Voice and Warehouse Workers' Well-being: An Agenda and Early Evidence

Erin Kelly, Sloan Distinguished Professor of Work and Organization Studies, MIT Sloan, and Co-Director of the MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research

Abstract: COVID-19, tight labor markets, and concerted advocacy efforts have drawn attention to the challenging work experiences facing “essential” and low-wage workers, including those working in the booming warehousing industry. But what workplace changes would promote better health and improved well-being in this context? Building on research linking specific work conditions to mental health and well-being as well as research on employee voice, Kelly and collaborators propose that voice and specifically a supportive voice environment may improve workers’ well-being and also reduce turnover. Kelly will introduce an group-randomized field experiment, currently being rolled out in fulfillment centers in a non-union retail firm, to launch new voice channels in the form of participatory problem-solving committees made up primarily of hourly workers. Kelly will also share early analysis investigating the relationship between workers’ perception of the voice environment and their well-being and turnover intentions. Voice environment captures workers’ descriptions of the capacity, safety, and efficacy of sharing their ideas and concerns. Hourly fulfillment center workers reporting a better voice environment have significantly lower burnout and psychological distress, significantly higher emotional vitality, and are significantly less likely to be planning to look for another job. These initial findings suggest the value of proactively fostering voice at work as a strategy to support employees’ well-being and perhaps to address high turnover.

Erin L. Kelly is the Sloan Distinguished Professor of Work and Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management and Co-Director of the MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research. Kelly’s research has been published in many top sociology, management, and interdisciplinary journals and twice recognized with the Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award. Her book with Phyllis Moen, Overload: How Good Jobs Went Bad and What We Can Do About It, was published by Princeton University Press in March 2020. Overload received the 2021 Max Weber Award from the American Sociological Association's Organizations, Occupations, and Work section, and an honorable mention for the 2021 Viviana Zelizer Award for best book in economic sociology. Kelly investigates the implications of workplace policies and management practices for firms, workers, and families with a joint focus on equity, wellbeing, and organizational performance. Previous research has examined scheduling and work-family supports, family leaves, harassment policies, and diversity initiatives in a variety of organizations and industries. Kelly is a sociologist and received her PhD from Princeton University and her BA from Rice University. She previously taught at the University of Minnesota.