusal

(Skip to JF_8)

JF_8

Universe: Respondents who said they do not usually work a daytime schedule

(Read list and choose one)

What is the main reason why you work this type of shift?

1. Better arrangements for family or childcare

2. Better pay

3. Allows time for school

4. Could not get any other shift

5. Nature of the job

6. Personal preference

7. Some other reason – specify

Don’t know, Refusal

(Skip to JF_9)

JF_9

Universe: All Leave Module respondents

How many days of the week do you usually work?

1. Days = _____

2. It varies

Don’t know, Refusal

(Skip to JF_10)

JF_9A

Universe: All Leave Module respondents

Do you work an alternative work schedule where you can work fewer days during a pay period by working more hours per day?

1. Yes

2. No

Don’t know, Refusal (skip to JF_10)

JF_10

Universe: All Leave Module respondents

Which days of the week do you usually work?

• Sunday

• Monday

• Tuesday

• Wednesday

• Thursday

• Friday

• Saturday

• Monday through Friday

• Varies

Don’t know, Refusal

(Skip to JF_11)

JF_11

Universe: All Leave Module respondents

As part of your job, can you work at home?

1. Yes (skip to JF_12)

2. No (skip to NOLV_Intro)

Don’t know, Refusal (skip to NOLV_Intro)

JF_12

Universe: Respondents who can work from home

Do you ever work at home?

1. Yes (skip to JF_13)

2. No (skip to NOLV_Intro)

Don’t know, Refusal (skip to NOLV_Intro)

JF_13

Universe: Respondents who indicate they do work at home

Are you paid for the hours that you work at home, or do you just take work home from the job?

1. Paid

2. Take work home

3. Both

Don’t know, Refusal

(Skip to JF_14)

JF_14

Universe: Respondents who indicate they do work at home

What is the main reason why you work at home?

1. Finish or catch up on work

2. Coordinate work schedule with personal or family needs

3. Reduce commuting time or expense

4. Personal preference

5. Other – specify

Don’t know, Refusal

(Skip to JF_15)

JF_15

Universe: Respondents who can work from home

Are there days when you work only at home?

1. Yes (skip to JF_16)

2. No (skip to NOLV_Intro)

Don’t know, Refusal (skip to NOLV_Intro)

JF_16

Universe: Respondents who work exclusively from home

How often do you work only at home?

1. Everyday

2. At least once a week

3. Once every 2 weeks

4. Once a month

5. Less than once a month

Don’t know, Refusal (skip to NOLV_Intro)

Section 5: Non-use of Leave

The next set of questions collects information about times when workers needed to take leave from work but could not, the reason(s) for which they needed to take leave but did not, and the reason(s) why they did not take leave.

NOLV_Intro

Universe: All Leave Module respondents

Question text:

The next few questions are about times when you may have needed to take off from work but could not.

* Enter 1 to continue. [Go to NOLV]

NOLV

Universe: All Leave Module respondents

Question text:

During the past month, that is from last [fill = ONE MONTH AGO] through yesterday, were there situations in which you needed to take off from work but did not?

1. Yes [Go to NEEDLV]

2. No

Don’t Know/Refusal [Go to HEALTH]

NEEDLV

Universe: Respondents who needed to take off from work in the previous month, but did not

Why did you need to take off work?

*Mark all that apply.

*Read highlighted options.

1. Own illness or medical care

2. Illness or medical care of another family member

3. Childcare, other than for illness

4. Eldercare

5. Vacation

6. Errands or personal reasons

7. Birth or adoption of a child

8. Other, specify

Don’t Know/Refusal [If (PAID = 2 and UNPAID = 2), go to HEALTH]

[Else go to RSNNO]

RSNNO

Universe: Respondents who had paid or unpaid leave available to them and who needed to take time off from work in the previous month but did not

Why did you decide not to take leave?

*Mark all that apply.

*Read highlighted options.

1. Too much work

2. Wanted to save leave

3. Leave was denied

4. Did not have enough leave

5. Fear of job loss or other negative employment-related consequence

6. Could not afford the loss in income

7. Other, specify

Don’t Know/Refusal [Go to HEALTH]

Section 6: General Health

The last section collects information about workers’ general health.

HEALTH

Universe: All Leave Module respondents

Finally, I have a question about your health. Would you say your health in general is excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor?

1. Excellent

2. Very good

3. Good

4. Fair

5. Poor

Don’t Know/Refusal

Appendix b: CognitIve Interview Protocol

Introductory Script for In-House Testing

Hi! Thank you for coming in today. My name is ( ). I work for ( ) in the Bureau of Labor Statistics. [This is my colleague ( ).]

I [we] look forward to working with you today.

With your permission, I will be taping this session. This allows me to ensure the accuracy of your answers, and also allows me to focus on you and your responses instead of taking notes. Do I have your permission to audiotape?

Before we get started, please read over the consent form. If you agree to participate in the study, print and sign your name as indicated on the bottom of the form. If you do not agree, please let me know now.

Let me explain a bit about what we’ll be doing today. We are going to be working with some questions that might be asked as part of the American Time Use Survey, which is an ongoing national survey that provides information about how Americans spend their time. This survey first asks how you spent your time in the previous 24 hours. After these questions, some questions about the availability of paid and unpaid time off at your job will be asked. These questions are important because the ability to take time off is likely related to how people spend their time.

Today, we will be going through the survey questions together as if you were a real respondent, and then we will spend a few minutes talking about your experience – what you liked or disliked about the questions, what you found confusing, etc. Because this is a phone survey, I’ll actually be leaving the room in a minute to conduct the survey with you over the phone, but then I’ll come back in here afterward so we can discuss your reactions to the questions face-to-face.

It’s important to point out the purpose of today’s session is to help us find out more about how people respond to these questions. We want the questions to be clear, easy to understand, and easy to answer. So if a question is confusing or difficult for you to answer, or if it uses a word that you don’t understand, or the possible answers don’t apply to your situation, I want you to stop and tell me that immediately. That’s important information for us. Is that clear? All the information you give us will be kept completely confidential, and it will only be used to improve the survey questions. Do you have any questions so far?

Debriefing Questions

1. GENERAL REACTIONS

So, tell me. What were your general reactions to the questions about paid and unpaid leave? Did any of the questions stand out as particularly confusing?

2. COGNITIVE/LINGUISTIC ISSUES

Note: In addition to the scripted probes shown in the following protocol, emergent probes will be used during the interview.

III. Name/title of occupation: What is the name or title of your occupation?

Q1. (PAID)

Now I’d like to spend some time talking about some of the individual questions.

The first question asked was, “Do you receive paid leave on your job?”

What does the term paid leave mean to you?

Can you think of a simpler way to ask this question, or is it okay as is?

Q2. (PDTYPE_A)

This next question is a pretty long one. It asks:

“Now I’d like to ask you about the TYPES of paid leave plans offered by your employer. Some employers offer leave plans that require workers to use paid leave for specific purposes. For example, sick leave might be available, but it cannot be used for vacation time. I’m going to read a list of different types of paid leave plans. Please tell me if you have a separate leave plan available to you for ...

• Vacation

• Sick leave

• (females only) Separate plan for maternity leave

• (males only) Separate plan for paternity leave

• Personal days

What did you think of when you heard the phrase “paid leave for specific purposes?” Was the example about not using sick leave for vacation time clear?

Was it clear this question was asking about types of leave plans, and not the reasons for taking leave?

What did you think of when you heard the choice “Separate leave plan (for maternity/paternity leave)?” What does that mean to you?

What did you think of when you heard the choice “Personal days?” What does that mean to you?

Q3 (PTO)

Another question asked about a new type of leave plan that some employers are offering, called a consolidated leave plan or PTO. Had you ever heard of this type of plan prior to this interview?

What's the simplest explanation you can give of a consolidated leave plan or PTO?

Q4. (UNPAID)

Did you have any difficulties answering the question “[In addition to your paid leave/In your main job,] Are you allowed to take time off from work without pay?

Was this question difficult or easy to answer? Why is that?

Q5. (LVHRS)

One of the questions asked if you had taken any time off in the past seven days.

Was it difficult to remember if, and why, you had taken time off from work in the last seven days?

Was it clear that the question was asking about both paid and unpaid leave?

(if took time off) How confident are you in your estimate of the number of hours you had taken off? Would you say you are very confident, confident, slightly confident, or not at all confident?

What if we had asked about the previous two weeks? Would you say your estimate would be very accurate, accurate, inaccurate, or very inaccurate?

Q6. (JF_1, and JF_1A)

Some of the questions asked about how much flexibility you had in determining your start and end times for work, as well as your overall work schedule.

What did it mean to you when you heard the question “Do you have flexible work hours that allow you to vary or make changes in the time you begin and end work?”

(If can vary start & end times) We asked if you can change the times you begin and end work on a frequent basis, occasionally, or only rarely? How did you define frequent, occasionally, and rarely?

Q7 (JF_7)

(If some other schedule)

Did you find a good match for your work schedule?  If not, please explain why.

(If yes) How would you describe it?

Q8 (JF_9A)

One question asked “Do you work an alternative work schedule where you can work

fewer days during a pay period by working more hours per day?”

 Is it clear what this question is asking?

What does an “alternative work schedule” mean to you in your own words?

Q9 (JF_13)

(If worked at home)

One question asked “Are you paid for the hours that you work at home, or do you just take work home from the job?”

Was this question easy or hard to answer?

Are you a salaried worker, a contract worker, or do you get paid by the hour?

(if salaried worker) Do you consider the hours that you work at home “paid hours?” Why or why not?

Q10 (JF_14)

(If worked at home)

Did you have any problem answering the question “What is the main reason why you work at home?” (Please explain)

Q11 (JF_15)

Another question asked:

Are there days when you work only at home?

In your own words what does it mean to work only at home?

Q12 (NOLV)

We asked you if there were situations in the past month when you needed to take off time from work, but did not.

Was this question easy or difficult to answer? (Why?)

[If R said ‘NO’ to NOLV, ask:] Can you think of any times when you might have needed to take off from work but did not – it doesn’t have to be in the last seven days?

Vignette

I want to ask you about a hypothetical situation.  Assume you worked in a job where you occasionally had a week or more off with no scheduled work, for example, because you were a landscaper who did not work when there was no work, or you were a teacher who had summers off.

How would you answer the following question for the landscaper and the teacher if you had not worked the preceding week? 

In the past seven days, how many hours of paid or unpaid leave did you take in total?”

Wrap-Up

Are there any questions that I didn’t think to ask you about how to collect this information well?

If I can relay only one message to the team that’s developing these questions, what’s the most important thing that you think I should tell them about collecting information about leave?

Do you have any other reactions or comments about the survey or this cognitive interview before we end this session?

Thanks for your time and assistance!!

Appendix C: online CognitIve Interview Protocol

Note: Refer to PDF documents (one with embedded probes, and one with probes at end) for this protocol.

Appendix D: Consent form

Consent Form

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is conducting research to increase the quality of BLS surveys. This study is intended to suggest ways to improve the procedures the BLS uses to collect survey data.

The BLS, its employees, agents, and partner statistical agencies, will use the information you provide for statistical purposes only and will hold the information in confidence to the full extent permitted by law. In accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (Title 5 of Public Law 107-347) and other applicable Federal laws, your responses will not be disclosed in identifiable form without your informed consent. The Privacy Act notice on the back of this form describes the conditions under which information related to this study will be used by BLS employees and agents.

During this research you may be audio and/or videotaped, or you may be observed. If you do not wish to be taped, you still may participate in this research.

We estimate it will take you an average of 60 minutes to participate in this research.

Your participation in this research project is voluntary, and you have the right to stop at any time. If you agree to participate, please sign below.

Persons are not required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control number is 1220-0141 and expires April, 30, 2018.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have read and understand the statements above. I consent to participate in this study.

___________________________________ ___________________________

Participant's signature Date

___________________________________

Participant's printed name

___________________________________

Researcher's signature

PRIVACY ACT STATEMENT

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 U.S.C. 552a), you are hereby notified that this study is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), under authority of 29 U.S.C. 2. Your voluntary participation is important to the success of this study and will enable the BLS to better understand the behavioral and psychological processes of individuals, as they reflect on the accuracy of BLS information collections. The BLS, its employees, agents, and partner statistical agencies, will use the information you provide for statistical purposes only and will hold the information in confidence to the full extent permitted by law. In accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (Title 5 of Public Law 107-347) and other applicable Federal laws, your responses will not be disclosed in identifiable form without your informed consent.

Appendix E: RECRUITMENT SCRIPT FOR LAB TESTING

Participants in this study will be recruited from a database maintained by OSMR. The database contains demographic information about the potential participants, so participants of varying income, education, occupation, and household size groups will be drawn and asked to participate via a phone call. During recruitment and screening, we will verify the following information to ensure that we are interviewing a cross-section of the target population: employment status (full vs. part-time); class of worker (government, private, not for profit, self-employed); age, and education. The phone call will be roughly scripted, as shown below, but it is impossible to anticipate all questions that potential participants may ask or what explanation may be required.

OMB Number 1220-0141

Expires: April 30, 2018

Recruitment script:

Hello, this is _____ from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. I am calling to see if you are interested in participating in an upcoming study. In this study, we will ask you to come to our offices at BLS for an interview that will last about one hour. We will ask questions about the availability of paid and unpaid time off at your job. To compensate you for your time, we are offering $40 for this study.

Are you interested in participating?

[if Yes to being interested in participating] OK, let’s get you scheduled. If you know your availability, I would like to schedule your meeting.

[if No] OK, thank you for your time. Have a good day.

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 5 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. The obligation to respond to this collection is voluntary. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the U.S. Department of Labor, OASAM/OCIO 200 C Street NW Washington DC 20210 and reference the OMB Control Number 1220-0141.

1 https://www.trymyui.com/ TryMyUI is an online testing website where respondents can complete a set of self-administered tasks while thinking “out loud” and can respond to follow-up, scripted probes. TryMyUI provides a video recording of the output and each test can last up to 20 minutes.