The Warehouse Work and Well-Being Study

About the Study

In this study, a team of researchers led by MIT Sloan Professor Erin L. Kelly, who is Co-Director of the MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research, used a group-randomized controlled trial method within a company with multiple e-commerce fulfillment center warehouses. Specifically, the study compared the well-being of employees in warehouses that launched a new employee participation initiative called Health and Well-Being Committees (HaWCs, for short) with colleagues working for the same firm in control sites that didn’t launch HaWCs.

HaWCs serve as a new voice channel where frontline workers can give input on topics such as safety, work organization, and how employees feel treated at work. The committees then develop and implement improvement projects to address employee concerns. The study found that establishing HaWCs significantly reduced employee turnover and even had positive effects on employees’ mental health.

Acknowledgments

The research developing and testing Health and Well-being Committees (HaWCs) in a warehouse setting was supported by the Harvard Center for Work, Health, and Well-being; the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Grant: U19-OH008861); the Good Companies, Good Jobs Initiative at MIT Sloan; the MIT Sloan Health Systems Initiative; and the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. The researchers also want to express their appreciation for the collaboration with the company where the warehouse study took place.