Company Happiness Ratings and Jobseeker Behavior

Last registered on December 19, 2022

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Company Happiness Ratings and Jobseeker Behavior
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0007170
Initial registration date
February 18, 2021

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
February 19, 2021, 11:19 AM EST

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

Last updated
December 19, 2022, 8:31 AM EST

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2019-11-01
End date
2025-01-01
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
In this paper we study the effect of showing jobseekers information about the subjective well-being of incumbent workers. We conduct a field experiment on a large jobs website. We collect information on the happiness of firms' current and former workers, as part of the website's ongoing collection of review and ratings data. We experimentally display aggregate company-level happiness levels to users on the site, and study the effects of showing this information on application decisions.


External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Ward, George. 2022. "Company Happiness Ratings and Jobseeker Behavior ." AEA RCT Registry. December 19. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.7170-2.1
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention (Hidden)
Individual-level happiness data began being collected in November 2019. Website users are shown happiness scores for all eligible companies if treated, on the company pages of the website. This pre-registration is for a new field experiment in Canada and the United Kingdom, beginning in February 2021. An analogous field experiment on the US website is on-going, having begun in April 2020. Data have not yet been analyzed from the US sample. Eligible companies in the USA are those that have 20 or more individual-level surveys. Eligible companies in Canada and the UK are those that have 10 or more individual-level surveys, given data constraints. The field trials are otherwise the same, and data from all three countries will be analyzed upon completion.

The happiness questions are asked on a 5-point agree/disagree scale, referring to the following statements.
Work Happiness Score:
I feel happy at work most of the time.
Compensation:
I am paid fairly for my work.
Achievement:
I am achieving most of my goals at work.
Appreciation:
There are people at work who appreciate me as a person.
Energy:
In most of my work tasks, I feel energized.
Support:
There are people at work who give me support and encouragement.
Purpose:
My work has a clear sense of purpose.
Learning:
I often learn something at work.
Inclusion:
My work environment feels inclusive and respectful of all people.
Flexibility:
My work has the time and location flexibility I need.
Trust:
I can trust people in my company.
Belonging:
I feel a sense of belonging in my company.
Management:
My manager helps me succeed.

Edit: A follow-up trial is to be run in the United Kingdom, between January 11-17 2022. This will change the labels that accompany each score that is displayed. Prior to January 11, the labels were as follows: <50 Low, 50-60 Below Average, 60-70 Average, 70-80 Above Average, 80 High. The experimental labels will be: <40 Low, 40-50 Below Average, 50-60 Average, 60-70 Above Average, 70+ High. The test will be a 50%/50% randomized allocation of cookies navigating to the company pages in the UK.
Intervention Start Date
2021-02-22
Intervention End Date
2021-04-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Applications
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Clicks on "Apply Now" button.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Users are randomized into either control or treatment. Treated users will see aggregate-level subjective well-being information ("happiness scores") displayed on company profile pages.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization is based on user cookies, and is carried out using the company's in-house A/B testing platform.
Randomization Unit
Cookie
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
2 countries
Sample size: planned number of observations
50% of website traffic
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
25% of website traffic in control, 25% of website traffic in treatment
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
MIT Committee on the Use of Humans as Experimental Subjects
IRB Approval Date
2020-11-01
IRB Approval Number
E-2700

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