Labor
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- 23 Jul 2018
- Research & Ideas
The Open Office Revolution Has Gone Too Far
When Ethan Bernstein used wearable technology to track workers around their open office, he discovered many who were trying to avoid collaboration rather than engage in it. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 16 Jul 2018
- Research & Ideas
Kids of Working Moms Grow into Happy Adults
In earlier research, Kathleen McGinn and colleagues discovered that adult kids of working moms are high achievers at work. Now it turns out they are happy, too. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 25 May 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Trust and Disintermediation: Evidence from an Online Freelance Marketplace
Intermediaries such as brokers, distributors, and agents all face a risk of disintermediation, when two sides circumvent the intermediary and thus avoid the intermediary’s fees. This study of a large online freelance marketplace finds that enhanced user trust increases this risk, alongside other contributing factors like being geographically near one another, having easily divisible jobs, and clients themselves having high ratings.
- 29 Apr 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Analyzing the Aftermath of a Compensation Reduction
This study of the effects of compensation cuts in a large sales organization provides a unique lens for analyzing the link between compensation schemes, worker performance, and turnover.
- 23 Apr 2018
- Research & Ideas
Sponsorship Programs Could Actually Widen the Gender Gap
Companies increasingly provide sponsors to help women get ahead. But certain aspects of sponsorship programs can hinder women instead, according to experimental research by Nancy R. Baldiga and Katherine B. Coffman. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 23 Mar 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Experience Markets: An Application to Outsourcing and Hiring
Online labor platforms are like experience markets. Sellers vary in their fit with individual buyers’ needs while buyers new to the market are uncertain about their own value for what sellers offer. This analysis shows that most potential new employers find the market far less valuable to them than wage differences would suggest.
- 22 Jan 2018
- Sharpening Your Skills
Why You Are Unhappy at Work
Sometimes the deck is stacked against you at work. Learn more about how you can overcome toxic co-workers, paycheck blues, and a job set up for failure. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 18 Dec 2017
- Op-Ed
Why Employers Must Stop Requiring College Degrees For Middle-Skill Jobs
Employers are guilty of "degree inflation," requiring lofty academic bona fides for jobs that don't really need them. Joseph Fuller says the practice is hurting American competitiveness. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 21 Jul 2017
- Working Paper Summaries
Organizational Structures and the Improvement of Working Conditions in Global Supply Chains: Legalization, Participation, and Economic Incentives
Suppliers face increasing pressure from the institutional environment as well as demands from buyers to improve working conditions. This study analyzes the internal organizational dynamics of more than 3,000 supplier firms in 55 countries. Findings call for looking beyond the symbolism of organizational structures and attending to how they can be linked with real implementation and improvement.
- 24 May 2017
- Working Paper Summaries
Digital Labor Markets and Global Talent Flows
Digital labor markets aiInternet-based platforms connecting workers worldwide with companies seeking to have tasks completed. This paper describes the markets, evaluates their rise and global span, and reviews academic studies of how they function. It includes cases to suggest the range of ways in which digital capabilities extend access to talent over long distances.
- 05 May 2017
- Working Paper Summaries
Survival of the Fittest: The Impact of the Minimum Wage on Firm Exit
This study examines the impact of minimum wage increases on restaurant closures in the San Francisco Bay Area, using data from 2008 through 2016 from the review platform Yelp. The study demonstrates that higher minimum wages increase closure rates among lower-rated restaurants, while higher-rated restaurants are largely insulated from changes.
- 01 Feb 2017
- What Do You Think?
Is the Next Jobs Crisis Just Ahead?
SUMMING UP A looming service sector jobs crisis would dwarf anything we’ve seen in manufacturing, many of Jim Heskett's readers agree. But what can be done about it? Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 27 Jan 2017
- Working Paper Summaries
The Microstructure of Work: How Unexpected Breaks Let You Rest, but Not Lose Focus
Work breaks are usually considered as a necessary evil—inevitable but nonproductive. This study shows that properly structured breaks maintaining employee attention can actually yield post-break improvements in performance.
- 05 Oct 2016
- Research & Ideas
Why Don't More People Get Flu Shots at Work?
The frontline battle station in the just-started influenza season is the workplace flu vaccine clinic. The problem: fewer than half of employees take advantage of them. John Beshears discusses why location makes a difference. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 22 Aug 2016
- Research & Ideas
Master the One-on-One Meeting
The one-on-one meeting between supervisor and staff is an invaluable tool for managing, but requires much attention to detail. Julia B. Austin explains best practices for getting the most out of the 1:1. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 25 Jul 2016
- Research & Ideas
Who is to Blame for 'The Great Training Robbery'?
Companies spend billions annually training their executives, yet rarely realize all the benefit they could, argue Michael Beer and colleagues. He discusses a new research paper, The Great Training Robbery. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 18 Jul 2016
- Working Paper Summaries
Beyond Symbolic Responses to Private Politics: Examining Labor Standards Improvement in Global Supply Chains
Global supply chain factories improve their working conditions to a greater extent when their buyers take a cooperative approach to monitoring them, when the auditors are more highly trained, and when the factories face greater risk of poor conditions being exposed, according to findings in this research.
- 11 Jul 2016
- HBS Case
Neurodiversity: The Benefits of Recruiting Employees with Cognitive Disabilities
Employers are increasingly finding fresh ideas and insights by recruiting workers with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other cognitive disabilities. Gary Pisano and Robert Austin discuss their case study, “SAP SE: Autism at Work.” Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 01 Jun 2016
- Working Paper Summaries
Motivating Effort in Contributing to Public Goods Inside Organizations: Field Experimental Evidence
Results of this experiment involving 1,200 employees shows that workers have multiple underlying motivations to contribute to organizational betterment, consisting of a combination of monetary and altruistic incentives associated with the organization’s mission.
Are Free Trade and Free Markets Quaint Ideas From the Past?
SUMMING UP: Free trade and free markets are great concepts but are often corrupted by politics, globalization, and the relative power of consumers and workers, our readers suggest. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.