Elevating Job Quality — Job Quality and Cultural Context

Lauren Starks, Director of Good Companies/Good Jobs at the Economic Opportunities Program, recently sat down with two Shared Success grantees—Felicia Ravelomanantsoa, Chief Operating Officer/Chief Financial Officer at African Development Center (ADC), and Elaine Neigel, Business Loan Officer at Four Bands Community Fund—to discuss how job quality work needs to be connected to the unique challenges, assets, and strategies of the local community. ADC, based in Minneapolis where there is a large Somali community, has many clients considering job quality improvements that are aligned with workers’ cultural and religious identities. Four Bands, which works with Native American business owners off and on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation, has found that workers on the Reservations prioritize benefits such as affordable housing and flexible schedules for caretaking more than employer-sponsored healthcare plans because of the availability of healthcare through Indian Health Services. About Shared Success⁠Shared Success⁠, a project of the Economic Opportunities Program, works with community lenders to integrate job quality programming into their small business support services, demonstrating that improved job quality can support the needs of employees while helping small businesses succeed.About the Economic Opportunities ProgramThe Aspen Institute ⁠Economic Opportunities Program⁠ hosts a variety of discussions to advance strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy. To learn about upcoming events and webinars, ⁠join our mailing list⁠ and ⁠follow us on social media⁠.