Pathways to Leadership Among Foreign Born and Native-Born Human Services Workers: Equity and Inclusion

Johnnie Hamilton-Mason, Ph.D., MSWPrincipal Investigator

Hugo Kamya, Ph.D., MSWPrincipal Investigator

Julie Bolduc DeFilippo, MSW, Ph.D. candidate

Mbita Mbao, MSW, Ph.D. candidate

Simmons UniversityCollege of Social Sciences and Public Policy

School of Social Work

Do not copy, cite, or distribute without permission of the authors.

Table of Contents.................................................................................................................... 1Acknowledgements................................................................................................................... 2Appendix A: List of Tables..............................................................................................................

3Appendix B: List of Figures............................................................................................................ 4Executive Summary......................................................................................................................... 5Introduction......................................................................................................................................9

a. Statement of the Problem................................................................................................. 9b. Significance of the Problem and Historical Background.................................................9c. Purpose............................................................................................................................10d. Research Question...........................................................................................................10e. Limitations.......................................................................................................................10f. Ethical Considerations.................................................................................................... ..11

Review of Related Literature...........................................................................................................11Design of the Study........................................................................................................................14

a. Description of Research Design and Procedures Used.................................................. 14b. Sources of Data.............................................................................................................. 14c. Sampling Procedures......................................................................................................15d. Subject Recruitment.......................................................................................................16

Analysis of Data.............................................................................................................................17Focus Group Characteristics.......................................................................................................... 20Highlights of Focus Group Participants.........................................................................................23Survey Characteristics................................................................................................................... 23Highlights of Survey Demographics..............................................................................................29Summary and Conclusions............................................................................................................ 61

Recommendations for Further Investigation..................................................................... 65References......................................................................................................................................66Appendix A: Interview Guide........................................................................................................69Appendix B: Survey Instrument.................................................................................................... 70Appendix C: Preliminary Analysis................................................................................................ 88

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Human Service Professionals from Bay Cove, HMEA, Thrive, Inc.

and Ventures who participated in focus groups, responded to the survey, colleagues who piloted

the survey; Peter Obour-Mensah and Emmanuel Owusu from the African Bridge Network who

commissioned the study and the leadership of the four partner human service agencies-- Bay

Cove, HMEA, Thrive Inc. and Venture Community Services, Dean Stephanie Berzin of

Simmons University College of Social Sciences and Public Policy for her support and Dr.

Anthony Guarino for his invaluable assistance with the with statistical analyses, and MSW

graduate assistants Viola Dean and Geneviève Spears.

2

List of Tables

Table 1: Cross tabulation analysis conducted to look at the relationship in salary across all

Race/ethnic groups.........................................................................................................................51

Table 2: Cross tabulation analysis conducted to describe the relationship between salary among

the four organizations....................................................................................................................53

Table 3: Cross tabulation analysis conducted to look at relationship between employees who

attained their education in the United States and yearly salary....................................................55

Table 4: Cross tabulation analysis conducted to describe relationship between years in service

and salary.......................................................................................................................................56

Table 5: Survey results.................................................................................................................. 59

3

List of Figures

Fig. 1: Design and methods of data collection of the study...........................................................17

Fig. 2: Age ranges of focus group participants by percentage...................................................... 20

Fig. 3: Race/ethnicity of focus group participants by percent....................................................... 20

Fig. 4: Annual salary of focus group participants by percent....................................................... 21

Fig. 5: Number of years of service of focus group participants by percent...................................21

Fig. 6: Percent of highest level of education of focus group participants..................................... 22

Fig. 7: Percent of focus group participants who received their highest level of education in the

United States or outside the United States.....................................................................................22

Fig. 8: Current employment of participants by percent.................................................................24

Fig. 9: Current employment of participants by number of survey respondents.............................24

Fig. 10-11: Age ranges of participants by number of survey respondents................................... 25

Fig. 12-13: Race/ethnicity of participants by number of survey respondents................................26

Fig. 14-15: Salary range of participants by number of survey respondents..................................27

Fig. 16-17: Number of years of service of participants by number of survey respondents............28

Fig. 18: Employee role of participants who responded to this survey question.............................29

Fig. 19: Qualitative data analysis themes......................................................................................31

Fig. 20: Decision making and control are given to employees doing the actual work...................32

Fig. 21: Belief an effort is made to get the opinions of people throughout the organization.........33

Fig. 22: Programs and policies promote diversity in the workplace.............................................35

Fig. 23: Supervisors know whether an individual’s career goals are compatible with

organizational goals.......................................................................................................................37

Fig. 24: We work to attract, develop and retain people with diverse backgrounds...................... 37

Fig. 25: Employees have a feeling of personal empowerment with respect to work processes.... 39

Fig. 26: Satisfaction with recognition they receive for doing a good job...................................... 40

Fig. 27: My supervisor provides me with opportunities to demonstrate my leadership skills.......42

4

Executive Summary

The ethnic and racial diversity of the residents of the United States of America is one of the country’s unique strengths; however, Black, Latinx, Pacific Islander, Native, and certain Asian American workers face wide racial inequities in educational attainment, employment, and income. Immigrants, the majority of whom are people of color, face similar inequities in their educational and employment opportunities. The United States has fueled these disparities through decades of intentional, structurally racist policies, including those that have shaped human service professionals lived experiences, their career trajectory, and their training and professional development.

Commissioning of StudyThis study was commissioned in 2019 to explore the lived employment experiences of the foreign-born and people of color in the human services workforce in four non-profit human service organizations-- Bay Cove, HMEA, Thrive Inc. and Venture Community Services.

Goal of Study The Purpose/Goal of the study was to address the following areas:

● To examine career development and needs of foreign born and people of color

● To examine racial and ethnic composition of the workforce in the human service industry

● To examine racial and ethnic disparities in leadership

● To explore challenges and opportunities

● To develop ongoing evaluation strategies

To address the purpose of the study a key research question was addressed: Research Question: What are the lived employment experiences of the foreign-born and

people of color in the human services workforce in Massachusetts?

Related Sub Questions were examined: ● What are the barriers to education, training and advancement for foreign born and people

of color who are human service workers?● How are local non-profit organizations and stakeholders coping with these barriers?

● What sources of training and workforce development services are these workers accessing?

Key partners included the following organizations: Thrive Bay Cove HMEA Ventures

All these organizations are involved in the provision of human services

5

How was the study conducted?The study was done in 2 phases:

Phase One: Focus groups: There were 41 participants who participated in a focus group. There was a semi-structured interview guide, using prepared open-ended questions, to allow the subjects to speak freely about their experiences (see Appendix A).  The focus group was recorded and lasted for approximately an hour, and then transcribed as detailed in the informed consent documentation. Recording and transcription allowed for coding, and identification of themes related to the research aim. The subjects were notified that the recording will be destroyed after three years of completion of the study or when it is no longer being used in accordance with federal regulations. Transcriptions did not contain identifying information. A copy of the findings was given to the subject for confirmation of accuracy.  

Phase Two: All subjects were asked to complete survey questions composed about their perceptions and understanding of the career development and needs of foreign born and people of color who are employed at Bay Cove, HMEA, Thrive Inc and Venture Community Services; their perceptions of the racial and ethnic composition of the workforce in the human service industry; their understanding of racial and ethnic disparities in leadership; and their perceptions of challenges and opportunities.  The survey was adapted by the team using the Survey of Organizational Excellence (SOE) and the Survey of Human Services Well Being Viewpoint Survey (FEVS).* 

246 Participants were asked to complete an online or paper survey depending on their ability to access a computer (see Appendix B). The survey was administered individually and/or in groups. Only one meeting with the participants was required. It took approximately 40 minutes to complete the survey.

Findings:There were several findings from the study. Four significant findings from the study are noted below:

There are reported disparities related to foreign born and people of color experiences as workers.1. Foreign born and people of color human service workers reported the lack of a career

ladder in their work experiences.2. Foreign born and people of color human service workers reported a lack of mentoring for

professional development/training and economic growth. 3. Foreign born and people of color service reported the pressure to produce and a lack of

appreciation by management

A key finding is the relationship between foreign born and people of color vis a vis their client:

4. Foreign born and people of color reported a strong commitment to their clients

6

There are huge implications of these disparities for people of color employed in human service organizations in Massachusetts.

Disparities exist in salaries for foreign born and people of color Although a significant number of foreign born report satisfaction in professional training

provided, sizeable number report the need for more professional training opportunities Trajectories for foreign born and people of color into leadership positions are limited. In addition to feeling pressure to produce more, respondents across all organizations also

focused on the low rates of compensation Concerns related to racism and anti-bias were identified in the study.

Recommendations for Further InvestigationAdopting racial equity goals and developing plans and systems to support them;

1. Advancing racial equity through training policies, including career pathways and stackable credentials of value; and

2. Advocating for sufficient funding of contracts so that employers can offer salaries commensurate with those offered to state employees performing similar jobs.

3. Provide more anti-bias training for each organization4. Offer training relevant to the needs of the workforce

Using organizational partnerships to advance racial equity: 1. Create collaborative partnerships with ABN and human service organizations that

contributed funding for the pilot study (in process) that will focus on:a. Increase leadership and salary among workers b. Implement training modules designed to increase the leadership trajectory of human

service providers especially anti bias trainingsc. Use the training as mechanism as a pipeline to recruit potential MSW applicationd. Implement training modules for Administrators

2. Work with ABN to establish a specific mentoring program:a. Employing apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeship programs to advance racial

equity; b. Implementing upskilling policies for workers with foundational skills gaps;

3. A key recommendation is that each organization develop evaluation strategies to monitor ongoing progress and work toward the implementation of suggested changes, Talk needs to be translated into action.

4. Foreign born and people of color ought to be key players in the changes that affect them. They need to be invited at the decision-making table

Footnote:*The Survey of Organizational Excellence (SOE) (Lauderdale, 1999). The SOE was utilized to measure job satisfaction in this study. The SOE provided the means to collect internal data, which included employee attitudes, beliefs, and values. The SOE assessed five dimensions: work team, physical work settings accommodations, general organizational features, communication patterns, and personal demands. For purposes of this study, the job satisfaction construct was utilized. The job satisfaction construct explored the degree to which employees liked their jobs

7

and their work environment by focusing on both the job itself and the availability of resources to do their job. The Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) is an annual survey administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). It is a tool that measures employees' perceptions of whether, and to what extent, conditions characterizing successful organizations are present in their agencies. It was an opportunity for employees to share their perceptions about their work experiences, organizations, and leaders. (National Institute of Health, 2019).

8

Introduction

a. Statement of the Problem

The absence of opportunity for advancement for foreign-born people of color and African

Americans who make up the majority of direct care staff in group home health, mental health,

substance use and rehabilitation facilities is a big issue.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau,

County Business Patterns Survey (2016), 28 percent of jobs in Massachusetts were in human

services field. A UMASS Donahue (2018) report found that over the previous decade, from 2006

through 2016, employment within the human services system has grown by 65 percent. The

report also shows that nearly one in five human services workers are foreign-born, with one third

of human services workers being people of color. Given the highly diverse nature of the foreign-

born population, the human service field faces challenges in ensuring that foreign-born workers

have equitable access to employment opportunities and opportunities to move up the

employment ladder and integrated into management jobs (Milliona, Erwin & Tsoi, n.d).

b. Significance of the Problem (and historical background)

According to the American Immigration Council (2017), immigrants continue to play a vital role

in Massachusetts today, making up 16 percent of the state’s population. A fifth of the

Massachusetts labor force is foreign-born, with immigrants supporting the state’s healthcare,

science, and service industries, among others. As workers, business owners, taxpayers, and

residents, immigrants are an integral part of Massachusetts’ diverse and thriving communities

and make extensive contributions that benefit all. Nearly one in six Massachusetts residents is an

immigrant, while one in seven residents is a native-born U.S. citizen with at least one immigrant

parent. In 2015, 1.1 million immigrants (foreign-born individuals) comprised 16.1 percent of the

population. Massachusetts was home to 539,003 women, 497,730 men, and 59,220 children who

were immigrants.

The human service workforce is on the verge of an enormous demographic shift (Provider’s

Council, 2015). According to the U.S. Census, race-based “minorities” including Hispanics,

African Americans, and Asians, represented 34% of the working-age population in 2008. By

2039, these people of color will be the majority of the workforce. Simultaneously, the Baby

Boomer generation that dominated the workplace for decades is now retiring while Generation X

9

and Millennials are stepping into new leadership roles. These two trends and their impact on the

workplace suggests that developing diverse leadership is more important than ever. Especially in

the human services sector it is important that staff represent and understand the communities

they serve.

c. Purpose

● To understand the career development and needs of foreign-born and people of color

● To understand the racial and ethnic composition of the workforce in the human service

industry

● To understand racial and ethnic disparities in leadership

● To explore challenges and opportunities

● To develop ongoing evaluation strategies

d. Research Question

● What are the lived employment experiences of the foreign-born and people of color in the

human services workforce in Massachusetts?

Sub Questions

● What are the barriers to education, training and advancement for foreign-born and people

of color who are human service workers?

● How are local non-profit organizations and stakeholders coping with these barriers?

● What sources of training and workforce development services are these workers

accessing?

e. Limitations

According to Creswell and Clark (2017) the mixed method triangulation design makes intuitive

sense. For this study, this design was efficient since both data sets were collected at different

10

times, using some of the same participants and multiple researchers. Each data set was analyzed

using the techniques that are commonly associated with that type of data (Creswell & Clark,

2017). Yet mixed method research carries the limitations and strengths of both qualitative and

quantitative methods (Creswell & Clark, 2017). Among the limitations of study is its use of

convenience sampling methods in four different human service organizations with differential

numbers of human service workers and in some cases, communication was through the human

resources personnel or leading administrators with different organizational cultures. These

factors may increase the likelihood of some bias. Especially given the confidential nature of the

research and the fact that workers may not have felt certain that confidentiality could be

maintained. A second limitation was the decision to sample through a survey that was electronic

which may limit respondents who may not be computer literate or have access to computers. The

reliance on collecting data in focus groups and quantitative data on such a sensitive issue may

also constitute a limitation of this study. The subtle nuances of direct care staff and leadership

might have affected the low number of respondents from the smaller organizations due to the

limited number of people of color.

f. Ethical Considerations

Permission to solicit participants were obtained from the Simmons Internal Review Board (IRB)

prior to the placement of the advertisement. The researcher guaranteed the protection of the

participants’ rights, stating in writing the procedures for data collection, storage and

dissemination, along with the risks of involvement in the study. Participants’ signatures on a

consent form indicate their agreement in the plan (Creswell & Clark, 2017).

Participants were informed that their identities and the data collected will remain confidential,

through Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved consent forms, as well as discussion with the

researchers. As previously mentioned, the questions asked during the interview are sensitive in

nature, as were the responses. Participants were made aware of the use of an audio recording

devices during the interview, and assured that these recordings will also remain confidential and

will be destroyed after three years in accordance with Federal guidelines.

Review of Related Literature

11

More than 42 million immigrants live in the United States, and by 2060 nearly 20 percent of the

U.S. population will be foreign-born (Vespa, Armstrong & Medina, 2018). As of 2014 the

foreign-born population comprised 16.5 percent of the labor force and had greater labor force

participation rates than the native-born population (Bureau of Labor statistics, 2015). The United

States Census Bureau (2019) defines “foreign-born” as persons residing in the United States who

were not U.S. citizens at birth. That is, they were born outside the United States or one of its

outlying areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam, to parents neither of whom was a U.S. citizen.

Between 2009 and 2013, Massachusetts was home to 5.4 million residents ages 16 and older of

whom 18 percent were foreign-born (McHugh & Morawski, 2015).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns Survey (2016), 28 percent of

jobs in Massachusetts were in human services field. A UMASS Donahue (2018) report found

that over the previous decade, from 2006 through 2016, employment within the human services

system has grown by 65 percent. The report also shows that nearly one in five human services

workers are foreign-born, with one third of human services workers being people of color. Given

the highly diverse nature of the foreign-born population, the human service field faces challenges

in ensuring that foreign-born workers have equitable access to employment opportunities and

opportunities to move up the employment ladder and integrated into management jobs (Milliona,

Erwin & Tsoi, n.d).

Both the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the U.S. continue to struggle with the issue of

“brain waste.”  “Brain waste” is the phrase used to describe individuals with four-year college

degrees or higher working in low-skilled jobs or are unemployed. This is a concern for foreign-

educated immigrants given the unique barriers they often face in attempting to transfer their

education, training, and work experience to the U.S. labor market (Batalova, Fix and Bachmeier,

2016). In 2008, there were 41,261 college-educated immigrants who were either unemployed or

working in unskilled jobs, representing 19.3 percent of the college-educated immigrant labor

force in Massachusetts. Among the native-born college-educated persons, 16.6 percent were

underutilized (Milliona, Erwin & Tsoi, n.d).

12

Racial barriers persist in employment throughout the United States. “Structural racism continues

in the systems and policies that govern our labor market, including the high cost of education and

skill training, the lack of effective transit systems, inequitable hiring and promotion practices,

and many other impediments to securing employment that fall heaviest on communities of color”

(McHugh, 2019). While people of color make up the majority of the direct care workforce,

management and supervisory positions are often occupied by White people. “It is not surprising

that workers of color continue to face disproportionate and compounding barriers in the pursuit

of living-wage jobs and higher-income career paths” (Race Forward, 2017).

There are several documented factors that have impacted occupational mobility and

advancement for foreign-born immigrants. Batalova, Fix & Creticos (2008) identify two key

factors that contribute to the underutilization of high-skilled immigrant workers as non-

recognition of foreign academic and professional credentials and limited English proficiency.

Massey et al. (1987) and Waldinger and Lichter (2003) as cited by Catron (2016) found that

“people who share common traits, such as a similar ethnic origin, will embed themselves into

interlocking networks and activities with their co-ethnics that in turn shape aspirations and

careers over time.” The reliance on co-ethnic social networks to find employment, leads to most

foreign-born populations likely concentrated in jobs where veteran migrants have already been

established. This means that recent arrivals will likely find employment where long-tenure

immigrants work, which are at the bottom of the social stratification system in departments and

occupations that lack avenues for upward mobility.

Due to the continued increase in the percentage of foreign-born and people of color workers in

the human service industry, the importance of these workers to the stability of the service system

cannot be overstated. Research is needed to understand the experiences of foreign-born and

people of color working in the human service industry.

It is also important to note that every workforce deserves opportunities for professional

development. According to the Buffalo State University Human Resources, professional

development can take many forms. It has been described as opportunities for “continuing

growth.” Examples include continuing education, participation in professional organizations,

13

enrollment in training programs, research, improved job performance and increased duties and

responsibilities (Buffalo State University, n.d.).

Design of the Study

a. Description of Research Design and Procedures Used

Mixed Methods

The study was conducted using mixed method design. In a review of multi-disciplinary

publications, Tashakkori and Teddlie (2010) found more than forty different types of mixed

designs. These designs can be grouped into four major categories, including the Triangulation

Design, the Embedded Design, the Explanatory Design and the Exploratory Design (Creswell &

Plano Clark, 2017). This study would utilize a variant of the Triangulation Design: the

Concurrent, Convergence, and Triangulation Design. The purpose of a Triangulation Design is to

obtain different types of data regarding the same topic (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2017). The

analysis brings together types of data that have different strengths in answering the research

questions. Although most commonly used to validate quantitative data with qualitative material,

the Triangulation Design can give equal weight to each, or emphasize either the quantitative or

qualitative arm of the study (Tashakkori & Teddlie, 2010).

b. Sources of Data

Phase One: There were 41 participants who participated in a focus group. There was a semi-

structured interview guide, using prepared open-ended questions, to allow the subjects to speak

freely about their experiences (see Appendix A).  The focus group was recorded and lasted for

approximately an hour, and then transcribed as detailed in the informed consent documentation.

Recording and transcription allowed for coding, and identification of themes related to the

research aim. The subjects were notified that the recording will be destroyed after three years of

completion of the study or when it is no longer being used in accordance with Federal

regulations. Transcriptions did not contain identifying information.

14

Phase Two: All subjects were asked to complete survey questions composed about their

perceptions and understanding of the career development and needs of foreign born and people

of color who are employed at Bay Cove, HMEA, Thrive Inc. and Venture Community Services;

their perceptions of the racial and ethnic composition of the workforce in the human service

industry; their understanding of racial and ethnic disparities in leadership; and their perceptions

of challenges and opportunities.  The survey was adapted by the team using the Survey of

Organizational Excellence (SOE) (Lauderdale, 1999) and the Human Services Well Being

Viewpoint Survey (FEVS). The SOE was utilized to measure job satisfaction in this study. The

SOE provided the means to collect internal data, which included employee attitudes, beliefs, and

values. The SOE assessed five dimensions: work team, physical work settings accommodations,

general organizational features, communication patterns, and personal demands. For purposes of

this study, the job satisfaction construct was utilized. The job satisfaction construct explored the

degree to which employees liked their jobs and their work environment by focusing on both the

job itself and the availability of resources to do their job. The Federal Employee Viewpoint

Survey (FEVS) is an annual survey administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management

(OPM). It is a tool that measures employees' perceptions of whether, and to what extent,

conditions characterizing successful organizations are present in their agencies. It was an

opportunity for employees to share their perceptions about their work experiences, organizations,

and leaders. (National Institute of Health, 2019).

246 participants were asked to complete an online or paper survey depending on their ability to

access a computer (see Appendix B). The survey was administered individually and/or in groups.

Only one meeting with the participants was required. It took approximately 40 minutes to

complete the survey. The survey was self-administered in the participant’s office, or a

previously agreed upon location. All surveys were randomly assigned an identification number

to ensure that the names of participants are not linked to the completed survey document. The

names and identifying information were protected and kept in a locked file, and all electronic

information was coded and secured with a password protected file. No information was included

in any report that would make it possible to identify a participant. The data from the surveys will

be kept for at least three years according to Federal regulations. They may be kept longer if still

15

needed for research. After the three years, or whenever the data are no longer being used, all data

will be destroyed. 

c. Sampling Procedures

Convenience and snowball sampling methods were used to recruit a sample of foreign-born and

people of color self-identified professionals employed in four human service organizations (Bay

Cove, HMEA, Thrive Inc. and Venture Community Services), in the Boston area to participate in

a focus group for phase one of the study. The sampling criteria included employment as a human

service worker for at least three years, a foreign-born professional residing in the area for at least

three years and ages 18-60.

The sampling criteria in phase two of the study included a small-scale quantitative survey that

we selected from the focus group respondents as well as other employees of Bay Cove, HMEA,

Thrive Inc. and Venture Community Services who are not focus group participants. In phase two

of the study, participants were asked to complete an online survey or paper survey for individuals

who may not have access to technology. The survey was administered individually and/or in

groups. 

d. Subject Recruitment

Potential participants were recruited from the following human service organizations; Bay Cove,

HMEA Thrive Inc. and Ventures. Snowball methods and personal contacts were also used. In

phase two of the study, participants were recruited from focus group participants as well as the

above methods.

The sampling criterion for the recruitment consists of race, age, length of employment in human

services and length of time residing in Massachusetts. Specifically, men and women who self-

identify as foreign-born or native-born and were between the ages of 18 and 60 years of age,

have lived in the area for at least a year and employed as a human services agency and resided in

Massachusetts for at least three years were recruited. The exclusion criteria were ages below 18

and above 60 years of age.

16

Figure 1. The above chart illustrates an overview of design and methods of data collection of the

study.

Analysis of Data

Qualitative Data analysis was based on a grounded theory framework (Charmaz, 2014).  Open

coding was used for initial analysis of each transcribed interview, with review of every word of

transcriptions to identify important themes and ideas of participant dialogue.  In a second round

of analysis, codes generated in initial analysis were reviewed and organized in terms of their

relationships to each other, and their role in participants’ perceptions and understandings of the

experiences of these human service workers who participated in this study.  In a third round of

analysis, themes running across code categories were identified and distilled.  The resulting

thematic framework describes from the perspectives of the respondents.

17

Trustworthiness of methods

Williams and Morrow (2009) recommended several approaches to establishing trustworthiness in

qualitative research; through data integrity, balance between participant meanings and researcher

interpretations, and clear communication of findings.  Data integrity was supported in this study

through clarity of study design and quality of data derived from interviews.  The primary

investigator explored reflexivity throughout the research project, iteratively developed the study

interview guide, and conducted member-checking with participants, to bring balance to the

interplay between meanings and interpretations and ethical integrity to analysis and reporting.

The clarity of study findings presented in this research report also contribute to the

trustworthiness of the study.

Analysis of Quantitative Data

All surveys were randomly assigned an identification number to ensure that the names of

participants would not be linked to the completed survey document. The names and identifying

information were protected and kept electronically with all information was coded and secured

using a password protected file. The data were analyzed using SPSS, a package for statistical

analysis. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed. Pearson Chi-Square were

computed as part of the data analysis. Cross tabulation was used to quantitatively analyze the

relationship between multiple variables. This test helped in understanding the correlation

between different variables and to show the change in correlations from one variable grouping to

another.

Race and Ethnicity1

A cross tabulation analysis was conducted to describe a relationship between employees reported

race/ethnicity and how they responded to the survey questions. The results showed that there

were no significant differences across the race/ethnic backgrounds of employees with how they

responded to the survey questions.

1 This data is reported in the Data Analysis Section.

18

Highest Level of Education

A cross tabulation analysis was conducted to describe relationships between employees reported

highest educational level and with how they responded to survey questions. The results showed

that there were no significant differences with level of education and how participants responded

to the survey questions.

Education Attained in the U.S. or outside the U.S.

A cross tabulation analysis was conducted to describe relationships between employees who

attained their education in the U.S. and those that attained their education outside the U.S. The

results showed that there were no significant differences between the participant that attained

their education in the U.S. vs. those that received their education outside the U.S.

Salary ($45K or more vs Less than $45K)

A cross tabulation analysis describing a relationship between salary and whether the employees

reported their satisfaction with the training they received for their present job showed that there

was a significant difference between participants who made $45K or less and those that made

more than $45K2 with P < .001. 70.9% of the participants who made $45k or less reported being

mostly satisfied with training, while 29.1% reported being rarely satisfied.

A cross tabulation analysis describing a relationship between salary and whether employees

reported that they had access to information about job opportunities, conferences, workshops and

training showed that there were significant differences between participants who made 45K or

less than those who made more than 45K. P< .005. With 77.6 of the participants reporting mostly

having access to information, while 22.4% reported rarely (See Figures 2-7 below).

2 Significant findings are discussed more fully in the Conclusion Section

19

Focus Group Characteristics

16-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+0

10

20

30

40

50

14.6

29.3

34.1

19.5

2.44

Age range (in years)

Figure 2. Age ranges of focus group participants by percentage.

African

-America

n or B

lack

Hispanic

or Latin

o/a

Multira

cial o

r Othe

r

Anglo-Ameri

can o

r Whit

e Asian

America

n-Ind

ian/Pac Is

land

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Figure 3. Race/ethnicity of focus group participants by percent.

20

Less than $15,000

$15,001 - $35,000

$35,001 -$45,000

$45,001 -$50,000

$50,001 -$60,000

$60,001 -$75,000

More than $75,000

0

10

20

30

40

50

14.6

29.3

34.1

19.515.8

13.2

7.9

Salary Range (In Dollars)

Figure 4. Annual salary of focus group participants by percent.

Less than 1

1-2 years 3-5 years 6-10 years 11-15 years

16+0

10

20

30

40

50

10

30 30

15

10

Figure 5. Number of years of service of focus group participants by percent.

21

Did no

t finish

high

sc...

High sc

hool

(or G

ED)

Some c

olleg

e

Associa

te's degre

e

Bachelo

r's de

gree

Master

's deg

ree

Doctor

al deg

ree

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

0

9.814.6

12.2

36.6

24.4

0

Figure 6. Percent of highest level of education of focus group participants.

In the United States

Outside of the United

States

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

67.6

32.4

Figure 7. Percent of focus group participants who received their highest level of education in the

United States or outside of the United States.

22

Highlights of Focus Group Participants

The Simmons research team conducted 6 focus groups at Bay Cove (2); HMEA (2); Thrive Inc.

(1) and Ventures (1). The dates were June 21, 2019—Bay Cove & July 12; June 24, 2019—

HMEA and August 1, Ventures July12 and Thrive July 24, 2019. There was a total of 41 focus

group participants with 34.1percent who were 40-49 years of age and 29.3 percent were 30-39

years of age (see Figure 1). The respondents racial/ethnic background consisted of 87.5 percent

African American or Black, 2.5 percent Latino/a and 10 percent Multiracial (Figure 2). Figure 3

shows the average salary of the human service workers who participated in focus groups. The

most frequent salary ranges were 29.3 percent for $15,000.00-$35,000.00 and 34.1 percent at

$45,000.00-$50,000.00 as the second most frequent. Figure 4 gives a snapshot of the number of

years the workers were employed at their respective human service organizations with the most

frequent as 30 percent reporting they worked 3-5 years and 30 percent 6-10 years, while a

majority, 36.4 percent held a bachelor’s degree and 24.6 percent had a master’s degree. A

majority, 67. 6 percent had received their degrees and received their education in United States,

while 32. 4 percent received their post-secondary education outside of the United States (see

Figures 4,5, 6 and 7).

Survey Characteristics

The survey data was collected electronically from July through October 2019 and resulted in a

total of 247 surveys. The following chart illustrates the number of survey participants and the

agencies in which they were employed. Due to an error on the initial link, this response was

missing for twenty-one participants.

23

Figure 8: Current employment of participants by percent.

HMEA Thrive Baycove Venture0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

26

8

157

36

(227 responses)

Figure 9: Current employment of participants by number of survey respondents.

24

15636826

16-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

43

88

43 42

16

(232 responses)

Figure 10. Age ranges of participants by number of survey respondents.

31%

10%

10%10%

18%

10%

6%

3% 1%

Age (in years) of arrival in the United States by number of survey respondents.

Ages 0-5 Ages 6-11 Ages 12-17 Ages 18-23 Ages 24-29Ages 30-35 Ages 36-41 Ages 42-47 Ages 48-53

Figure 11. Age (in years) of arrival in the United States by number of survey respondents.

25

African-Americ

an or Black

Hispan

ic or L

atina/o

Anglo-American or W

hite Asian

American-In

dian or Pacifi

c Islander

Multiracial o

r Other

020406080

100120140160180 166

24 23 151

18

(247 responses)

Figure 12. Race/ethnicity of participants by number of survey respondents.

67%

10%

9%

6%

0%7%

Race/ethnicity of participants by number of survey respondents.

African-American or Black Hispanic or Latina/o Anglo-American or WhiteAsian American-Indian or Pacific Islander Multiracial or Other

Figure 13. Race/ethnicity of participants by number of survey respondents.

26

Less than $15,000

$15,001 - $35,000

$35,001 - $45,000

$45001 - $50,000

$50,001 - $60,000

$60,0001 - $75,000

More than $75,000

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

12

7471

25

12

2521

(240 responses)

Figure 14. Salary range of participants by number of survey respondents.

5%

31%

29%

10%

5%

11%

9%

Salary range of participants by number of survey respondents.

Less than $15,000 $15,001 - $35,000 $35,001 - $45,000 $45001 - $50,000$50,001 - $60,000 $60,0001 - $75,000 More than $75,000

Figure 15. Salary range of participants by number of survey respondents

27

Less than 1 1 to 2 3 to 5 6 to 10 11 to 15 16+0

10

20

30

40

50

60

27

31

54

50

41

30

Figure 16. Number of years of service of participants by number of survey respondents.

11%

13%

23%

21%

19%

13%

Number of years of service of participants by number of survey respondents.

Less than 1 1 to 2 3 to 5 6 to 10 11 to 15 16+

Figure 17. Number of years of service of participants by number of survey respondents.

28

I am

curre

ntly in

a supervi

sory

role…

I rece

ived a pro

motion durin

g the past…

I rece

ived a m

erit in

crease

during th

e past…

I plan to

work

for t

his org

anization…

I am

eligible fo

r retire

ment w

ithin th

e…0

20

40

60

80

100 92

51 52

88

16 18

(186 responses)

Figure 18. Employee role of participants who responded to this survey question.

Highlights of Survey Demographics

There was a total of 2473 survey participants who completed electronic surveys and 21 paper

surveys completed during the survey collection period beginning in late July 2019 through

October 30th. There were an additional paper surveys, which were completed and received after

the analysis of data was conducted, therefore only the demographics are included. In contrast to

the focus group participants, the ages of survey participants were fairly consistent with focus

group participants. There were (N 43) participants or 18% 16-29 years of age; (N 88)

participants or 37.4 percent were 30-39 years of age and (N 43)18 percent were 40-49 years of

age, while (N 42) 17.9 percent were 50-59 and 19 or 17.9 percent were over 60 years of age (see

Figure 10). The respondents racial/ethnic background was much more diverse than the focus

groups’ participants. Their backgrounds consisted of (N 166) 69.5 percent identified as African

American or Black, Whites represented (N 23) 9.6 percent; 10 percent were (N 24) Latino/a,

Asians and or Pacific Islanders were (N 15) were 5.3 percent; and (N 18) 7.5 percent were

Multiracial (Figure 11). Figure 12 shows the average salary of the human service workers who

completed the surveys. The most frequent salary ranges were (N 74) 30.8 percent for 3 Some respondents did not answer all questions, therefore the total N for some responses vary.

29

$15,000.00-$35,000.00, (N72) 30.8 percent fell in the range of 35,000.00-45,000.00and (N 25)

10. 4 percent at $45,000.00-$50,000.00 as the second most frequent. Figure 13 gives a snapshot

of the number of years the workers were employed in their respective human service

organizations as most frequently as 30 percent having worked 3-5 years and 30 percent 6-10

years, while a majority, 36.4 percent, held bachelor’s degree and 24.6 percent had a master’s

degree. A majority, 67. 6 percent, had received their education in the United States, while 32. 4

percent received their post-secondary education outside of the United States (see Figures 9-14

and their corresponding Charts above).

Qualitative

The qualitative data was analyzed using Nvivo 12 qualitative software, the following chart

exhibits the most salient themes which emerged from the analysis. These themes were used to

structure the findings below.

30

31

Large bureaucratic system as a barrier Underappreciation of staff of color AcknowledgmentCompensation A culture of institutional racism Disconnection between upper management and staff Lack of leadership representations of professional fields in upper management Silencing of people of color in leadership positionsLack of descriptive representation of employees in leadership Tokenism of people of color within the organization Under recognition of talent of people of color No pipeline to leadership for people of color Management is not cultural competence Staff turnover a problem

Fragmented communications between upper management and staff Pressure to serve the system instead of clients Lack of acknowledgement for staff leadership Lack of real time support and communications from supervisors and upper management

Commitment to better the lives of clients Self-sacrifice for clients and agency Experience caring for family in country of origin shapes motivation to care for clients now Dual responsibilities for supervisorsOutdated PoliciesDon’t feel appreciated by managementLove for the work they doGreat relationships with clients and co-workersDemanding work environmentNeed for upper management to experience the work that workers doNeed to hire from withinManagement is not responsive to staff issuesNeed diverse representation from all departments/fieldsHiring people of color in management position who have no decision-making powerA sense of isolation in one’s jobA sense of commitment to the people served but not to the organization

Lack of formal professional training Skills and learning are acquired on the job Lack of resources to the jobLack of confidence to advance into managerial positionsNeed for empowerment in employee decision making Basic job training and on-boarding process needed Culture impacts training needs Lack of security and stabilityLack of opportunities for professional development“Not knowing where to go or to turn to”Employees want to grow, but do not know the path

Systemic,Organizational

Communication Human Service Workers

Professional Development and Training

Figure 19: Qualitative Data Analysis Themes

This table represents the Qualitative Coding Categories. The Top Section are the major themes.

The Leadership

There were varied responses to what is needed to improve the work conditions at the four human

services where focus groups were held. Responses to questions about tools and resources needed

to do their jobs triggered varied responses, which were related to systemic organizations that

were studied. The following themes emerged in the data analysis process—upper management

needs to experience the work of the staff, lack of representative managers, lack of confidence in

interpretation of policies and procedures, pressure to produce, pay is not comparable to the job,

don’t feel appreciated by management.

Upper Management needs to experience the work of staff

Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Don't Know0

10

20

30

40

50

60

16

32.4

18.915.5

12.6

4.6

238 responses

Figure 20. Decision making and control are given to employees doing the actual work.

32

Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Don't Know0

10

20

30

40

50

60

19.8

26.9 25.2

10.7 9.97.4

242 Responses

Figure 21. Belief that an effort is made to get the opinions of people throughout the organization.

The workers report a disconnect between the leadership and the direct care staff. For example,

the following participant felt that upper management should collaborate more.

Direct care providers that come together and meet with the people who are writing the

RFRs and, like, the leadership at corporate to kind of understand what the everyday day-

to-day looks like. Like, I know, obviously, you need grants, because that’s how we are

funded –

Another worker elaborated that they should be involved because they are more aware of the

services that they provide. In contrast to upper level management who are seem unaware or do

not advocate for adequate resources needed at different programs. The participant articulates the

following,

…but as part of it, there is -- [we’re in the room to write it out?] based on the services

you already provided and what you’re aware of. And I feel like they don’t have those

connections -- to say, “Oh, I know D--- at Team Five, and, like, this is a common

occurrence here, so maybe we should try to advocate for more funding for this kind of

support.” Or -- you know what I mean?

33

Similarly, this respondent follows up with “Like, there’s no true connection with the people who

are doing hands-on [work]. He continues to talk further about the disconnect between upper

management’s lack of knowledge stating that,

I even had suggested, it would be great if leadership [stepped down?] one day, go to

different programs, and spend half a day [at?] the different programs, just to see exactly

who is in the program, the population we serve, and who’s actually managing the

program, to at least get to know your managers and get to know your supervisors. It’s a

far-removed –

Another participant states, “but if those people on that side of the table can at least come down a

bit. Following up another respondent replied,

But you, but you need to come to the trenches. (laughter) We need to spend a week with

you, you know? So that would be one of the, one of the things that would help to improve

-- you think -- the conditions -- your job, would be to have upper management come and

spend a week at the various facilities, and live in the building?

Lack of Representative Managers

Nearly one third of human services workers are people of color, with Latino workers (13.5%)

making up the largest proportion of this group. The Massachusetts human services industry is

nearly twice as likely to employ individuals who report being Black or African American, and

1.5 times as likely to employ Latinos as compared to their counterparts in the broader state

economy as a whole (Provider’s Council, 2018). However, racial and ethnic background are

but one measure of the workforce’s diversity. Nearly one in five human service workers are

foreign-born.

34

Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Don't Know0

10

20

30

40

50

60

25.6

31.9

19.3

8.4 7.1 7.6

238 responses

Figure 22. Programs and policies promote diversity in the workplace (for example, recruiting

minorities and women, training in awareness of diversity issues, mentoring).

The staff also explored the lack of diversity among the leadership across the four organizations.

For example, the following participant states “Well, first of all, leadership needs to be a little

diverse.” Another respondent states “our leadership does not represent the population -- does not

reflect the population we serve and the staff we serve, which is a big -- this has always been my

pet peeve here.” This comment also came up in multiple focus group at other organizations, for

example this respondent conveys the following: “That is the opportunity for you to pick

somebody who is at least of color, and there are so many people qualified -- people of color --

that you can pick [them] and train them. They didn’t.” Another reports “so [their organization]

100 percent, like, white, you know? And the senior program directors -- again, not colored, not

Latinos, nothing like that.” The respondents continue discussing the lack of upward trajectory

for direct care staff of color. While people of color make up the majority of the direct care

workforce, management and supervisory positions are often occupied by White people. “It is not

surprising that workers of color continue to face disproportionate and compounding barriers in

the pursuit of living-wage jobs and higher-income career paths” (Race Forward, 2017). Monroe

(2013) argues that untapped talent may be devalued and therefore untapped, this was apparent in

the following section which documents the perceptions of our respondents. Untapped factor that

35

appears prevalent in the experiences of the focus group participants was the lack of support and

mentorship from the leaders.

So that’s why you see a lot of, uh, us from outside of this country who are in this field.

It’s difficult to go into managerial, supervisory role because we are not supported

adequately. We have not been trained to do these things, [you know, help us?]. It’s not

that we can’t -- we can’t do it. No, no, they can do it. I know they can do the job

Another respondent supports the above sentiment; “You know, the staff -- uh, nobody’s

encouraging you, nobody’s, like, “No, you can do it.” The question below from the survey has

the following possible responses: (1) Strongly Agree, (2) Agree, (3) Fair/Neutral, (4) Disagree,

(5) Strongly Disagree and (6) Do Not Know. Although 21.8% of the survey participants Strongly

agreed and 30.5 % agreed, in response to the question that supervisors know whether an

individual’s career goals are compatible with organizational goals (see Figure 19) below, 18%

responded either neutral, 10.5% disagreed, 10% strongly disagreed and 9.2% did not know, these

results confirm that just under half of participants were unsure if their supervisors were aware if

their career goals were compatible with organizational goals. According to Dani Monroe (2013),

“when people can align on common goals, they can partner and work towards a common

outcome” (p.29). Advancement may require exposure to leaders other than one’s manager or

supervisor. These results are also consistent with the results illustrated in the subsequent two

Figures.

36

Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Don't Know0

10

20

30

40

50

60

21.8

30.5

18

10.5 10 9.2

239 responses

Figure 23. Supervisors know whether an individuals’ career goals are compatible with

organizational goals.

Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Don't Know0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

25.531.4

18

7.1 7.5 10.5

239 responses

Figure 24. We work to attract, develop and retain people with diverse backgrounds.

One of the ways to improve pathways is to develop and retain people of diverse backgrounds. It

appears that retention is not the major issue or exposure to opportunities to advance. This data is

37

further supported by a survey participant who noted in the section which allows for follow-up

comments after completing the survey.

Often times open supervisory vacancies are given to people based on “been at the right

place and time” and not based on qualifications. How can you explain why someone who

was hired as a direct care worker… and in less than a year with --- is now a program

manager, whereas another staff who has been working for X organization for over 10

years with who has similar educational qualification is still an (same level hired) and is

being supervised by earlier mentioned supervisors?

Lack of Confidence in Interpretation of Policies

Other respondents discussed differential rewards and sadly punishment for mistakes.

I’ve known people that have gone through this process …when a policy is in place and

then if you are [trying to work?] against this policy, there’s an expectation of what -- a

way [you’ve been?] reprimanded. But if i-- if I actually went through that, (inaudible),

and I would get whatever [I deserve?], the punishment. But when it’s a white person, it

gets dropped down -- like, it doesn’t matter. She can get away with that.

The above example highlights experiencing differential interpretation of policies that may

influence the racial climate of an organization. According to the literature, a form of racism that

transcends the individual level and is embedded in society and in organizations is termed as

institutional racism (McHugh, 2019; Tourse, Hamilton-Mason & Wewiorski, 2018). Although

the above quote appears to be an individual’s perception, the focus groups across organizations

had similar accounts of their individual experiences.

The following respondent emphasizes how direct care staff also report not being overlooked but

afraid and/or not motivated to take on more responsibility.

Sometimes it’s not the issue of being overlooked, but it’s the issue of the residential staff

from different background, like you -- you have in focus group now -- not wanting to, to

take the job, not wanting to step up to the job. And that’s the main reason. I mean, that’s

the main reason for that. The reasoning is, you know, we lack motivation. We’re not

38

being trained properly enough, so the confidence is not there to take the job.

Motivation in this instance is connected to needing to understand the job in order to do it, it also

relates to acceptance that sometimes you fail. The following respondent states that, …so, instead

of losing a job, better to have a job and don’t -- not venture to, you know, go into something that

you really don’t understand because you have not been given a chance.

Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Don't Know0

10

20

30

40

50

60

19.2

30.1 28.9

6.39.6

5.9

239 responses

Figure 25. Employees have a feeling of personal empowerment with respect to work processes.

39

Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Don't Know0

10

20

30

40

50

60

25.8 27.5

20.4

8.3 8.8 9.2

240 responses

Figure 26. Satisfaction with recognition they receive for doing a good job.

Motivation and success of direct care staff also requires recognition and ongoing constructive

and critical feedback. Hidden workforce typically exemplifies three characteristics:

resourcefulness, reliance and resolve - human characteristics that are often overlooked (Monroe,

2013). Human service practice occurs in the context of rapidly changing consumer and

community needs and policies. Lifelong learning enables these workers to continually update

their knowledge and skills in order to provide relevant and effective services. Human service

workers encounter ongoing expectations to serve new populations experiencing emerging social

problems. The level of pressure to produce can hinder a worker’s ability to respond to the

competing demands of their positions.

Pressure to Produce

Another reports that there is a pressure to produce,

especially when everything is moving -- you have to produce. You have to produce. It’s

not like the days when you can come down -- “Oh, blah-blah-blah,” you know, I’m

gonna do a 9:00-to-5:00 job. I’ve never done 9:00-to-5:00 at----.

40

Pay not comparable to job

In addition to feeling pressure to produce more, respondents also focused across all organizations

on the low rates of compensation. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, County Business

Patterns Survey (2016), 28 percent of jobs in Massachusetts were in human services field. A

UMASS Donahue (2018) report found that over the previous decade, from 2006 through 2016,

employment within the human services system has grown by 65 percent. However, the medium

reported salary was $35,000.00- $45,000.00 per year for focus group participants. Even with full-

time hours, their current wages do not meet the basic needs of individuals and families; some

low-wage human services workers are often eligible for the same benefits as the clients they

serve. For example, “Um, ’cause lot of times our staff are complaining about how they are paid

to do this much. Well, it’s, it’s not worth the work and the headache and the everything else that

comes with it. So, definitely, the pay rate.” This is followed by another who states, “Cause I’ve

seen staff that work in the day program for 20 years, and they’re still getting paid $13.” While

jobs performed by human services workers vary greatly, they are essential to the functioning of

communities. Unfortunately, despite their vital purpose, these workers also face pervasively low

wages.

Don’t Feel Appreciated by Management

Factors like appreciation also came up across all organizations,

I think that it’s really important to feel appreciated, for all the hard work that we do. Um,

but we don’t always get that sense. It’s kind of like, we’re just reminded of everything

that we need to do, and what they’re adding on to it. They’re never saying, “Thank you

for everything that you are doing, we know it’s hard.” Um, you know, as we all know, the

burnout rate in this field is high.

Another respondent adds, “I feel at this point, like, working here and, and being in the position I

am, it’s strictly a résumé-builder and nothing else.” With little opportunity for advancement

coupled with low wages, these human services workers are often left with tough choices, forced

to weigh organizational loyalty and love of their work with what is necessary for their family’s

own economic security (Monroe, 2013). Human services workers are often motivated by a

desire to make change in their communities, but they should not have to choose between their

41

commitment to meaningful community work and sustaining their families.

Strongly Agree

Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Don't Know0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

36 33.9

15.1

4.2 6.7 4.2

239 responses

Figure 27. My supervisor provides me with opportunities to demonstrate my leadership skills.

Consumers

There is limited knowledge available regarding worker commitment to clients and motivation

across the human services, social work, social service and psychology literature. This is an area

where this study stands to add substantially to the research. The primary area participants

identified as motivating them to do their work was their commitment to their clients.

For me, it’s the individuals I serve. I do not look at them as clients, because they are not

clients. We are equal. I am their peer specialist, so I, I refer to them as individuals, or the

people I serve, or residents. They will keep me coming back. Um, I look at them as if it

was one of my children or one of my parents or my aunts or my uncles that was in the

same situation. So I come in and I provide the best care that I can. I make sure that I

advocate for, for them the best way that I can. If something’s not going right or if

something’s not being done, I -- I’m, I’m the person that speaks up when they are not

able to speak up for theirself. I’m not there for staff, I’m not there to make friends. I am

there to do my job and to do my job efficiently. I travel 96 miles one way --

42

So my motivation is coming from my calling. My calling is, every day I wake up, I have to

wake up with a positive attitude. I believe it’s attitude that connects the people and

places and things that makes us more successful. But the other part of it is getting to

touch as many people’s lives as I can before I check out. It’s no longer the pursuit for

money, it’s (inaudible) [happiness?], but it’s helping my brother or my sister next to me.

And I realize that that’s not about color, that’s not even about titles. So it’s about the

human race, and it’s about not getting distracted by external things and understanding

we have a responsibility to make sure we’re accountable for our time, our energy, and

resources. So that’s motivated me.

Supervision

Falender et al.’s supervision framework includes specific competencies: (a) working alliance, (b)

development of competence, (c) formative and cumulative assessment, (d) learning by

identifying with specificity the areas for improvement, (e) understanding of competence as a

lifelong process and encourages career-long learning, and (f) ensure client welfare. In social

work, supervision is essential to 1) continuing development of professional skills; 2) practitioner

wellbeing; 3) the safeguarding of competent and ethnical practice; and 3) the oversight of

casework (Beddor et al., 2016). In a study of job place satisfaction about social workers and

social services workers, Mrhalek and Kajanova (2018) found that dissatisfaction was shown in

possibilities for career development, evaluation of their work, and administrative stress. The

human services staff gave mixed responses as to if they were receiving this appropriate level of

supervision.

So that’s why you see a lot of, uh, us from outside of this country who are in this field.

It’s difficult to go into managerial, supervisory role because we are not supported

adequately. We have not been trained to do these things. It’s not that we can’t -- we can’t

do it. No, no, they can do it. I know they can do the job well. You know, the staff -- uh,

nobody’s encouraging you, nobody’s, like, “No, you can do it.”

But I do have to say, support-wise, like, I really don’t feel like it’s there at all in my

position. I’m kind of just thrown different things and (inaudible) “Good luck with it” --

43

which is kind of why I left the first one.

As for me, I have the best supervisor I’ve ever had at any job. Um, um, they’re very

supportive. Even when it comes to my personal issues and I’m not my best, I can go to

them and just express myself and get it off my chest. Um, when I’m doing too much and

they can see that I’m being a little r-- burned out, ’cause I’m the type of person that I

keep going, they say, “Okay, you’ve” -- you know, “It’s time to take a break, and I’ll get

somebody to do X, Y, and Z.” Um, if I email, text or need an answer, a response, I get it

a-- immediately. Um, I ha-- when it comes to supervision, I have it on a regular basis.

And my whole team is supportive of, um, me and everything that I do.

Professional Development and Training

Professional development can take many forms. It has been described as opportunities for

“continuing growth.” Examples include continuing education, participation in professional

organizations, enrollment in training programs, research, improved job performance and

increased duties and responsibilities (Buffalo State University n.d.). Examination of the

qualitative data indicates the presence of these themes.

Professional Development and Training

Many participants voiced the need to gain further training. Often, they find themselves in a job

with no upward mobility for lack of training in much needed skills. The way training was

understood covered continuing education, on the job training, training programs and increased

duties and responsibilities

Well (inaudible) is our aide, one of the (inaudible) things that motivate us is the needs we

have. Plus our training. We come even to -- to do things for our clients. Uh, even

beyond their expectation…. It is the training.. [ that keeps us keeping back]

At one agency when asked about training, a participant reported:

That’s the open wide door. You need a lot of training all the time –

44

because no one is perfect. So. The more help you have, the training that can help you --

help you to do the job and improve your skill, so, but sometimes the training, maybe, I

don’t say (inaudible), you get every individual you have, you have training, on

(inaudible) –

Asked if there are certain areas that they needed training in, one participant reported:

Yeah like, you know, always, as far as, uh, according to what he said, most of the time, I

mean the training we’re supposed to receive here, we -- we’re getting it. But the thing is,

uh, what he said about feeding back. So we need feedback, so the training we -- we --

they -- they recommend for us to do, we’re doing it every time before, you know, your

certificate for that training expire, they schedule you to do more training on it. But I

think every day we need training, because I mean, whatever you know is not enough. So

every time you might need somebody that can give you more information and, you know,

to -- to help you to do the job.

A number of participants reported that they needed more training to fulfil their task and duties.

They need skills. This participant captures this:

-- and, like, we try to, like, talk, like the supervisor or the bosses like, this is this, this is

what we see this individual is doing, and I guess we need like more training on this

person because of this. But, like, I feel like some of the training, I had, like, less training,

and some are not even what these guys do, like it’s different from what some of these

guys do. Like, that’s what I’m trying to say, so like more skills, like more training, and

like, like, more advanced trainings, because most of the time they want to give the

surveys, I always put it on there, like more advanced training. But sometimes like the

same thing with coming back with doing the same thing, like stuff. If we come back with

doing the same stuff, like one year later, we’re doing the same stuff, but where we are on

the floor, we’re seeing like different things from those individuals, and those stuff that we

45

are doing on them, we need more. Like, that’s what I’m trying to say, like more -- more

skills.

Some participants expressed the mismatch between the skills they learn at the agency and the

career development they aspire to getting.

Yeah, I just wanted to be on record as it’s not a professional career development. What

you do here is not professional career development.

Another participant reported the waste of time they spend in these trainings that are offered at the

agency but lack the connection to their work.

It’s -- it’s -- it’s -- it’s (inaudible) they -- they tell you how to do mandatory do this, your

mandatory do that, you have to go to these trainings. And you sit there and you’re like

why am I wasting my two hours, three hours here.

The literature underscores the persistence of racial barriers in employment throughout the United

States. “Structural racism continues in the systems and policies that govern our labor market,

including the high cost of education and skill training, the lack of effective transit systems,

inequitable hiring and promotion practices, and many other impediments to securing

employment that fall heaviest on communities of color” (McHugh, 2019). While people of color

make up the majority of the direct care workforce, management and supervisory positions are

often occupied by White people. “It is not surprising that workers of color continue to face

disproportionate and compounding barriers in the pursuit of living-wage jobs and higher-income

career paths” (Race Forward, 2017).

Some respondents reported that racism was a factor in their organizations. For example, one

suggested professional development for management:

We need implicit bias trainings for management. Okay? Because I don’t like to always

say it’s a racism thing, but I will say, my first time on the job, I was held at gunpoint by

46

five police officers in my program who felt that I -- I don’t know if some of you guys

remember this -- who felt that I w-- had -- fit the description of somebody who had

committed a robbery and then jumped over the fence into the program.

Participant later commented that management was not responsive to how this affected a person

of color. This was true for managers too.

But at the same time -- and we were talking about this yesterday -- in terms of a training

that does not already exist, I think that this entire company, including the people at the

top, need a very intensive clinical trauma training.

Diversity

Managing diversity should be an integral part of every organization. Management needs to

understand discrimination and its consequences as well as understand their own biases and

prejudices (Green, Lopez, Wysocki, and Kepner, 2008). Managing diversity means creating an

environment where everyone is included (Roosevelt, 2001cited in Green et. al., 2008). Inclusion

should be an integral part of any diversity program. Global Diversity and Inclusion (2009) define

inclusion as, “making sure people can make the contribution they were brought in to make which

helps to ensure that employees from diverse backgrounds are able to contribute, remain with the

company and flourish” (p.12). The staff shared that there was a need for diversity on the

leadership team and also addressed issues of discrimination and biases. Staff shared the

following quote;

Leadership needs to be a little diverse. Our leadership does not represent the population

and does not reflect the population we serve and the staff we serve. We need implicit bias

trainings for management. ..they put some people that are incompetent in leadership. …

there are so many people qualified -- people of color -- that you can pick them up and

train them. They didn’t. They picked someone who is 100 percent, white. I don’t feel like

I’m recognized at all for anything that I have the ability to do … When things are not

going well and it’s a person of color, I feel like they start the termination process

47

Staff expressed the need for an organization that creates a culture that fosters learning and

opportunities for growth. According to Bates and Khasawneh (2005) an environment that fosters

learning can help motivate employees to devote more time to learning newer things and applying

what they learn in their work context. When management is open to new ideas and change,

employees' motivation to transfer knowledge and ideas will enhance (Banerjee, Gupta & Bates,

2017). Staff felt that this type of culture was lacking in their organizations.

I definitely feel overlooked in my job, and I feel like, you know, I’m kind of just there, you

know, and not really achieving anything or building anything And I was never good for

anything or any other project that was going on in leadership. They have already looked

at you, and they have limited you, so you know, because of the way they treat you.

Even staff who did not feel overlooked, shared that they did not have the motivation to apply for

the positions because they had low perceived self-efficacy to perform a management role due to

lack of training and guidance towards advancement.

sometimes it’s not the issue of being overlooked, but it’s the issue of the residential staff

from different background, like you have in focus group now not wanting to take the job,

not wanting to step up to the job…The reasoning is, you know, we lack motivation. We’re

not being trained properly enough, so the confidence is not there to take the job. So

sometime people, even when they come and they say, oh, look, you can be assistant

manager, you are afraid to do that because you don’t know what is expected of you.

Diversity is more than just hiring people of diverse backgrounds. It involves top management

developing strategies, programs and policies that accommodate and manage diversity (Riccucci,

2018). Staff felt that even though the word diversity was used in the organizations, the actions of

the organizations did not support diversity.

You know, they say that they have this diversity thing, they have this diversity thing -- it’s

just lip service. They’re not really committed to it. I’m sorry. They’re not truly committed

to this. And it’s funny -- like, when this started, the only time I felt I was recognized in my

position was because of my skin color, and when they wanted to start talking about

48

diversity, I was thrown into every group, every meeting, every table talk, every single

thing -- every write-up, everything that you could ever think of that they wanted to do

around diversity.

Staff discussed the importance of cultural humility by management. This means being sensitive

to some of the cultural needs of the staff. Management needs to take time to understand the

staff’s cultural backgrounds and value the differences that employees bring to the organization.

Pitts (2009) notes that valuing of differences involves the employees and managers appreciating

the different cultural assumptions and biases that employees bring to the work and they stress on

the importance of “multicultural understanding for managers who supervise diverse staff” (p.

330). Staff expressed a need for open channels of communications on both the supervisor and

staff end.

I think that if supervisors are able to know their staff’s story and be open and be

approachable, more approachable...Nobody asks anything about me, you know. And so, I

think, it’s hard for them to even know what I’m capable of, because they just throw this

side work at me -- like, oh, nobody wants to do it. So that’s why you see a lot of us from

outside of this country who are in this field. It’s difficult to go into managerial,

supervisory role because we are not supported adequately. We have not been trained to

do these things. It’s not that we can’t do it. I know they can do the job well, but nobody is

encouraging you, nobody is like, “No, you can do it!

According to the Provider’s Council, “direct support professionals perform a number of tasks to

aid individuals with disabilities, mental health and substance abuse challenges, they are essential

in providing support, encouragement and specific tasks the individual consumers may struggle

with due to their disabilities”. (2017, p. 28).

there are things that they expect of you and because of your different cultural

background, you will not be able to understand these things easily, and you can get fired

for that. We don’t understand the cultural setting here. You know, and some who have

masters don’t even know the difference between certain foods… Yeah, to prepare this

49

food, you know, for them (clients) is kind of a lot for us, we don’t know how to do that,

and if you are working, you have to do that. Just imagine what will happen. it’s just as

basic as just preparing food, and people need training for that. Some can’t even use the

microwave or stove.

Given the challenges of balancing life and work on a low income, they have limited opportunity

to invest in their own training and enhance their prospects for better-paid work and career

advancement.

I need a management team that will understand my work ethic or my desire to improve.

If I get support, it creates a different environment, because understanding me or

understanding my blackness gives you, the employer, a better understanding. I would say

example, like, if I came to work, and you give me a task, and I’m not able to do the task

based on some cultural value, but you understand my cultural point of view, what I need

to get better, you will give better assistance or tools..

Like native-born workers, many foreign-born workers are working hard and want to learn new

skills that will help them in their current jobs as well as prepare them for growth opportunities.

If companies are devoted to hiring employees of diverse backgrounds, they should be committed

to understanding the cultural needs of their employees. Bernstein & Vilter (2018) suggest that

companies should invest in upskilling of employees through on-site trainings to promote

advancement. Organizations should invest in training that is culturally sensitive and takes each

staff persons ‘cultural background into considerations.

Quantitative Data--- Questions number responses to be displayed—

A cross tabulation analysis was conducted to look at the relationships in demographics across the

four organizations that participated in the study with how participants responded to the survey

questions. The relationship in salary across all Race/ethnic groups and the results were

significant with P < .001. 73.2% of African American/Black participants reported a salary

of 45K/year or less.

50

Table 1

A cross tabulation analysis was conducted to look at the relationship in salary across all Race/ethnic groups.

Salary

Total

$45K or

Less

More than

$45K

Race/Ethnic Afr-Amer/black Count 112 41 153

% within Race/Ethnic 73.2% 26.8% 100.0%

Standardized Residual 1.3 -1.7

Hispanic Count 7 14 21

% within Race/Ethnic 33.3% 66.7% 100.0%

Standardized Residual -1.8 2.4

Anglo-Amer/

White

Count 13 10 23

% within Race/Ethnic 56.5% 43.5% 100.0%

Standardized Residual -.5 .7

Asian Count 7 7 14

% within Race/Ethnic 50.0% 50.0% 100.0%

Standardized Residual -.7 .9

Multiracial/Other Count 7 7 14

% within Race/Ethnic 50.0% 50.0% 100.0%

Standardized Residual -.7 .9

Total Count 146 79 225

% within Race/Ethnic 64.9% 35.1% 100.0%

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Note. The results were significant with P < .001. 73.2% of African American/Black participants reported a

salary of 45K/year or less.

Table 2

A cross tabulation analysis was conducted to describe the relationship between salary among the four

organizations.

52

Salary2

Total45K or Less

More than

45K

Organization Name Baycove Count 90 65 155

% within Organization

Name

58.1% 41.9% 100.0%

Standardized Residual -.9 1.1

Ventures Count 29 7 36

% within Organization

Name

80.6% 19.4% 100.0%

Standardized Residual 1.3 -1.7

Thrive Count 6 2 8

% within Organization

Name

75.0% 25.0% 100.0%

Standardized Residual .4 -.5

HMEA Count 9 3 12

% within Organization

Name

75.0% 25.0% 100.0%

Standardized Residual .5 -.7

Total Count 134 77 211

% within Organization

Name

63.5% 36.5% 100.0%

53

Note. There were no differences in salary variations across the four organizations with P = 054. When Salary

was compared across organizations, 63.5% of the participants reported making less than 45K/year.

Table 3

A cross tabulation analysis was conducted to look at the relationship between employees who attained their

education in the United States and the yearly salary.

Salary2 Total

54

45K or Less

More than

45K

Education Attained in

USA

No Count 56 12 68

% within Education

Attained in USA

82.4% 17.6% 100.0%

Standardized Residual 1.9 -2.5

Yes Count 76 63 139

% within Education

Attained in USA

54.7% 45.3% 100.0%

Standardized Residual -1.3 1.8

Total Count 132 75 207

% within Education

Attained in USA

63.8% 36.2% 100.0%

Note. There was a significant relationship with P< .001. Only 17.6% of participants who attained their

education outside the United States reported earning more that 45K a year compared to 45.3% of participants

who received their education in the United States. This was a significant finding for this study.

55

Table 4

A cross tabulation analysis was conducted to describe a relationship between years in service and salary.

Years in Service * Salary2 Crosstabulation

Salary2

Total45K or Less More than 45K

Years in

Service

Less than 1 Count 21 5 26

% within years in

Service

80.8% 19.2% 100.0%

Standardized Residual 1.0 -1.4

1-2 Count 21 9 30

% within years in

Service

70.0% 30.0% 100.0%

Standardized Residual .4 -.5

3-5 Count 34 17 51

% within years in

Service

66.7% 33.3% 100.0%

Standardized Residual .2 -.3

6-10 Count 29 18 47

% within years in

Service

61.7% 38.3% 100.0%

Standardized Residual -.2 .3

11-15 Count 26 13 39

% within years in

Service

66.7% 33.3% 100.0%

56

Standardized Residual .2 -.2

16+ Count 13 17 30

% within years in

Service

43.3% 56.7% 100.0%

Standardized Residual -1.4 2.0

Total Count 144 79 223

% within years in

Service

64.6% 35.4% 100.0%

Note. There was no significant relationship between number of years worked and salary with P =0.87. (This is

an important finding and supports the qualitative data on employees feeling under-valued despite working for

the organizations for a number of years).

Race and Ethnicity

A cross tabulation analysis was conducted to describe a relationship between employees reported

race/ethnicity and how they responded to the survey questions. The results showed that there

were no significant differences across the Race/Ethnic backgrounds of employees with how they

responded to the survey questions.

Highest level of Education

A cross tabulation analysis was conducted to describe relationships between employees reported

highest educational level and with how they responded to survey questions. The results showed

that there were no significant differences with level of education and how participants responded

to the survey questions.

Education attained in the U.S or outside the U.S

A cross tabulation analysis was conducted to describe relationships between employees who

attained their education in the U.S and those that attained their education outside the U.S. The

results showed that there were no significant differences between the participant that attained

their education in the U.S vs those that received their education outside the U.S.

57

Salary ($45K or more vs Less than $45K)

A cross tabulation analysis describing a relationship between salary and whether the employees

reported their satisfaction with the training they received for their present job showed that there

was a significant difference between Participants who made $45K or less and those that made

more than $45K with P < .001. 70.9% of the participants who made $45k or less reported mostly

satisfied with training, while 29.1% reported rarely satisfied.

A cross tabulation analysis describing a relationship between salary and whether employees

reported that they had access to information about job opportunities, conferences, workshops and

training showed that there were significant differences between Participants who made 45K or

less than those who made more than 45K. P< .005. With 77.6 of the participants reporting mostly

having access to information, while 22.4% reported rarely.

Organization size

A cross tabulation analysis was conducted to describe the relationship between organizations that

had 100 employees or more and those with less than 100 employees against survey questions.

Results of the cross-tabulation analysis indicates, there were no differences between the

organizations with 100 or more employees and those with less than 100 employees in how they

responded to the following questions. The yellow highlight are the statistically significant

findings Question 18 (I have access to information about job opportunities, conferences,

workshops and training and question 49 How satisfied are you with the training you receive for

your present job?). The following Table represents the cross tabulations analysis for Specific

survey questions (7, 10, 12, 17, 18, 21, 24, 28, 30, 33, 35, 38, 47 and 49 (See Table below). This

data was requested by Human Service Advisory group following the presentation of Preliminary

results in December, 2019.

Table 5. Survey results.

58

Survey Questions Race/Ethnicity Highest Level

of Education

Education attained

in the U.S vs

Education level

attained outside the

U.S

Earning

$45k or less

vs earning

less than

$45K

Organizations

with 100

employees or

more and those

with less than a

100 employees

7. Decision

making, and

control are given to

employees doing

the actual work

P=.379 P=.670 .P=220 P=.019 P=.327

10. An effort is

made to get the

opinions of people

throughout the

organization.

P=.756 P=.317 P=.018 P=.513 P=.128

12. Outstanding

work is recognized

P=.420 P=.342 P=.169 P=.044 P=.560

17. Training is

made available to

us so that we can

do our jobs better

P=.283 P=.037 P=.017 P=.318 P=.583

18. I have access to

information about

job opportunities,

conferences,

workshops and

training

P=.809 P=.045 P=.093 P<.005 P=.614

21. I am given a

real opportunity to

improve my skills

in my organization

P=.702 P=.562 P=.503 P=.014 P=.451

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24. My

performance

appraisal is a fair

reflection of my

performance

P=.336 P=.259 P=.575 P=.408 P=.731

28. In my work

unit, differences in

performance are

recognized in a

meaningful way.

P=.273 P=500 P=.043 P=.040 P=.542

30. Employees

have a feeling of

personal

empowerment with

respect to work

processes.

P=.841 P=.124 P=.997 P=.070 P=.959

31. Creativity and

innovation are

rewarded

P=.822 P=.833 P=.197 P=.105 P=.879

33. We work to

attract, develop

and retain people

with diverse

backgrounds

P=.916 P=.504 P=.474 P=.338 P=.782

35. Supervisors

know whether an

individuals’ career

goals are

compatible with

organizational

goals.

P=.065 P=.021 P=.132 P=.024 P=.929

38. My supervisor P=.371 P=.345 P=.342 P=.261 P=.438

60

provides me with

opportunities to

demonstrate my

leadership skills.

47. How satisfied

are you with the

recognition you

receive for doing a

good job?

P=.598 P=.246 P=.678 P=.819 P=.633

49. How satisfied

are you with the

training you

receive for your

present job?

P=.107 P=.029 P=.011 P<.001 P=.808

Summary and Conclusions

The purpose of this report is to document and examine the findings from the mixed methods

study “Pathways to Leadership Among Foreign Born and Native-Born Human Services

Workers:  Equity and Inclusion” –- in partnership with the African Bridge Network and

Simmons University College of Social Sciences and Public Policy’s School of Social Work. The

mixed methods study was commissioned in 2019 to explore the lived employment experiences of

foreign-born and people of color in the human services workforce in four non-profit human

service organizations-- Bay Cove, HMEA, Thrive Inc. and Venture Community Services. The

study then compared both sets of data with the quantitative arm of the study resulted in a

statistically significant correlation between test scores associated with the three main variables,

while the qualitative arm of the study resulted in remarkable synergy and triangulation with the

quantitative data. Of note is the racial and ethnic background from the focus group and survey

participants were varied, but a majority of both the quantitative and qualitative participants were

black or African American.

Racial Ethnic Background

The survey participants’ racial and ethnic backgrounds consisted of (N 166) 69.5 percent

61

identified as African American or Black and smaller numbers of Latinx, Asians, Mixed race

respondents. These respondents’ racial/ethnic background was much more diverse than the

focus groups’ participant’s racial/ethnic background which consisted of 87.5 percent African

American or Black, 2.5 percent Latino/a and 10 percent Multiracial and no Latinx participants.

This finding is consistent with previous studies, documenting that “Human service workers are

more likely to be Black and Latino than workers in other fields, with 12.3 percent of the human

service workforce identifying as black and 13.5 percent as Latino, compared to 6.2 and 9

percent, respectively, among all Massachusetts workers. Nearly 19 percent of all human service

workers are foreign-born (UMASS, 2018). While the same report also shows that that nearly

one in five human services workers are foreign-born, with one third of human services workers

being people of color. While people of color make up the majority of the direct care workforce,

management and supervisory positions are often occupied by White people. “It is not surprising

that workers of color continue to face disproportionate and compounding barriers in the pursuit

of living-wage jobs and higher-income career paths” (Race Forward, 2017). Monroe (2013)

argues that untapped talent may be devalued and therefore untapped, this was apparent in the

following section which documents the perceptions of our respondents. Untapped factors that

appears prevalent in the experiences of the focus group participants was the lack of support and

mentorship from the leaders.

The quantitative arm of the study resulted in a statistically significant correlation between test

scores associated with the three main variables, while the qualitative arm of the study revealed

the ways in which our sample of human service workers experience their employment in the area

of salary, training and professional development. While many other themes relevant to their

experiences were discovered qualitatively the current report is focusing on the most salient

findings.

Salary and Training

The comparison of these two aspects of the data suggest that there is, in fact, a relationship

between salary and race for human service workers earning less than $45, 000.00 per year.

Additionally, there was statistically significant finding for respondents who obtained their

educational degrees outside of the United States overwhelmingly also made less than $45,000.

00, and for A cross tabulation analysis describing a relationship between salary and whether the

62

employees reported their satisfaction with the training they received for their present job showed

that there was a significant difference between Participants who made $45K or less and those

that made more than $45K with P < .001. 70.9% of the participants who made $45k or less

reported mostly satisfied with training, while 29.1% reported rarely satisfied.

Professional Development

Staff expressed the need for an organization that creates a culture that fosters learning and

opportunities for growth. According to Bates and Khasawneh (2005) an environment that fosters

learning can help motivate employees to devote more time to learning newer things and applying

what they learn in their work context. A cross tabulation analysis describing a relationship

between salary and whether employees reported that they had access to information about job

opportunities, conferences, workshops and training showed that there were significant

differences between participants who made $45,000.00 or less than those who made more than

$45, 000.00K. P< .005. With 77.6 of the participants reporting mostly having access to

information, while 22.4% reported rarely. Our findings are supported by the findings of Mrhalek

and Kajanova (2018). The human services staff gave mixed responses as to if they were

receiving an appropriate level of supervision, but when there many who were not satisfied.

Lifelong learning enables human workers to continually update their knowledge and skills in

order to provide relevant and effective services. Human service workers encounter ongoing

expectations to serve new populations experiencing emerging social problems. At the same time,

they experience pressures to engage in evidence and culturally-responsive practices, and are

required to be accountable for outcomes in environments of shrinking public resources.

Therefore, it is essential for these workers to be given varied opportunities for on-going learning.

Human services jobs are both physically and emotionally demanding, requiring staff to be caring

and resilient as they work with people facing significant challenges. Yet, as has been repeatedly

documented over the past decade, direct service positions in this industry are paid a lower wage

than their counterparts in health care, education, and government positions. Furthermore, in some

cases, direct service positions such as direct support professionals may make salaries comparable

to those working in retail or hospitality (Providers Council, 2017).

Low Wages

The most frequent salary ranges were 29.3 percent for $15,000.00-$35,000.00 and 34.1 percent

63

at $45,000.00-$50,000.00 as the second most frequent salary for focus groups. Survey results

were similar with the most frequent salary ranges were (N 74) 30.8 percent for $15,000.00-

$35,000.00, (N72) 30.8 percent fell in the range of $35,000.00-45,000.00and (N 25) 10. 4.1

percent at $45,000.00-$50,000.00 as the second most frequent. While the majority of the study’s

respondents earn less than $45,000.00, the literature reports that one in eight human service

workers earn below 150 percent of the federal poverty level, which is $31,170 for a family of

three (UMASS, 2018). Focus group participants reported many challenges with low wages

given the kind of work they do. Even with full-time hours, their current wages do not meet the

basic needs of individuals and families; some low-wage human services workers are often

eligible for the same benefits as the clients they serve. For example, “Um, ’cause lot of times our

staff are complaining about how they are paid to do this much. Well, it’s, it’s not worth the work

and the headache and the everything else that comes with it. So, definitely, the pay rate.”

In summary this, report is the result of the researchers’ exploration of the lived employment

experiences of the foreign-born and people of color in the human services workforce in four non-

profit human service organizations. The most significant findings show disparities related to the

lack of a career ladder or lack of mentoring for professional and economic growth within the

organizations as reported by a large number of survey and focus group participants who were

Black, African American or Hispanic. There is an absence of opportunity for advancement for

foreign-born people of color and African Americans who make up the majority of direct care

staff in the human service organizations studied. The implications of these disparities are

enormous for people of color employed in human service organizations in Massachusetts. There

are two dimensions of racism within human services itself: (1) racial equity, and (2) racial

tolerance. Racial equity is defined as the degree to which organizational services, organizational

outcomes, organizational resources, and organizational power are distributed without regard to

race. Indicators of racial equity are the allocation by race of product supply chains, product and

sales distribution networks, customers, service recipients, service outcomes, employee salaries,

positions of power within the organization, and expenditures on goods and services. Racial

equity is influenced by implicit bias. Racial tolerance is the degree to which non-whites

participate in institutional membership and the degree to which whites are accepting of non-

whites. The level of non-white inclusion throughout the organization are some indicators of an

64

organization’s level of racial tolerance. Our findings support that there is most likely more racial

tolerance and the need for increased attention to equity (for a fuller discussion see Tourse,

Hamilton-Mason, & Wewiorski, 2018).

Recommendations for Further Investigation

Adopting racial equity goals and developing plans and systems to support them;

1. Advancing racial equity through training policies, including career pathways and stackable

credentials of value; and

2. Advocating for sufficient funding of contracts so that employers can offer salaries

commensurate with those offered to state employees performing similar jobs.

Using organizational partnerships to advance racial equity:

1. Create collaborative partnerships with ABN and human service organizations that

contributed funding for the pilot study (in process) that will focus on:

a. Increase leadership and salary among workers

b. Implement training modules designed to increase the leadership trajectory of human

service providers

c. Use the training as mechanism as a pipeline to recruit potential MSW application

d. Implement training modules for Administrators

2. Work with ABN to establish a specific mentoring program:

a. Employing apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeship programs to advance racial equity;

b. Implementing upskilling policies for workers with foundational skills gaps;

c. Investing in support services for education and training participants.

65

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Appendix A: Interview Guide

1. Can you share what tools and resources you need to do your job? 2. What motivates you to do this work? 3. Can you share what factors keep you in your job?

Probes: 1. Can you give an example of positive results because of your work? 2. Can you give an example of an incident in which you needed support?3. Can you talk about the amount of work you are expected to do? 4. Can you talk about relations among co-workers here?

Supervision:1. Can you talk about your supervisors’ role in how you are able to do your job? 2. Can you talk about the expectations for your performance?3. Are you able to receive supervision that helps you understand how your work is

important to the organization?

Training:1. Can you talk about what kinds of training and development opportunities you need?2. Can you talk about a specific training or professional development that you received in

the last year? Probe:  Was it helpful?

Organization:1. How can the organization improve their effectiveness in supporting your growth and

development in your job? 2. Where there any incidences of you being overlooked for a promotion or a merit increase?3. What are the areas that need the most improvement in our organization?4. How can the role of supervisors and managers be changed to help in your autonomy as a

worker? 5. Can you talk about benefits, and working conditions that are needed to attract and retain

human service workers and supervisors? 6. Can you talk about the organization’s value of employees’ opinions about issues that

affect their job?

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Appendix B: Survey Instrument

African Bridge Network Project: Lived Experiences of Immigrants of Color

These questions are a combination of parts of the Survey of Organizational Excellence (2003)4 and Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) (2019)5.The goal is for the survey to take about half an hour for respondents to complete.

MARKING INSTRUCTIONSDemographic items are used for research purposes. To ensure anonymity, your organization does not receive any information which could identify an individual or group. Please circle your response?

My highest educational levelo Did not finish high school

o High school (or GED)

o Some college

o Associate’s degree

o Bachelor’s degree

o Master’s degree

o Doctoral degree

Country where education was attained

o Education was attained in the United States

o Education was attained outside the United States

My age (in years)o 16-29

o 30-39

o 40-49

o 50-59

o 60+

My annual salaryo Less than $15,000

o $15,001-$35,000

o $35,001-$45,000

o $45,001-$50,000

o $50,001-$60,000

o $60,001-$75,000

o More than $75,000

4 The Institute for Organizational Excellence, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin

5 The National Institute of Health, U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM

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Years of serviceo Less than 1

o 1-2

o 3-5

o 6-10

o 11-15

o 16+

My race/ethnic identificationo African-American or Black

o Hispanic or Latino/a

o Anglo-American or White

o Asian

o American-Indian/Pac Islan

o Multiracial or Other

Employee Role

o I am currently in a supervisory role. Yes /No

o I received a promotion during the past two years. Yes/ No

o I received a merit increase during the past two years. Yes/ No

o I plan to be working for this organization in one year. Yes/ No

o I am eligible for retirement within the next two years. Yes/ No

The following statements will be rated by respondents on a 6-point Likert Scale:

(1)Strongly Agree, (2)Agree, (3)Fair/Neutral, (4)Disagree, (5)Strongly Disagree, (6)Do Not Know

1. I am given the opportunity to do the best work. 

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

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o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

2. I am given accurate feedback about my performance.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

3. My performance is evaluated fairly.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

4. Favoritism (special treatment) is not an issue in raises or promotions.

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o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

5. People who challenge the status quo are valued.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

6. There is basic trust among employees and supervisors.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

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o6 Do not know

7. Decision making and control are given to employees doing the actual work.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

8. Every employee is valued.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

9. My ideas and opinions count at work.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

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o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

10. An effort is made to get the opinions of people throughout the organization.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

11. I feel my efforts count. 

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

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12. Outstanding work is recognized. 

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

13. The work atmosphere encourages open and honest communication

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

14. Work groups are trained to incorporate the opinions of each member.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

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o6 Do not know

15. The people I work with treat each other with respect.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

16. Training is made available to us for personal growth and development.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

17. Training is made available to us so that we can do our jobs better.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

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o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

18. I have access to information about job opportunities, conferences, workshops and training.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

19. My training needs are assessed. 

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

20. We balance our focus on both long range and short-term goals.

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o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

21. I am given a real opportunity to improve my skills in my organization.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

 22. I feel encouraged to come up with new and better ways of doing things. 

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

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o6 Do not know

23. My talents are used well in the workplace. 

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

24. My performance appraisal is a fair reflection of my performance. 

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

25. I can disclose a suspected violation of any law, rule or regulation without fear or reprisal.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

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o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

26. In my most recent performance appraisal, I understood what I had to do to be rated at different performance levels (for example, fully successful, outstanding).

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

27. Promotions in my work unit are based on merit.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

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28. In my work unit, differences in performance are recognized in a meaningful way.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

29. The skill level in my work unit has improved in the past year. 

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

30. Employees have a feeling of personal empowerment with respect to work processes.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

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o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

31. Creativity and innovation are rewarded

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

32. Programs and policies promote diversity in the workplace (for example, recruiting minorities and women, training in awareness of diversity issues, mentoring).

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

33. We work to attract, develop and retain people with diverse backgrounds.

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o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

34. Arbitrary action, personal favoritism, and coercion for partisan political purposes are not tolerated.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

35. Supervisors know whether an individuals’ career goals are compatible with organizational goals.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

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o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

36. My supervisor supports my need to balance work and other life issues.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

37. My supervisor is consistent when administering policies concerning employees.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

38. My supervisor provides me with opportunities to demonstrate my leadership skills.

o1 Strongly Agree

85

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

39. Discussions with my supervisor about my performance are worthwhile.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

40. My supervisor is committed to a workforce representative of all segments of society.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

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41. Supervisors in my work unit support employee development

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

42. My supervisor listens to what I have to say.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

43. My supervisor treats me with respect.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

87

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

44. In the last six months, my supervisor has talked with me about my performance. 

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

45. I have trust and confidence in my supervisor.

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

46. Supervisors work well with employees of different backgrounds. 

o1 Strongly Agree

88

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

47. How satisfied are you with the recognition you receive for doing a good job?

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

48. How satisfied are you with your opportunity to get a better job in your organization?

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

89

o6 Do not know

49. How satisfied are you with the training you receive for your present job?

o1 Strongly Agree

o2 Agree

o3 Fair/Neutral

o4 Disagree

o5 Strongly Disagree

o6 Do not know

50. Is there anything you would like to tell us regarding your education attainment or employment experience? Please use the comment box below

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Appendix C: Preliminary Analysis

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