The Hiring at Top Startups (HATS) Study

Last registered on April 13, 2023
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
The Hiring at Top Startups (HATS) Study
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0011086
Initial registration date
April 06, 2023

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
April 13, 2023, 3:51 PM 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
Innessa Colaiacovo
Affiliation
Harvard Business School
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2023-04-12
End date
2023-05-05
Keywords
Firms & Productivity, Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
J23, J33, L26
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
The Hiring at Top Startups (HATS) Study is a survey of U.S. entrepreneurs and startup executives designed to investigate how entrepreneurs hire employees and to examine their beliefs about wages. The survey first asks about the strategies and resources young firms use to search for talent and set compensation before asking entrepreneurs to recommend a wage for four job postings.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Colaiacovo, Innessa. 2023. "The Hiring at Top Startups (HATS) Study." AEA RCT Registry. April 13. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.11086-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Entrepreneurs will be asked for their best advice to four hypothetical startups about choosing wages for four fictitious job postings.
Intervention (Hidden)
In the intervention, entrepreneurs are asked for their recommendations about wages appropriate for four job postings. They are then shown information from either Indeed or Glassdoor about the distribution of wages for similar positions in their state and given the opportunity to revise their initial wage offer.

When entrepreneurs are asked for their advice about wages, the question is framed in two different ways. The first treatment arm (T1) is designed to emphasize wages as a cost to a business. Entrepreneurs are reminded that startups are often advised to stay "lean," and asked for their best recommendation of a wage for the hypothetical business to pay. When shown additional information about the distribution of wages in their state, this benchmarking information is described as information about what other firms pay. The second treatment arm (T2) is designed to emphasize fairness considerations. Entrepreneurs are reminded that managers are exercising power over their employees when choosing their compensation, and they are asked what wage is fair for an employee to receive. When shown additional information about the distribution of wages in their state, this benchmarking information is described as information about what other employees receive.

The difference between the initial wage offers in T1 and T2 will capture any impact that emphasizing fairness considerations has on entrepreneurial wage assessments. If T1 and T2 are not significantly different, this is informative about how entrepreneurs view fair wages.

The difference between the initial and revised wage offers in T1 will reveal how entrepreneurs change their advice about wages when provided with information about wages in the labor market.

The difference between the initial and revised wage offers in T2 will reveal how assessments of fair wages are shaped by information about what other firms pay.

Finally, the difference between the revised wage offers in T1 and T2 will reveal whether any differences between the business and the fair wage persist when all respondents are given information about wages in the labor market.
Intervention Start Date
2023-04-12
Intervention End Date
2023-05-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The key outcome variables are survey respondents' initial wage offers, and their wage offers after being presented with wage benchmark information.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Invitations to take the survey will be send via post and email in April 2023. The survey is administered online via Qualtrics.
Experimental Design Details




Randomization Method
Randomization is done by Qualtrics.
Randomization Unit
Individual entrepreneurs (survey respondents).
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
N/A
Sample size: planned number of observations
Invitations will be sent to ~11,000 entrepreneurs.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Respondents will be evenly divided into two treatment arms.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Harvard University Area Institutional Review Board (IRB Registration - IRB00000109)
IRB Approval Date
2023-03-22
IRB Approval Number
IRB23-0347
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information

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