The Shift Project

Post-Doctoral Fellowships (Open) - The Shift Project Work with Us Post-Doctoral Fellowships Applications are currently open until February 13, 2026. Overview of Job Description

At the Shift Project we are recruiting one full-time postdoctoral fellow. Folks interested in labor standards violation, industrial relations, labor economics, sociology of work, + please apply to join our crew! Fall 2026 start. Apps due February 13, 2026. shift.hks.harvard.edu/post-doctora...

7/8 Are Fair Workweek policies a promising way to improve the quality of workers’ schedules? Our data say yes. We find that Los Angeles’ FWWO for retail workers has reduced exposure to “just-in-time” scheduling practices, like short notice of work schedules and on-call shifts.

6/8 Precarious scheduling has been shown to be harmful for workers’ mental and physical health. These negative effects also spill over to their children, as unpredictable schedules strain household resources and make it difficult to arrange high-quality childcare.

5/8 The result of these insufficient and unpredictable working hours? Roughly half of fast food workers in Los Angeles County say that their work schedules cause conflict with family life, and 78% have a hard time affording their bills & expenses.

4/8 Most workers in both sectors want more stable schedules, but how do fast food workers’ schedules compare to their retail counterparts? On average, they grapple with shorter notice of their schedules and greater week-to-week volatility in work hours.

3/8 Many fast food workers are subject to irregular and unpredictable schedules that they have little control over. Only 26% have regular daytime schedules, and almost half say that they have no input as to when they work each week.

2/8 Less than one third of fast food workers in Los Angeles County are usually working 40 or more hours per week, and 35% are involuntarily part-time: working fewer than 35 hours but wanting more.

Unpredictable and Unstable: Fast Food Jobs in Los Angeles - The Shift Project Read the Full Article Over the past ten years, fast food workers have been at the center of powerful social […]

1/8 Los Angeles has recently taken steps to guarantee retail workers more stable work schedules, but fast food workers remain unprotected. A new Shift Project brief explores how these workers are faring—and what could be done to improve their schedules. shift.hks.harvard.edu/fast-food-jo...

Pre-Doctoral Fellowships (Open) - The Shift Project Work with Us Pre-Doctoral Fellowships Applications are currently open until January 15th, 2026. Overview of Job Description

At the Shift Project we are hiring 1 to 3 pre-doctoral fellows (= full time paid RA). Folks interested in labor policy, work scheduling, PSL, firms, survey methods, + please apply to join our crew! Fall 2026 start. Apps due January 15th, 2026. shift.hks.harvard.edu/pre-doctoral...

5/5 These findings have important implications that view ESI as a substitute for Medicaid for hourly service-sector workers.

4/5 - Falling into an exemption category is associated with a lower likelihood of being offered ESI. Workers are nearly 30, 25, and 8 percentage points less likely to be offered ESI if at a franchised firm, work part time, and have been at a firm for less than one year, respectively.

3/5 - Using the Shift Project’s measures of firm franchise status (used as a proxy for firm size), part-time status, and tenure, we find that nearly 60% of hourly service-sector workers fall into at least one of the exemption categories. @dschneider.bsky.social @gabyaboulafia.bsky.social

2/5 - The Affordable Care Act requires that employers offer affordable, minimum-value ESI to workers or potentially face penalties. However, firms with <50 employees, part-time workers, and those who’ve worked at their firm for under one year may be exempt from the employer provision.

Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance for Workers in the Hourly Service Sector - The Shift Project Read the Full Article In defending the Medicaid cuts in HR 1, policymakers have argued that Medicaid coverage losses would […]

1/5 - Current policy debate often assumes workers who lose Medicaid coverage can get employer-sponsored insurance (ESI). A new Shift Project article in JAMA Health Forum shows why this may not be the case for hourly service-sector workers. shift.hks.harvard.edu/employer-spo...

7/7 Amazon’s fissured employment model may have helped it overtake UPS and FedEx in market share, but it has very troubling implications for workers – and, given its size and influence, how Amazon treats its workers has effects that reach well beyond its own workforce.

6/7 But one shared experience among Amazon’s warehouse workers and delivery drivers? Being exposed to a high degree of surveillance and speed tracking on the job. Simply put, as one Amazon worker told us: “They know everything.”

5/7 Amazon drivers’ challenges don’t stop at lower wages – they also have much less access to benefits like paid sick leave. The result: one in four report going hungry in the past month, & one in three report not being able to fully pay their utilities bills in the past month.

4/7 On average, Amazon warehouse workers benefit from having more stable schedules than UPS and FedEx warehouse workers, but Amazon delivery drivers don’t have the same edge over UPS and FedEx drivers – illustrating the divide between Amazon’s delivery and fulfillment operations.

3/7 A critical contrast: the entire UPS workforce is directly employed & unionized, while Amazon’s workforce is highly fissured. None of its delivery drivers are actually Amazon employees; they are either independent gig workers (Amazon Flex) or employees of subcontracted DSPs.

2/7 We find that Amazon delivery drivers earn much lower wages on average than UPS or FedEx drivers, partially because Amazon workers rarely stick around for multiple years – and their pay hardly increases if they do. @dschneider.bsky.social @profsheenalives.bsky.social @juliesulabor.bsky.social

Amazon Drives Low Wages: The Unraveling of Workplace Protections for Delivery Drivers - The Shift Project Read the Full Article Amazon has revolutionized shopping and challenged traditional brick-and-mortar retail. But at the heart of this logistics […]

1/7 Over the past decade, Amazon’s market power has soared. But how do Amazon workers fare relative to their counterparts at UPS & FedEx? A new Shift Project brief offers an inside look into work at one of the world’s biggest companies. shift.hks.harvard.edu/amazon-drive...

8/8 – So, what does this mean? (1) FSI workers often leave jobs for self-preservation, not due to “job hopping” or lack of work ethic. (2) Workplace relationships, especially with supervisors, have a major impact on their experience. More insights in the full report—check it out!

7/8 – Notably, FSI young workers also tend to be employed in some of the least supportive sectors, such as fast food.

6/8 – Importantly, these workplace experiences don’t just impact these workers at work – they also impact them off the clock, with large associated changes in psychological distress.

5/8 – FSI workers are also more likely to feel physical unsafe at work, experience discrimination, and experience customer abuse. All of these negative experiences are associated with significant drops in job satisfaction and intent to stay in one’s current job.

4/8 FSI workers also report less support from supervisors and coworkers, and more punitive discipline. Notably, they are 5.7 percentage points more likely to report being ridiculed, which has a very large effect on job outcomes. @harvardkennedy.bsky.social @ucsfhealth.bsky.social

3/8 – FSI workers face more disrespect and bullying from supervisors/coworkers, deeply affecting job outcomes. Those who feel respected by their supervisor report a 51-point increase in job satisfaction. @dschneider.bsky.social @kristenharknett.bsky.social

2/8 - Formerly systems involved (FSI) young workers report overall more negative onboarding experiences as compared to their non-involved peers. Positive onboarding experiences significantly impact job outcomes including job satisfaction and intent to stay in one’s current job.

(Un)Supportive Workplaces: Experiences of Workplace Climate for Formerly Systems-Involved Young Workers - The Shift Project Read the Full Report By early adulthood, millions of young people have had early life experiences interacting with the juvenile […]

1/8 - New research from Shift finds that young workers formerly involved in the juvenile carceral and child welfare systems face unsupportive workplaces, negatively impacting their job satisfaction, intent to stay at their job, and their psychological wellbeing shift.hks.harvard.edu/workplace-cl...

7/7 - 🏛️ Policy implications: Results support PSL mandates as effective tool for establishing minimum job quality standards. Federal PSL mandate could address current patchwork of state coverage while delivering public health benefits! #PaidSickLeave #PublicHealth