Employer Quality Assessment
Turn frontline worker feedback into clear action plans that strengthen retention, advance careers, and build better workplaces.
Turnover is visible. The root causes aren't.
The Problem
How EQN Employer Partners are Addressing Retention, Turnover & Attrition
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A small restaurant is building out a supportive employee ownership structure to give staff equity shares in their workplace.
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A healthcare agency is partnering with local early childcare educators to provide quality childcare subsidies to their staff.
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Using local and national data points, a hospitality employer is moving their staff closer to a living wage at all levels.
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A hotel is working to increase training and development hours to support employee growth and advancement.
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Through deepening relationships with local training providers, a construction/skilled trade employer is intentionally working to hire a workforce that more accurately reflects the surrounding community.
Our Solution
The Employer Quality Assessment (EQA) Tool gives employers a clear, structured way to understand what's happening in their workplaces from the people who know best: their workers. It measures job quality from the workers’ perspective.
How it Works
The EQA process is built around four integrated steps that move from listening to lasting improvement.
Built on Evidence
The Employer Quality Assessment Tool is grounded in the frameworks that define what good work actually look like. It was developed in collaboration with industry leaders in workforce development and philanthropy.
Meet our Partners
Our job quality assessment is
unique 3 ways:
Worker Voice
is the main measurement metric
Industry Agnostic
Relevant across industries
Cohort-based
Based on the premise of continuous quality improvement
Voices From the Work
Participating in EQN has been a great litmus test for us – how well were we in touch with our people and what they thought about the company? It was incredibly satisfying to see that we were very aligned and incredibly empowering in the few places we weren’t. We also really enjoy working with a group of peers – we were excited to hear about what others were doing, what they’re best practices are and brainstorm new ideas together. What’s more, the time commitment seems surprisingly light for how much we are learning about ourselves and Kathy has been absolutely instrumental in putting in the work alongside us to make our goals seem more obtainable.
–Sarah Busch, Vice President of Strategy,
Landis Construction
New Orleans EQN has shed a light on ways to improve our work environment that is unique from our employee satisfaction surveys that are from our brand and industry. Specifically, Kathy walked through a process to improve our learning and development program that stretched our thinking and also provided the tools for us to take the next steps.
–Jennie Beth Loyal, Director of Human Resources
EQN has been an invaluable partner in helping us create more meaningful connections between young people and the workplace. Their thoughtful approach, professionalism, and commitment to preparing the next generation have made a lasting impact on both our team and the students we serve.”
— EQN Partner
Our Journey
The Employer Quality Assessment grew out of years of workforce and youth development work.
A Problem Gets Named
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation convened an employer engagement steering committee in New Orleans to understand why, despite strong training programs, deeper and lasting employer engagement remained out of reach.
2024
QIS Takes the Lead
The steering committee recognized that what they needed wasn't just an assessment — it was a quality improvement process. QIS was brought in to build it, drawing on deep experience leading quality improvement networks across the youth-serving nonprofit sector
2026
Building the Foundation
QIS spent 2024 identifying the right assessment tool to generate meaningful, worker-informed workplace data, and designing the peer learning infrastructure where employers could share best practices, honest challenges, and early wins.
First Pilot
QIS launched its inaugural employer cohort in New Orleans — putting the Employer Quality Assessment tool and improvement planning process into practice for the first time. A proving year as much as a learning one.
Scaling What Works
With a refined tool, a streamlined process, and a growing network of employer partners, QIS is expanding the Employer Quality Network and building toward lasting, measurable change in workplaces across the region.
June 2023
October 2023
2025
Ready to Get Started?
Have questions about where to start? We'd love to connect. Every organization's needs are different, and we're here to help you find the right fit. Send us a message today.