Researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health explored the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for the future of work and worker safety, health, and wellbeing, in a February 1, 2022 Viewpoint article in The Lancet Public Health.
The article was co-authored by Susan Peters, research scientist in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences; Jack Dennerlein, adjunct professor of ergonomics and safety in the Department of Environmental Health: Gregory Wagner, adjunct professor of environmental health, and Glorian Sorensen, director of the Center for Work, Health & Well-being and research professor of social and behavioral sciences.
The article examined how changes in social, political, and economic environments are affecting employment and labor patterns, touching on issues such as the challenges facing essential workers, the rise of remote work, and burnout.
The article included several recommendations. For instance, government regulations aimed at safer working conditions—such as improved ventilation, reduced crowding, and other infection control measures—as well as supportive leave policies, could be important steps to protect workers across industries and jobs, the authors wrote.
Read the Lancet Public Health article: Work and worker health in the post-pandemic world: a public health perspective