The Shift Project

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

6/7 - 📅 Study uniquely examines schedule instability as potential margin of adjustment—finding no increase in last-minute cancellations, on-call shifts, or reduced advance notice. Suggests firms don't shift costs to scheduling practices!

5/7 - 💼 Important finding: No evidence firms offset PSL costs through other channels of adjustment. No cuts to wages, health insurance, retirement benefits, or schedule stability. This addresses key concern about unintended consequences of mandates.

4/7 - 📈 Key findings: PSL mandates increased worker access to paid sick leave from 46% to 62% in treatment states, while control states saw minimal change (37% to 39%). Workers also 3pp less likely to work while sick when PSL laws in effect. #PublicHealth

3/7 - 🏪 Research focuses on service sector workers who typically lack PSL access but face high disease exposure through customer contact. The study uses 68,930 workers at 204 service companies to investigate implementation of 11 PSL laws from 2017-2023. #PaidSickLeave

2/7 - Research from Tyler Woods, @dschneider.bsky.social and @kristenharknett.bsky.social examines effects of state paid sick leave mandates on service sector workers using stacked diff-in-diff methods. @harvardkennedy.bsky.social @ucsfhealth.bsky.social

Estimating the Impact of State Paid Sick Leave Laws on Worker Outcomes in the U.S. Service Sector, 2017–2023 - The Shift Project Read the Full Article In the absence of a federal paid sick leave (PSL) standard, numerous U.S. states have passed […]

1/7 - 📊 New research on paid sick leave laws finds positive effects for workers and public health. Study of 68K+ service workers shows state mandates increase PSL access by 14pp and reduce working while sick by 3pp—with no negative spillovers. shift.hks.harvard.edu/estimating-t...

5/5 Currently, workplace technologies are minimally regulated in the U.S. These findings suggest that job satisfaction and retention in the service sector, specifically among older workers, could be improved by policies that reduce invasive monitoring in the workplace.

4/5 But some workplace technology actually seems to improve older workers’ experience on the job! Rewards for speed of work & the use of leaderboards at work were both associated with HIGHER job satisfaction.

3/5 How does exposure to technology affect how much older workers like their jobs? Sales tech was not shown to impact job satisfaction or retention, but exposure to surveillance tech that punishes workers for slowness was associated with a higher likelihood of intending to look for a new job.

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2/5 Shift data show that workers above the age of 50 are exposed to lots of technology and monitoring at work: 87% report dealing with at least one form of sales technology (like online ordering or self-checkout), and 60% say that they would be sanctioned for working too slowly.

New Technology, Older Workers: How Workplace Technology is Associated with Indicators of Job Retention - The Shift Project Read the Full Article Middle-aged and older adults who are employed in precarious, high-strain jobs may face challenges to continued […]

1/5 - The US workforce is aging, and older service sector workers already face tough conditions. Does new workplace tech help or hurt them? Our new paper explores the impact! @dschneider.bsky.social‬ ‪@kristenharknett.bsky.social‬ @leahrabrams.bsky.social‬ shift.hks.harvard.edu/new-technolo...

8/8 - 🎯 POLICY ACTION: OSHA’s new proposed federal heat standard (August 2024) covers outdoor & indoor workers! Proposed rule would require employers to protect workers when temps hit 80°F+ indoors, protecting 36M workers nationwide!
✅ Public hearing: June 16-mark your calendar!

7/8 - 📋 Employers are not doing their part: only 24% have heat policies, and 41% of workers don't know if protections exist. Often, policies shift responsibility for cooling and resting onto workers, making them choose between their health and their work.

6/8 - INDOOR workers feel trapped by heat: many stick their heads in FREEZERS or retreat to cars with AC during breaks. 88% can't control their workplace AC, and some need central CORPORATE APPROVAL just to adjust the thermostat. #WorkerSafety