Appendix A - Email invite for Project Collaborator discussions

Subject: Invitation to Collaborate with Employment Processes as Barriers to Employment in the Low-Wage Labor Market Study Team

Dear <Name>,

Abt Associates, is conducting a project to systematically review what is known about how employment processes can present barriers for workers of color, as well as explore and identify potentially promising strategies to address biases in the low-wage labor market. The project is sponsored by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As part of the Employment Processes as Barriers to Employment in the Low-Wage Labor Market project, we are conducting one-on-one discussions with a small number of employers, organizations that advocate on behalf of workers, state and local program operators, and software developers involved in each step in the employment process, in addition to workers in the low wage labor market. The project is assessing biases and barriers at each step in the employment process, including how workers learn about opportunities, application/hiring processes, characteristics of low-wage jobs, and opportunities for promotion. The project will also document potential strategies to address those biases and barriers. For more information about the project, please see the attached description.

Because of your <role/experience>, we would like to invite you to participate in a discussion to inform potential future efforts to create more equitable workplaces. Specifically, my colleague [name] and I would like to set up a [WebEx/Zoom] call with you this month. The call should take about an hour of your time. Topics that we will cover include potential sources of bias in various steps of the employment process, including how workers learn about opportunities, the application and hiring process, characteristics of low-wage jobs, and opportunities for promotion. The information from the discussion will be used to inform subsequent tasks on this project, including a literature review and identification of initiatives to study further. Participating in this call is entirely voluntary, and you can decline to answer any questions for any reason.

Please let us know if you’re able to participate in these discussions. If so, my colleagues <add names>, cc’d here, will follow up with you to schedule a time to talk. Please don’t hesitate to contact me should you have any questions. For general information about the evaluation, please contact <COR>.