Sick and Tell: A Field Experiment Analyzing the Effects of an Illness-Related Employment Gap on the Callback Rate

Last registered on March 21, 2017
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Sick and Tell: A Field Experiment Analyzing the Effects of an Illness-Related Employment Gap on the Callback Rate
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0002117
Initial registration date
March 20, 2017

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
March 21, 2017, 10:51 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Sheryll Namingit
Affiliation
Kansas State University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Benjamin Schwab
PI Affiliation
Kansas State University
Contact Investigator
PI Name
William Blankenau
PI Affiliation
Kansas State University
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Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2016-03-01
End date
2016-08-01
Keywords
Health, Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
J23, J64, J60, J73
Secondary IDs
Abstract
Using a résumé-based correspondence test, we compare the employment consequences of an illness-related employment gap to those of an unexplained employment gap. Previous research shows that employment gaps, in general, have adverse effects on the probability of getting hired. It is not clear, however, if employers view spells of joblessness due to health issues distinctly. To shed light on this, we present a model in which employers use information on employment gaps as a signal of unobserved productivity and healthcare costs. We investigate the empirical implications of the model by sending three types of fictitious r´esum´es to real vacancies advertised online. One résumé indicates that the applicant is newly unemployed. The other résumés indicate employment gaps which are either unexplained or
explained as being related to an illness. The results of the experiment show that while the callback rate of applicants with an illness-related employment gap is lower than that of the newly unemployed, applicants with illness-related employment gaps are more likely to receive
a callback than identical applicants who provide no explanation for the gap. Our research provides evidence that employers use information on employment gaps as additional signals about workers’ unobserved productivity.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Blankenau, William, Sheryll Namingit and Benjamin Schwab. 2017. "Sick and Tell: A Field Experiment Analyzing the Effects of an Illness-Related Employment Gap on the Callback Rate." AEA RCT Registry. March 21. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.2117-1.0
Former Citation
Blankenau, William, Sheryll Namingit and Benjamin Schwab. 2017. "Sick and Tell: A Field Experiment Analyzing the Effects of an Illness-Related Employment Gap on the Callback Rate." AEA RCT Registry. March 21. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/2117/history/15246
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/2117/edit#irb
Intervention Start Date
2016-03-01
Intervention End Date
2016-08-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Callback from employers
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
In our field experiment, carefully prepared résumé s and corresponding cover letters were sent to employers who advertised vacancies in online job boards. For each vacancy, we sent three types of résumés. One résumé contained an explained illness-related employment gap while another contained an unexplained employment gap. These were in contrast to a third résumé where the applicant was newly unemployed (no gap). For illness-related and unexplained employment gaps, the résumé showed no employment over the previous seven months or more. To signal an illness-related employment gap, a phrase in the cover letter explained that the employment gap was due to a physical illness followed by a full recovery. An additional signal on medical history was sent via information in the résumé that indicates involvement in a cancer recovery support group. The corresponding cover letters of résumés with unexplained gaps did not provide any explanation for the gap. For the résumé of newly unemployed applicants, the length of the gap is limited to less than two months. Based on the literature, this is too short a gap to bring about adverse effects. The corresponding cover letter of newly unemployed applicants notes that the applicant left the last job because her family had to move from another state and that she is currently looking for a new job. We chose this control as our "no gap" group because applicants who are currently working tend to have fewer callbacks.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Individual résumé
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
3,771 résumés
Sample size: planned number of observations
4000 résumés
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
1257 for each treatment arms (no gap, illness-related gap, non-illness related gap)
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Study has received IRB approval. Details not available.
IRB Approval Date
Details not available
IRB Approval Number
Details not available
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials