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MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER)

@mitiwer.bsky.social

2.3K followers 79 following 69 posts

IWER is a multidisciplinary hub for the study of work & employment, housed at the MIT Sloan School of Management but including researchers from other parts of MIT. Learn more: https://mitsloan.mit.edu/institute-work-and-employment-research/about-iwer

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MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) @mitiwer.bsky.social · 9d

What happens when manufacturing companies regularly incorporate worker feedback and ideas into their production processes? Productivity is generally higher—and so is production worker pay. New findings from Dylan Nelson of UIUC & @natewilmers.bsky.social @mitiwer.bsky.social:
tinyurl.com/4vhswpvr

The Effects of Worker Voice on Manufacturing Pay and Productivity | MIT Sloan

New research finds that when manufacturing companies regularly incorporate worker feedback and ideas, both productivity and worker pay are generally higher.

Reposted by MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER)

Zach Parolin @zparolin.bsky.social · 9d

New WP: We study how minimum wage increases affect poverty and food hardship in the U.S from 1981-2019. Different from recent work, we study the Supplemental Poverty Measure + two measures of food hardship, factor in cost-of-living differences, and more. www.iza.org/publications...

MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) @mitiwer.bsky.social · 12d

How Meritocracy Can Backfire--and 5 Steps to Address That: Highlights of the new book "The Meritocracy Paradox" by MIT Sloan Professor Emilio J. Castilla, Co-Director of @mitiwer.bsky.social: tinyurl.com/4ybsd3xj

How Meritocracy Can Backfire — and Five Steps to Address It | MIT Sloan

A new book by MIT Sloan professor Emilio J. Castilla offers managers and leaders a practical, data-driven roadmap for building fairer and more effective talent management systems.

MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) @mitiwer.bsky.social · 13d

Congratulations to Tom Kochan @mitiwer.bsky.social @mitsloan.bsky.social & Adam Seth Litwin and Ariel Avgar, both of @cornellilr.bsky.social! They have won an @equitablegrowth.bsky.social grant to study the effects of worker input on #AI strategies at @KaiserPermanente: tinyurl.com/mrybem8x

Bringing Worker Voice into the Development, Design, and Use of AI: A Case Study of the Labor Management Partnership at Kaiser Permanente

As AI transforms health care, workers must have a say in its development, design, and implementation to ensure fair outcomes for both employees and patients. The proposed study examines the Labor Mana...

Reposted by MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER)

Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · 13d

For their project, #EGgrantee(s) Adam Seth Litwin & Ariel Avgar of @cornellilr.bsky.social sky.social, along with Thomas Kochan of @mitiwer.bsky.social will use a case study to assess whether jointly negotiated AI strategies improve job quality and patient care.

equitablegrowth.org/grants/bring...

Reposted by MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER)

Tom VanHeuvelen @tvanheuvelen.bsky.social · May 27

At the blog I wrote about a new paper by @natewilmers.bsky.social , @zparolin.bsky.social , and @lukaslehner.bsky.social .

We're living in a novel era of inequality discordance. What's going on?!

asocial.substack.com/p/inequality...

Reposted by MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER)

Sociology papers (journals + SocArXiv) @socpaperbot.bsky.social · Aug 13

Are decredentialed jobs a route to upward mobility? Prominent employers, from Microsoft to the State of Maryland, are increasingly dropping college degree requirements when hiring. Does this provide upward mobility for workers without a college degree? Matching job postings to h
#sociology link

Reposted by MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER)

Jonathan Horowitz @jonathanhorowi1.bsky.social · 28d

This paper from @tomlyttelton.bsky.social and @natewilmers.bsky.social is amazing. It shows that removing educational requirements can have big impacts for workers...except that employers don't really hire those workers below the normal education level anyway.

Sociology papers (journals + SocArXiv) @socpaperbot.bsky.social · Aug 13

Are decredentialed jobs a route to upward mobility? Prominent employers, from Microsoft to the State of Maryland, are increasingly dropping college degree requirements when hiring. Does this provide upward mobility for workers without a college degree? Matching job postings to h
#sociology link

MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) @mitiwer.bsky.social · Sep 8

"Leaders cannot simply copy and paste their talent practices from others. They need diagnostic tools to assess their own organizations, identify their unique challenges, and adapt solutions & processes strategically..."—Emilio Castilla @mitiwer.bsky.social @mitsloan.bsky.social: tinyurl.com/yc462b38

The Meritocracy Paradox: A Strategic Risk—and Opportunity—for Leaders - CEOWORLD magazine

In boardrooms, annual letters, and investor calls worldwide, one refrain often echoes: People are our most valuable asset. Few CEOs or investors would dare disagree. Talent fuels growth, sparks innova...

MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) @mitiwer.bsky.social · Aug 28

Congratulations to Emilio J. Castilla, Co-Director of @mitiwer.bsky.social @mitsloan.bsky.social! He has been named to the shortlist for the 2025 Thinkers50 Talent Award for his new book "The Meritocracy Paradox: Where Talent Management Strategies Go Wrong and How to Fix Them": tinyurl.com/3mt777d3

Thinkers50 Ranking & Awards Nominations 2025

Nominations are now open for the 2025 Thinkers50 Ranking and Distinguished Achievement Awards.

MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) @mitiwer.bsky.social · Aug 26

What is a workplace health and well-being committee--and why do you need one? Learn more in this new article from @mitsloan.bsky.social: tinyurl.com/4w2bubd7

What is a workplace health and well-being committee — and why do you need one? | MIT Sloan

HaWCs can be a cost-effective way to reduce turnover among front-line employees and save your organization money.

MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) @mitiwer.bsky.social · Aug 19

IWER's August 2025 newsletter is now available online. The title of this issue is "'The Meritocracy Paradox' and More: New Works from IWER Researchers.” Read the August newsletter here: tinyurl.com/yk7bbc9p

MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) @mitiwer.bsky.social · Jul 24

‪New research from @mitiwer.bsky.social @mitsloan.bsky.social & @hsph.harvard.edu
finds that workplace health and well-being committees (HaWCs) can result in lower turnover & improvements in workers’ mental health. Read our new guide for managers about starting a HaWC program: tinyurl.com/yvs46sap

Starting a Workplace Health and Well-Being Committee: A Step-By-Step Guide for Managers | MIT Sloan

In this guide, you will learn about the benefits of workplace Health and Well-Being Committees and gain information about how to set them up.

MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) @mitiwer.bsky.social · Jul 24

New in the @columbiaup.bsky.social blog: Professor Emilio J. Castilla of @mitiwer.bsky.social @mitsloan.bsky.social, explains some key findings from his new book “The Meritocracy Paradox: Where Talent Management Strategies Go Wrong and How to Fix Them”: tinyurl.com/5dtrfnm6

Emilio J. Castilla in Conversation with Renee Bales About The Meritocracy Paradox - Columbia University Press Blog

In this interview, Emilio J. Castilla and Renee Bales discuss the strengths and limitations of meritocracy, the state of merit-based evaluation practices today, and more.

MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) @mitiwer.bsky.social · Jul 17

“The Meritocracy Paradox: Where Talent Management Strategies Go Wrong and How to Fix Them,” a new book by @mitsloan.bsky.social Professor Emilio J. Castilla @mitiwer.bsky.social, will be published soon by @columbiaup.bsky.social & is now available for preorder: tinyurl.com/56cvrzan

Announcing Emilio Castilla’s New Book “The Meritocracy Paradox” | MIT Sloan

MIT Sloan Professor Emilio J. Castilla’s new book, "The Meritocracy Paradox: Where Talent Management Strategies Go Wrong and How to Fix Them," will be published soon by Columbia University Press and i...

MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) @mitiwer.bsky.social · Jun 30

Check out our new MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research compendium highlighting research on work and well-being :
tinyurl.com/3wpwuydy

Work and Well-Being: An IWER Research Compendium | MIT Sloan

This collection of links highlights some of the research and analysis on work and well-being that has been conducted in recent years by scholars affiliated with the MIT Institute for Work and Employme...

MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) @mitiwer.bsky.social · Jun 9

You might not think that forming a committee where frontline workers can share work-related health & well-being concerns would have all that much effect on a workplace.
But it can. That’s what @elkelly.bsky.social @mitiwer.bsky.social & colleagues found in a recent study: tinyurl.com/y4pej88v

The Surprising Potential of Health and Well-Being Committees | MIT Sloan

MIT Sloan Professor Erin L. Kelly, who is Co-Director of the MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER), found in a recent multiyear study in e-commerce warehouses that establishing Health ...

MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) @mitiwer.bsky.social · Jun 5

There’s a succession dispute at the Mass.-based family-owned supermarket chain Market Basket, according to @bostonglobe.com. What would help? A mediator, advises Tom Kochan @mitiwer.bsky.social @mitsloan.bsky.social. The situation needs “fewer lawyers,” according to Kochan: tinyurl.com/yhczt6mp

The Market Basket saga: This time, the family feud is over succession. Will employees and shoppers care? - The Boston Globe

A spokesperson for the CEO, Arthur T. Demoulas, says his sisters don’t want his children to take over when he retires.

MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) @mitiwer.bsky.social · May 31

The Spring 2025 newsletter of the MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research is now available online. The theme of this issue is "Exploring the Connections Between Work and Well-Being." Read it here: tinyurl.com/3uw29wsj

Reposted by MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER)

UC Berkeley Institute for Research on Labor & Employment (IRLE) @ucberkeleyirle.bsky.social · May 22

Virtual registration is still open for the "Minimum Wages & Monopsony Power" conference! Featuring an all-star lineup of labor economists, this one-day event also honors career of Dr. Michael Reich.

📅 June 6, 2025 | 8am - 5pm
🔗 Register today: irle.berkeley.edu/events/minim...

Minimum Wages and Monopsony Power: MichalReichFest. June 6, 2025. Learn more: irle.berkeley.edu/events

MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) @mitiwer.bsky.social · May 21

In a new essay for @equitablegrowth.bsky.social, @elkelly.bsky.social @mitiwer.bsky.social @mitsloan.bsky.social reflects on America's job-quality crisis, how it fuels anger & fear that right-wing populist politicians capitalize on, and how to improve working conditions: tinyurl.com/2k2v35xz

America’s job-quality crisis and how to revive workers’ pay, dignity, job advancement, and economic well-being

This essay focuses on the drivers of the job-quality crisis and concrete policy responses to address those drivers.

Reposted by MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER)

Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · May 15

"The crisis of poor job quality has encouraged right-wing populist leaders to pitch divisive rhetoric to struggling workers and their families..."

@elkelly.bsky.social on drivers of poor job quality and concrete policy responses to address them 👇

#EssaySeries

equitablegrowth.org/americas-job...

America’s job-quality crisis and how to revive workers’ pay, dignity, job advancement, and economic well-being

This essay focuses on the drivers of the job-quality crisis and concrete policy responses to address those drivers.

equitablegrowth.org

Reposted by MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER)

Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · May 13

Our #EssaySeries on "The Rise of Populism and the Future of Economic Policy" is now live!

It explores economic factors contributing to the rising support for authoritarian populism, as well as any potential policy solutions.

Learn more & see all essays here. ⬇️
equitablegrowth.org/insights-exp...

MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) @mitiwer.bsky.social · May 19

Meritocracy has become an increasingly popular term recently. But Emilio Castilla @mitiwer.bsky.social @mitsloan.bsky.social explains that his research suggests that saying an organization is meritocratic can increase the odds of bias in people-related decisions.
tinyurl.com/muuna2j4

The Trouble With Meritocracy

Explore the concept of meritocracy and its significance in today's corporate world, featuring insights from major companies.

MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) @mitiwer.bsky.social · May 18

"College graduates this year are facing a very uncertain labor market," Tom Kochan of @mitiwer.bsky.social told Newsweek. "With employers not clear on whether the economy is going to go into a recession…the uncertainty is going to create a softer labor market…."
tinyurl.com/mpt44yc7

College graduates are feeling pessimistic about the job market. here's why

Why college grads are getting the cold shoulder from employers