The Center for Working Well is committed to supporting research that will aid in our central mission: to develop a robust understand of what “working well” means to employees and organizations — encompassing challenges with promoting personal well-being, creating sustainable performance, adopting to grand challenges in modern organizations, and cultivating positive and inclusion relationships at work and at home. In service of this mission, there will be three annual Center for Working Well Research Awards at a maximum of $5,000 each.
2025-2026 Research Awards
The Center for Working Well (CWW) is committed to supporting research that will aid in our central mission: to develop a robust understand of what “working well” means to employees and organizations—encompassing challenges with promoting personal well-being (e.g., reducing workforce burnout, promoting thriving), creating sustainable performance, adopting to grand challenges in modern organizations (e.g., societal issues; hybridization and automation of work), and cultivating positive and inclusion relationships at work and at home. In service of this mission, we are offering three (3) Center for Working Well Research Awards at a maximum of $5,000 each. Those who receive these Research Awards will be asked to conduct their research within one (1) year of receiving the award. They will also be asked to partake in the Working Well Research Conference as part of the MSHRM Case Competition gathering, slated for each fall, where organizations and community members will attend a luncheon to hear about our new research.
The call for the 2025-2026 Research Awards is closed. Awards will be decided on by Director Allison Gabriel and Associate Director for Research Kate Zipay. Preference will be given to proposals involving student collaborators and/or interdisciplinary collaborations across Purdue, as well as those who did not receive an award from the prior cycle(s). That said, all are encouraged to apply to have a competitive pool. Teams from outside the Daniels School of Business are also encouraged to apply.
The Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers (PUMP) Act expanded federal protections for lactating workers, yet little is known about how these rights are experienced by postpartum hourly workers in Indiana. This qualitative study examines how postpartum workers in retail, food service, and hospitality understand and navigate workplace lactation accommodations, including awareness of the PUMP Act and related Indiana statutes, access to time, space, and storage for expressing milk, and the influence of supervisory support, workplace culture, and job demands on breastfeeding or pumping. Up to 24 Indiana-based women who returned to hourly, nonexempt work within the first postpartum year after December 29, 2022, will complete semi-structured virtual interviews. Interviews will be professionally transcribed and analyzed using content and thematic approaches to identify key barriers, facilitators, and recommendations. Findings will generate practical guidance to strengthen policy implementation, improve organizational practices, and support postpartum hourly workers in advocating for their rights, sustaining lactation, and “working well” in precarious jobs.
Making a positive difference in the lives of others is a driving motivational factor for many employees. Yet, organizational barriers often constrain how much positive impact employees are able to have through their work. These experiences — termed thwarted impact — reflect perceptions that one’s organization is limiting the prosocial impact one could have through their work, and thwarted impact has been linked to harmful outcomes for both employees and organizations. However, less is known about how managers perceive and respond to these situations. In this research, we shift attention to managers as key interpreters and responders when employees experience these blocked opportunities to enact social impact. Drawing on attribution theory and theories of psychological contracts, we examine how managers make sense of subordinates’ thwarted impact, attributing it to organizational factors (e.g., bottomline mentality) and to subordinate characteristics (e.g., excessive idealism and entitlement). We further explore how managers’ cultural orientations shape these interpretations and how distinct attributions give rise to different forms of managerial behaviors. By centering the manager’s perspective, our research highlights how thwarted impact reverberates across organizational levels and seeks to identify potential pathways for ultimately reducing barriers to employee prosocial impact.
Work recovery research has shown that nonwork experiences play an important role in restoring employee energy and supporting well-being and performance. Within this literature, mastery has received growing attention as a recovery experience that may operate in unique ways from and provide distinct benefits. However, progress has been limited by inconsistent conceptualizations of mastery and a lack of clarity regarding how mastery experiences function in daily life. The present research addresses this gap by examining mastery as a distinct psychological experience generated by nonwork activities and by testing the mechanisms through which mastery influences next-day outcomes. Using a 10-day experience sampling study with three surveys per day, we examine whether daily mastery experiences generate key personal resources — self-efficacy and self-esteem — that carry over into the following workday to enhance performance and reduce strain, and subsequently reduce strain-based work–nonwork conflict. In doing so, research clarifies the unique role of mastery in the recovery process and highlights how nonwork mastery experiences can simultaneously support employee well-being, performance, and nonwork outcomes.
When Being Present Costs More than Being Absent: Menstruation Demands, Absenteeism, and Presenteeism at Work
Authors
Rachel Hahn
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Management, Organizational Behavior/Human Resources, Daniels School of Business
Aqsa Dutli
Ph.D. Student, Organizational Behavior/Human Resources, Daniels School of Business
Abstract
Menstruation-related symptoms can significantly impact employees’ productivity, yet little research has examined how workplace accommodations may mitigate these negative effects. Drawing on job demands-resources theory and the allostatic load model, this study conceptualizes menstruation symptoms as a job demand that influences absenteeism and presenteeism, with subsequent effects on work engagement. Specifically, we argue that menstruation-related absenteeism serves as a recovery mechanism that enhances next-day work engagement, while menstruation-related presenteeism acts as a stressor that diminishes it. Additionally, we examine whether menstrual leave policies function as resources that buffer the negative effects of presenteeism and amplify the positive effects of absenteeism. To test our hypotheses, we employ an experience sampling methodology in which full-time menstruating employees will complete two daily surveys over 20 consecutive workdays. This design allows us to assess the day-to-day impact of menstruation demands, absenteeism, and presenteeism on employee vigor, stress, and engagement. Our findings will offer evidence-based guidance for organizations seeking to implement menstrual leave policies, ultimately improving employee well-being, reducing burnout, and enhancing the long-term retention of menstruating employees.
Uncovering how Leader Behaviors Signal the Importance they Place on Their Work and Non-Work Domains
Authors
Gloria Liou
Ph.D. Candidate, Psychological Sciences, College of Health and Human Sciences
Tobias Dennerlein
Assistant Professor, Organizational Behavior/Human Resources, Daniels School of Business
Louis Tay
Professor, Psychological Sciences, College of Health and Human Sciences
Abstract
Leaders in organizations play a critical role in promoting vital organizational outcomes. Research shows that supervisors can impact subordinate job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and well-being. Supervisor support — broadly defined as expressions of concern (emotional support) or tangible assistance (instrumental support) from supervisors intended to enhance the well-being of subordinates — has been highlighted as a mechanism through which supervisors impact subordinate outcomes. Supervisor support is typically measured as a general perception rather than specific behaviors, limiting organizations’ ability to train and evaluate supervisor behaviors. Moreover, even among the few supervisor support scales with behavioral dimensions, these dimensions have focused on supervisor-helping behaviors (e.g., providing task guidance). Supervisors exhibit many behaviors unrelated to helping their subordinates that can — sometimes unintentionally — affect subordinate well-being and behavior. Identifying these behaviors gives supervisors clarity on how their actions at work, unrelated to their supervisory role, could impact their subordinates. Being able to measure these behaviors offers organizations the ability to not only ensure the effectiveness of work–life policies but also to train and evaluate supervisors better in terms of having a positive impact on their subordinates.
Enhancer or Stressor? Exploring the Impact of Collaboration Between Luxury Frontline Employees and Service Robots on Workplace Experience and Well-Being
Authors
Jiarui Li
Ph.D. Candidate, Division of Consumer Science, White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management
Jiyun Kang
Associate Professor, Division of Consumer Science, White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management
Abstract
Luxury frontline employees (FLEs) are indispensable to the success of luxury retail, serving as the primary point of contact between brands and consumers, shaping customer experiences and driving sales performance. However, luxury retail is facing a significant workforce crisis, with more than half of luxury FLEs planning to leave their jobs due to poor workplace well-being. They endure higher physical, mental, and social stressors, including physically demanding tasks, stress from high-net-worth clients, and social isolation in commission-based work environments. These challenges have a direct impact on their job satisfaction, well-being and, ultimately, the consumer experience. This research aims to explore the integration of service robots in luxury retail as a potential solution to address these issues. This research will provide strategies for optimizing luxury FLEs’ work environments, promoting sustainable “working well” practices in the luxury retail sector.
“Swiping left or right”: Individual dating app experiences and the influence on work and well-being
Authors
Jinfeng “Phoenix” Chen
PhD Candidate, Organizational Behavior/Human Resources
Kelly Schwind Wilson
Professor of Management
Jordan Nielsen
Assistant Professor of Management
Abstract
Organizational behavior scholars in the past two decades have provided guidance for contemporary organizations on how to devote resources that support employees with family responsibilities, including family supportive supervisor behaviors and flexible work arrangements. However, scholars have recently called for more attention on single workers’ well-being and work performance. The current research helps advance knowledge on single workers by exploring the work and well-being outcomes for employees who are active dating app users. The mix of experiences employees gain from dating app usage may carry over to their work domain, particularly because dating is a prominent part of single people’s lives. Our central research question is how different types of experiences on dating apps may promote or challenge the work behaviors, work attitudes, and interpersonal well-being of single employees. By examining the influence of individual dating app experiences, we aim to provide insights that will allow organizations to better support their single workers.
Impacts of the Purdue Good Office Dog Program on Employee Well-being
Authors
Leanne Nieforth, MS, PhD
Assistant Professor of Human-Animal Interaction, Department of Comparative Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine
Sophie Stahl
Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Sciences
Niwako Ogata, BVSc, PhD, DACVB
Associate Professor of Animal Behavior, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine
Mindy Cotton, RVT
Veterinary Technician, Behavior Medicine, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, College of Veterinary Medicine
Abstract
Companion animals provide mental, physical, and social benefits to their human counterparts. Given these benefits, it is no surprise that incorporating companion animals into the workplace is gaining popularity, yet evidence for its efficacy is limited. Preliminary literature suggests lower stress levels and a more positive work environment within pet-friendly workplaces. The Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine has a long-standing bring your dog to work program, but its impacts have yet to be evaluated. We will evaluate the impacts of the Purdue Good Office Dog Program by quantitatively identifying psychosocial and workplace wellness impacts and by qualitatively evaluating experiences and perceptions of the program. The resulting holistic evaluation will be used to identify areas of success and refinement prior to potential expansion of the program as an evidence-based workplace well-being initiative. Results will be a guide for employers seeking ways to sustain productivity and employee numbers all while making the workplace a more positive, inclusive space and maintaining total workplace well-being.
Proactive Pushbacks: Examining the Social Reactions to Micro-rebels at Work
Authors
Kate P. Zipay
Assistant Professor of Management
Mia Zhou
PhD Student, Organizational Behavior/Human Resources
Matthew Shurman
Research Assistant
Abstract
Accessible technology has revolutionized how people manage work, blurring the lines between their professional and personal lives. This shift has given way to an "always-on" work culture, glorifying round-the-clock availability and inadvertently reinforcing the notion of the ideal worker. This relentless reinforcement of availability norms and continuous connectivity to work negatively impacts both productivity and well-being. Despite these detriments, many employees still passively conform to these expectations. Yet, some employees gently rebel against these norms in a future- and change-focused way. These intentional acts of rebellion—what we term proactive pushbacks—visibly, yet subtly, challenge the invasive "always-on" work culture and model a boundaried approach to work-life management. In this research, we introduce proactive pushbacks to the organizational sciences and explore the social reactions to proactive pushbacks within organizations. We draw on research on social emotions to understand the opposing emotional reactions—specifically feelings of resentment and feelings of admiration—to proactive pushbacks in the workplace. Further, we consider whether boundary conditions of the coworker relationship—such as perceived similarity—weaken (or strengthen) the relationship between proactive pushbacks and feelings of resentment and admiration. Ultimately, we propose these emotional reactions will inspire critical workplace behaviors including emulation and sabotage that impact the wellbeing of individuals and their organizations. This project directly informs what it means to “work well” for employees by emphasizing the potential benefits of creating healthy boundaries around work and life and proactively challenging the work factors that are most often associated with burnout and “unwellness” at work.
