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Is there a secret to enabling an aging population working in the service sector to stay in the workforce longer?

Older man of color working in a grocery store

Recent Harvard Sloan Fellow on Aging & Work Leah Abrams, along with HCPDS faculty member Daniel Schneider, and their colleague Kristen Harknett, have published an article in The Gerontologist that reports that although scheduling conditions were found to be more stable for workers ages 50–80 than they were for younger workers, more than 80% of this older cohort experienced at least one type of routine schedule instability that was associated with…

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Paid sick leave has added benefit of reducing gender inequality

Head shot of Daniel Schneider

Faculty member Daniel Schneider has co-authored a research article in Health Affairs that draws from the findings of the Shift Project regarding paid sick leave for low-wage workers and gender inequality. Schneider and his co-author Kristen Harknett report that there was limited access to paid leave, especially among women. In states and localities that paid for sick leave, however, the benefit was more widely accessed and the gender disparity was…

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Safeguarding the health of residential addiction treatment center workers could reduce worker turnover (and help their patients have better outcomes!)

Sign that says "Addiction Recovery"

In response to the opioid epidemic and the additional strains of the pandemic, a study published in Social Science & Medicine parses out which socio-contextual factors were found to be affecting provider health and turnover. Authors include HCPDS Director Lisa Berkman, faculty member Laura Kubzansky and former postdoctoral fellow Erika Sabbath. Photo: Pix4free.org

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The Harvard Gazette: Berkman shares why living longer doesn’t necessarily mean we can work longer

Lisa Berkman sitting in Harvard Yard with colorful chairs

In this interview, HCPDS Director Lisa Berkman points out the complexities involved with having a heterogeneous workforce and the wide variety of reasons (e.g., health reasons, caregiving responsibilities, job qualities) why someone may leave the workforce. Based on findings from the newly published volume “Overtime: America’s Aging Workforce and the Future of Working Longer,” that she co-edited with Beth Truesdale, she shares some hopeful solutions.

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U.S. Surgeon General releases framework for workplace mental health and well-being

Five essentials for workplace mental health and worker well-being

Today, the U.S. Surgeon General has taken a strong step to help support the mental health and well-being of American workers by releasing a comprehensive website that outlines the five essentials that employers can focus on to help create workplaces that are “engines of well-being.” The robust website points to both the Work and Well-Being Initiative employer toolkit as well as the Work, Family & Health Network STAR toolkit from…

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Labor Day op-ed in The Nation explains why “investments in better jobs today mean better retirements tomorrow”

The Nation magazine logo

Co-editors Beth Truesdale and Lisa Berkman penned an op-ed in honor of Labor Day that shares insights from their new book (that drops tomorrow!), “Overtime: America’s Aging Workforce and the Future of Working Longer.”

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Quantitatively analyzing the working conditions of the informally employed domestic worker in a new way

Cleaning supplies and a woman's hand in a rubber glove

What sort of working conditions (hazards and protections) are domestic workers informally employed by private households exposed to? Until now, there was not much quantitative analysis about patterns of workplace hazards faced by these workers. Harvard Pop Center Associate Director Jason Beckfield, faculty member Nancy Krieger, and their colleagues use latent class analysis in their paper to shed light on “distinct patterns of workplace hazards, … and [domestic workers’] exposures…

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Truesdale speaks with CNN and NPR about realities and challenges of aging and working longer

Head shot of Beth Truesdale

Beth Truesdale (visiting scientist and former Sloan Fellow on Aging and Work at the Harvard Pop Center) explains in this piece on CNN why working longer, although associated with health benefits for some, may not always be possible or healthy for others. Truesdale is co-editor (along with Lisa Berkman) of the forthcoming book “Overtime: America’s Aging Workforce and the Future of Working Longer.” She also speaks with NPR in this…

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