Current Research by HRLR
At the School of Human Resources & Labor Relations, our faculty are at the forefront of the future of work, labor, and organizational life. Drawing on rigorous inquiry, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and global perspectives, we explore how technological, economic, and social changes are reshaping what it means to work and what it takes to lead, manage, and thrive.
Below are a few of our current research projects:
National Study on Hotel Housekeepers (Rho)
The National Survey of Hotel Housekeepers is the first national survey aimed at capturing information about guest room attendants' work and their experience with technologies like algorithmic management. Learn More
Sri Lankan Cinnamon Industry (Jayasinghe)
Thanks to research funds awarded by the College of Social Science's Small Grants Program, Dr. Jayasinghe spent this past summer studying whether the adoption of technology and mechanization helps retain skilled workers and attract new workers in the hand-crafted artisan cinnamon industry in Sri Lanka. Learn more
Human-Technology Partnerships at Work (Behrend)
As technology continues to reshape industries, this book explores how advancements like artificial intelligence, automation, and digital platforms are transforming the nature of work across various sectors. Learn More
Electronic Performance Monitoring (Behrend)
These days, office, manual labor, and customer service workers routinely are being monitored electronically by their bosses to ensure they're productive. APA’s 2023 Work in America survey results show that slightly more than half of workers (51%) are aware that their employer uses technology to monitor them while they are working. Further, employees who are monitored are more likely to report negative psychological outcomes than those who are not. Learn More
Worker Voice at Amazon Warehouses (Tapia)
As one of the world's largest companies, Amazon has become a focal point for studying its employment practices, including its union-busting tactics. Dr. Tapia's research explores how various workplace institutions, including works councils in Germany, trade unions in Italy, and labor organizations in the U.S., are responding to these challenges and advocating for workers' rights. This 2-year project has been generously funded by the Hans Böckler Foundation. Learn More
Supply Chain Labor Standards Performance (Jayasinghe)
Prior work shows limited success in retail firms’ efforts to create socially responsible supply chains by enforcing suppliers’ compliance with labor standards, partly due to conflicting sourcing demands exerted on the supplier by siloed functional units within the retail firm. To ensure the substantive adoption of labor standards throughout its supply chain, we argue that the retail firm must improve their degree of “supply chain labor compliance integration” by minimizing cross-functional tensions in human capital, identities, processes and goals. Learn More
UAW and Policy Preferences (Tapia)
With the help of a grant awarded from the College of Social Science's Small Grants Program, Dr. Tapia will be examining the policy preferences of union members and the extent to which the union influences voting behavior of their members. .