Expertise

Topics:  Psychological Contract, Organizational Effectiveness, Performance Management, Future of Work, Employment Relations, Management of Change, Industrial Relations

Industries: Employment Services, Staffing and Recruiting, Human Resources

Denise Rousseau's research focuses upon the impact workers have on the employment relationship and the firms that employ them. She examines such issues as remote work, performance management, worker well-being and career development, organizational effectiveness, the management of change, firm ownership and governance and industrial relations. Recognized for developing the theory of the psychological contract, Rousseau’s work addresses the powerful reach that the individual worker's understanding of the employment relationship has on work groups, firms and society. She is chair of the Health Care Policy and Management program and director of the Project on Evidence-Based Organizational Practices.

Media Experience

Revenge RTO: Workers are coming in late, leaving early and stealing snacks as they find small ways to get back at their bosses  — Fortune
“The precursors are unfair treatment, broken promises, or perceptions of an employer who does not have the workers' interests at heart,” said Denise Rousseau (Heinz College) discussing "revenge return-to-work." That's the trend of workers finding small ways to get back at their bosses.

‘Executive nostalgia’ is holding workplaces hostage as the C-suite tries to get back to pre-pandemic norms  — Fortune
Many CEOs are pushing employees to return to the office full-time, citing better collaboration and skill-building, but some experts say this stems from "executive nostalgia" for pre-pandemic work norms. Denise Rousseau (Tepper School of Business) commented on the matter: “Unless you’ve been exposed to different modes of working in your previous work life, it is very hard to see the benefits of the current new order. Running a successful remote or hybrid company requires training and a level of skills these executives may not yet have.”

What the FTC’s Noncompete Agreement Ban Could Mean for You  — Bloomberg
Banning noncompete agreements means that employers would be forced to find positive ways to retain workers rather than punitive ones, said Denise Rousseau, a professor of organizational behavior and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University. These can include boosting pay and investing in workers’ skill development.

A Three-Week Vacation in 2023? Yes, You Can  — The Wall Street Journal
Getting your co-workers on board is key to winning approval for an extended break, says Denise Rousseau, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University who studies how workers can impact their organizations. Managers aren’t just worried about your projects stalling while you’re gone. They are also worried that your teammates will view your time off as unfair.

Work in review 2022: The five biggest lessons of the year  — BBC
“If people are told different things at different times, without influence over that decision, it’s disturbing,” says Denise Rousseau, professor of organisational behaviour and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University, US. “The yo-yoing back and forth breeds uncertainty, and people don’t like that there are just so many unknowns.”

In search of an attainable New Year’s resolution  — Vox
New Year’s resolutions tend to fall under the umbrella of behavioral goals, where someone commits to doing something different in their life, says Denise Rousseau, the Heinz University professor of organizational behavior and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University. Jumping into a massive life change isn’t sustainable for most people, and far-reaching milestones can feel overwhelming and difficult.

Remote work isn’t the problem. Work is.  — Vox
“More directly causal of people’s use of time and available hours in the day is the workload, and not the being remote,” Denise Rousseau, a professor of organizational behavior at Carnegie Mellon University, told Recode.