Research and Reports
The When Work Works initiative is grounded in research findings from Families and Work Institute’s nationally representative studies of employees and employers, revealing important workforce and workplace trends over time.
New & Noteworthy: The latest trend data from Families and Work Institute’s 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW).
The State of Health in the American Workforce: Does Having an Effective Workplace Matter?
Based on 2008 NSCW data, this report reveals trends in the health of the U.S. workforce. It includes a new definition of an effective workplace and finds that overall workplace effectiveness is strongly related to positive work and health and well-being outcomes.
• Take the quiz to find out how effective your workplace is >>Times Are Changing: Gender and Generation at Work and at Home
Based on 2008 NSCW data, this report tracks gender and generation trends over the past three decades, revealing significant and surprising changes among men and women at work and at home.
National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW): Conducted approximately every five years, Families and Work Institute’s NSCW is the only on-going study of the U.S. workforce of its kind or scale, providing valuable and timely 30-year trend data, from 1977 to 2008, of life on and off the job.
The State of Health in the American Workforce: Does Having an Effective Workplace Matter?
Based on 2008 NSCW data, this report reveals trends in the health of the U.S. workforce and finds that overall workplace effectiveness is strongly related to positive work and health and well-being outcomes.Times Are Changing: Gender and Generation at Work and at Home
Based on 2008 NSCW data, this report tracks gender and generation trends over the past three decades, revealing significant and surprising changes among men and women at work and at home.Highlights of the 2002 National Study of the Changing Workforce (Executive Summary)
This report examines five topics in-depth: women in the workforce; dual-earner couples; the role of technology in employees’ lives on and off the job; work-life supports on the job; and working for oneself versus someone else. [For additional reports based on the 2002 NSCW data, browse the other topics on this page.]
• Purchase a hardcopy of the full 2002 NSCW report >>The 1997 National Study of the Changing Workforce (Executive Summary)
This report provides a model for understanding how work, family, and personal life fit together, that incorporates outcomes important to all—productivity and well-being.
• Purchase a hardcopy of the full 1997 NSCW report >>
Talent Management: Findings from Leaders in a Global Economy, an ongoing joint study by Families and Work Institute and Catalyst that explores how senior and pipeline leaders from around the world manage their work and personal lives.
Leaders in a Global Economy: Finding the Fit for Top Talent
Based on an in-depth 2008 study of the values and drivers of engagement among top leaders at global companies, this report shows gender, rank and regional differences in finding the right fit for top corporate talent.Leaders in a Global Economy: Talent Management in European Cultures
Based on the 2008 Leaders in a Global Economy study, this report reveals that nearly half of European business leaders are uncertain about staying with their employers over the next five years, and identifies strategies for helping employers address these unprecedented talent challenges.Dual-Centric: A New Concept of Work-Life
Based on intriguing findings from the 2002 Leaders in a Global Economy study, this paper challenges assumptions about what it takes to be a successful top executive and how employees can manage multiple roles in life.
• Download the 2002 Leaders in a Global Economy Executive Summary >>
Effective & Flexible Workplaces: Over the past six years, Families and Work Institute has engaged in a research journey to define the elements that make up effective workplaces.
The State of Health in the American Workforce: Does Having an Effective Workplace Matter?
Based on 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW) data, FWI has identified six criteria of an effective workplaces that include both work and non-work factors, all of which benefit both the employee and the organization.When Work Works: A Summary of Families and Work Institute Research Findings
This report provides an overview of findings from the 2002 NSCW demonstrating that workplace flexibility can be a strategic tool for creating an effective workplace.Flexibility: A Critical Ingredient in Creating an Effective Workplace
Based on 2002 NSCW data, this report introduces FWI’s first effective workplace index and reveals how flexibility, along with the other ingredients of an effective workplace, can improve business performance, while also helping employees.A Status Report on Workplace Flexibility: Who has it? Who wants it? What difference does it make?
Based on 2002 NSCW data, this report provides an overview of different types of flexibility and looks at who among the U.S. workforce have access to them.How Can Employers Increase the Productivity and Retention of Entry-Level, Hourly Employees?
Based on the 2002 NSCW, this report finds that creating more effective workplaces positively affects low-wage and income employees as much as or even more than employees with higher incomes.What Workplace Flexibility Is Available to Entry-Level, Hourly Employees?
Based on the 2002 NSCW, this report reveals that while low-wage and income employees have access to fewer flexibility options, those with more flexible workplaces were more satisfied with their jobs, and more committed to and engaged in their jobs.
Times Are Changing: Gender and Generation at Work and at Home
Based on 2008 NSCW data, this report tracks gender and generation trends over the past three decades, revealing significant and surprising changes among men and women at work and at home.Generation and Gender in the Workplace
Based on 2002 NSCW data, this report reveals real differences among the generations at work, including differences in attitudes, in priorities and in action.
• Tips for Managers: Generation and Gender in the Workplace >>Older Employees in the Workforce: A Companion Brief to Generation and Gender in the Workplace
Based on the 2002 NSCW, this brief investigates the workplace issues of older workers and their relationships with younger generations, and includes recommendations for employers.Context Matters: Insights About Older Workers from the national Study of the Changing Workforce
Based on the 2002 NSCW, this report finds that workers aged 50 years and older are more likely to stay on the job when they have control over hours, workplace flexibility, job autonomy and learning opportunities.The Diverse Employment Experiences of Older Men and Women in the Workforce
Based on the 2002 NSCW, this report compares and contrasts the experiences of men and women in the U.S. workforce who are 50 years old and older.
What Do We Know About Entry-Level, Hourly Employees?
Based on the 2002 NSCW, this report analyzes the demographics of low-wage and -income employees and discredits many commonly held assumptions about the entry-level, hourly workforce.How Can Employers Increase the Productivity and Retention of Entry-Level, Hourly Employees?
Based on the 2002 NSCW, this report finds that creating more effective workplaces positively affects low-wage and income employees as much as or even more than employees with higher incomes.What Workplace Flexibility Is Available to Entry-Level, Hourly Employees?
Based on the 2002 NSCW, this report reveals that while low-wage and income employees have access to fewer flexibility options, those with more flexible workplaces were more satisfied with their jobs, and more committed to and engaged in their jobs.
Overwork in America: When the Way We Work Becomes Too Much (Executive Summary)
This 2004 study identifies how the ways we work and prioritize our lives on and off the job are related to being overworked. It also explores the relationship between vacations and being overworked.Feeling Overworked: When Work Becomes too Much (Executive Summary)
In this seminal 2001 study, Families and Work Institute defines and measures the impact of being overworked on employees and employers.
Impact of the Recession on Employers
Conducted in spring 2009, this nationally representative study of employers provides insights on the role of workplace flexibility and other trends for managing through a down economy.2008 National Study of Employers
This 2008 study looks at the predictors for flexibility and workplace supports among U.S. employers, including size of company, number of union members, number of hourly employees and demographics of employees.2009 Guide to Bold New Ideas for Making Work “Work” (Searchable Database)
Featuring winners of the 2008 Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility, this is a go-to resource for many of the most creative workplace programs and practices in the country.
• Download a PDF of the 2009 Guide >>Company Responses to H1N1 and Seasonal Flu
Read about what government organizations are recommending and what companies are doing to respond to the H1N1 flu pandemic, as well as learn about research studies and media coverage.
• Tell us what your company is doing regarding the H1N1 flu >>
National Study of Employers (NSE): This ongoing, nationally representative study is the most comprehensive study of the practices, policies, programs and benefits provided by U.S employers to address the changing needs of today’s workforce and workplace.
Impact of the Recession on Employers
Conducted in spring 2009, this nationally representative study of employers provides insights on the role of workplace flexibility and other trends for managing through a down economy.2008 National Study of Employers
This 2008 study looks at the predictors for flexibility and workplace supports among U.S. employers, including size of company, number of union members, number of hourly employees and demographics of employees, and tracks significant trends over the past 10 years.2005 National Study of Employers
This 2005 study looks at the prevalence of workplace benefits, differences between small and large employers, and significant trends from 1998 to 2005.
• Download the 2005 NSE Executive Summary >>1998 Business Work-Life Study (Executive Summary)
Conducted in 1998, this is one of the first and most comprehensive studies of how U.S. companies are responding to the work-life needs of the nation’s changing workforce.
2009 Guide to Bold New Ideas for Making Work “Work” (Searchable Database)
Featuring winners of the 2008 Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility, this is a go-to resource for many of the most creative workplace programs and practices in the country.
• Download a PDF of the 2009 Guide >>
• Download a PDF of the 2008 Guide >>Company Responses to H1N1 and Seasonal Flu
Read about what government organizations are recommending and what companies are doing to respond to the H1N1 flu pandemic, as well as learn about research studies and media coverage.
• Click here to tell us what your company is doing regarding the H1N1 flu >>Managing Through the Economic Crisis: What Companies Are Doing to Help Their Employees
Compiled in fall 2008 through winter 2009, these are examples of what employers have done to support their employees during difficult economic times.The Response to Rising Fuel Prices and How to Help Employees and Companies Conserve Energy
Compiled in summer 2008, these are examples of what businesses, organizations and communities have done to respond to rising fuel prices.Making Work "Work": New Ideas from the Winners of the Alfred P. Sloan Awards
This report shares unique and innovative ways to make work “work” for both employers and employees, featuring in-depth profiles of select winners of the 2006 Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility.
For additional research and reports from Families and Work Institute, please visit www.familiesandwork.org.