Publications & Media
Scholarly research and public engagement from the WorkHealthLab. This collection spans multiple decades of longitudinal inquiry into the structural transformations of the modern workplace.
MESSI Project (2023 – Present)
A modern workforce sentiment study measuring workers' attitudes, perceived labor market conditions, and views on social inequality.
It's Not You, It's the Market: When Satisfied Workers Contemplate Quitting
Scott Schieman, Alexander Wilson, & Paul Glavin
Finds turnover intentions can be driven by broader labor market sentiments independent of job quality.
Private Eyes, They See Your Every Move: Workplace Surveillance and Worker Well-Being
Paul Glavin, Alex Bierman, & Scott Schieman
Analyzes health impacts of digital surveillance, finding perceived monitoring increases distress.
C-QWELS Project (2019 – Present)
An ongoing longitudinal survey of the Canadian workforce tracking pandemic-era transitions and psychological health.
Voiceless at Work: Decision-Making Participation, Subjective Power, and Mental Health in a Pandemic
Atsushi Narisada & Scott Schieman
Reveals that lack of organizational voice erodes subjective power and well-being during crises.
A Social Price to the Rising Cost of Living? The Bidirectional Relationship between Inflation and Trust
Cary Wu, Alex Bierman, & Scott Schieman
Reveals that perceptions of inflation erode generalized social trust.
A Forced Vacation? The Stress of Being Temporarily Laid Off During a Pandemic
Scott Schieman, Quan Mai, Philip J. Badawy, & Ryu Won Kang
Finds temporarily laid-off workers initially reported less distress than those still working.
A protective rung on the ladder? How past and current social status shaped changes in health during COVID-19
Laura Upenieks, Scott Schieman, & R. Meiorin
Finds lower current status predicts declining health, while upward mobility provides protection.
Socioeconomic stratification and trajectories of social trust during COVID-19
Cary Wu, Alex Bierman, & Scott Schieman
Demonstrates the initial "crisis-to-solidarity" trust boost was short-lived.
Downloaded Work, Sideloaded Work, and Financial Circumstances
Atsushi Narisada, Philip J. Badawy, & Scott Schieman
Examines what workers believe they "justly" deserve in terms of reward.
Multiple Jobs: The Prevalence, Intensity, and Determinants of Multiple Jobholding in Canada
Paul Glavin
Finds nearly 20% of Canadian workers hold multiple jobs—three times higher than official estimates.
Social Estrangement and Psychological Distress before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Alex Bierman & Scott Schieman
Shows how isolation and community distrust surged as drivers of distress.
The Status Dynamics of Role Blurring in the Time of COVID-19
Scott Schieman & Philip J. Badawy
Analyzes how the pandemic transformed role blurring into a generalized stressor.
QES / QES-UP (1972 – 2023)
Historical (1972/1977) and updated (2022/2023) surveys providing a 50-year perspective on American work quality.
CAN-WSH (2011 – 2019)
A foundational longitudinal study of the Canadian workforce focused on the intersection of job demands and mental health.
Does Religiosity Buffer the Adverse Mental Health Effects of Work-Family Strain?
Laura Upenieks, Scott Schieman, & Christopher G. Ellison
Assesses if religious attendance buffers the effects of work-family conflict.
Gender, Work, and the Family's Morning Rush Hour
Casey Scheibling, Marisa Young, Melissa A. Milkie, & Scott Schieman
Focuses on the "morning rush" as a gendered domestic stressor for dual-earner parents.
Controlling or Channeling Demands? How Schedule Control Influences the Link Between Job Pressure and the Work-Family Interface
Philip J. Badawy & Scott Schieman
Finds that schedule control often fails as a buffer and instead exacerbates role blurring.
With Greater Power Comes Greater Stress? Authority, Supervisor Support, and Work-Family Strains
Philip J. Badawy & Scott Schieman
Investigates how job authority relates to work-to-family conflict.
When Family Calls: How Gender, Money, and Care Shape the Relationship between Family Contact and Family-to-Work Conflict
Philip J. Badawy & Scott Schieman
Explores how family contact during work hours impacts professional role functioning.
Job Pressure, the Work-Family Interface, and the Sense of Distributive Injustice
Atsushi Narisada
Shows how role blurring and job pressure shape perceptions of unfair pay.
Control and the Health Effects of Work–Family Conflict: A Longitudinal Test of Generalized Versus Specific Stress Buffering
Philip J. Badawy & Scott Schieman
Compares the protective functions of schedule control and personal mastery.
Time Deficits with Children: The Link to Parents' Mental and Physical Health
Melissa A. Milkie, Kei Nomaguchi, & Scott Schieman
Reveals nearly half of Canadian parents perceive significant time deficits with their children.
Scaling Back and Finding Flexibility: Gender Differences in Parents' Strategies to Manage Work–Family Conflict
Marisa Young & Scott Schieman
Identifies adaptive strategies parents use to navigate role tension.
Who Helps with Homework? Parenting Inequality and Relationship Quality
Scott Schieman, Leah Ruppanner, & Melissa A. Milkie
Finds that mothers perform significantly more homework-related tasks.
Mother-Father Parity in Work-Family Conflict? The Importance of Selection Effects and Nonresponse Bias
Marisa Young, Melissa A. Milkie, & Scott Schieman
Re-evaluates gender differences in work-family conflict levels.
In Control or Fatalistically Ruled? The Sense of Mastery among Working Canadians
Scott Schieman & Atsushi Narisada
Measures how job resources contribute to the sense of personal mastery.
Control in the Face of Uncertainty: Is Job Insecurity a Challenge to the Mental Health Benefits of Control Beliefs?
Paul Glavin & Scott Schieman
Tests whether benefits of personal control persist during job insecurity.
US-WSH (2005 baseline)
A nationally representative study identifying early 21st-century stress patterns in the American workplace.
Jitters on the Eve of the Great Recession: Is the Belief in Divine Control a Protective Resource?
Laura Upenieks, Scott Schieman, & Alex Bierman
Shows belief in divine control buffered distress from job insecurity.
Underpaid Boss: Gender, Job Authority, and the Association Between Underreward and Depression
Scott Schieman, Catherine J. Taylor, Atsushi Narisada, & Tetyana Pudrovska
Finds perceived underpayment associated with depression among women in authority.
Ironic Flexibility: When Normative Role Blurring Undermines the Benefits of Schedule Control
Scott Schieman & Paul Glavin
Reveals a flexibility paradox where schedule control benefits vanish under normative role blurring.
Underpaid but Satisfied: The Protective Functions of Security
Atsushi Narisada & Scott Schieman
Highlights job security as a psychological buffer against perceived low pay.
Job Pressure and SES-contingent Buffering
Jonathan Koltai & Scott Schieman
Reveals higher-SES workers derive more stress-buffering benefits.
Boundary-Spanning Work Demands and Their Consequences for Guilt and Psychological Distress
Paul Glavin, Scott Schieman, & Sarah Reid
Concludes after-hours work contact is a potent source of guilt and distress.
Job authority and health: Unraveling the competing suppression and explanatory influences
Scott Schieman & Sarah Reid
Identifies interpersonal conflict as a suppressive factor.
Job Authority and Interpersonal Conflict in the Workplace
Scott Schieman & Sarah Reid
Identifies a link between authority and workplace conflict.
Comparative & Cross-Dataset Analyses
Studies synthesized across multiple research programs to examine generalized trends in work and inequality.
From flexibility to unending availability: Platform workers' experiences of work–family conflict
Paul Glavin, Scott Schieman, & Alex Bierman
Finds platform work associated with greater work-family conflict.
Über-Alienated: Powerless and Alone in the Gig Economy
Paul Glavin, Alex Bierman, & Scott Schieman
Identifies higher rates of loneliness among platform-based gig workers.
Work-Life Conflict During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Scott Schieman, Philip J. Badawy, Melissa A. Milkie, & Alex Bierman
Reveals remote work burdened parents while providing a conflict dividend for others.
Financial circumstances, mastery, and mental health
Jonathan Koltai, Alex Bierman, & Scott Schieman
Shows perceived financial strain is a more potent predictor of distress than income.