Leslie B. Hammer, PhD, Principal Investigator (PSU)

Leslie Hammer is a Professor in the Department of Psychology, Portland State University and Director of the Center for Work-Family Stress, Safety and Health. Dr. Hammer is the Director of a new Occupational Health Psychology graduate training program at Portland State University that is funded through a Training Program Grant from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. She recently concluded a national, longitudinal study of dual-earner couples in the sandwiched generation funded by the Alfred P. Sloan foundation. This research examined the various work and family stressors related to such work and well-being indicators as life satisfaction, depression, work-family conflict, positive work-family spillover, absenteeism and turnover intentions. This project involved the collection of both qualitative and quantitative data and has been noted in such lay outlets as Time Magazine and the Chicago Tribune, as well as presented at conferences and published in academic journals. Dr. Hammer, along with her colleague Dr. Margaret Neal, is currently writing a book based on this national study. Dr. Hammer also serves on the founding editorial board of the Sloan Work and Family Research Network's On-Line Work and Family Encyclopedia.

Dr. Hammer's research has focused on the difficulties in coordinating the demands of work and family that stem from factors within individuals and their close relationships, as well as factors in the work organization. More recently, she has also begun to examine the concept of work-family positive spillover, including both work and well-being outcomes. Dr. Hammer's research has also examined ways in which organizations can help reduce work-family stress and improve positive spillover by implementing "family-friendly" programs and policies such as alternative work schedules, leave programs, dependent care programs, and employee assistance programs. Finally, her studies on work and family crossover effects have demonstrated the importance of considering the dyad as the unit of analysis in work-family research.

Dr. Hammer has written articles, book chapters, and a book (Working Couples Caring for Children and Aging Parents: Effects on Work and Well-Being, with M. Neal) on the difficulties in managing work and family demands, and has given numerous presentations in the area of work and family at international, national, and regional conferences. Classes she teaches at both the graduate and undergraduate levels include Work and Family, Occupational Health Psychology, and Organizational Psychology. She also supervises a number of graduate student theses and dissertations.

Click here for a link to a list of Dr. Hammer's publications since 2000.

Ellen Ernst Kossek, PhD, Co-Principal Investigator (MSU)

Ellen Ernst Kossek, a Ph.D. from Yale University, is a Distinguished University professor of HRM and Organizational Behavior at Michigan State University's School of Labor and Industrial Relations with a courtesy appointment in Management. She was elected to the board of governors of the National Academy of Management (2003-2006) and was the 2002 division chair of the Gender and Diversity in Organizations Division. She is an elected fellow of the American Psychological Association (2002) and the Society of Industrial Organizational Psychology (2001) in recognition of her research on employer support of work and family. She serves on the editorial boards of Journal of Applied Psychology, Human Resource Management Journal, Human Relations, Journal of Organizational Behavior, and the Academy of Management Learning and Education Journal, and previously on the boards of Journal of Applied and Behavioral Science and the Human Resource Planning Journal. She has published over 40 referred articles and chapters in major journals or review volumes on work and family/personal life integration, human resource strategies, organizational behavior and new ways of working such as flexible work arrangements. She has written or edited several books, most recently CEO of Me: Creating a Life That Works in the Flexible Job Age (Wharton School Publishing, 2008), Work and Life Integration (LEA Press, 2006) and the Handbook of Work and Family (LEA Press, 2006). Her new research includes serving as associate director of the Center for Work, Family Health and Stress at Portland State University as part of the Workplace, Family, Health and Well-being Network, funded by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. Supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, she is also conducting a study on flexibility in unionized work groups (http://www.unionworklifeflex.msu.edu/) and has finished another Sloan study on managing professionals in new work forms, a study that examines the careers of professionals who chose to reduce their work hours (http://flex-work.lir.msu.edu/). She has worked on organizational issues and consulted to and trained managers in North America, Europe and Asia.