Explore This Section
Research is central to our mission of outreach and improving the relationships between workers and managers. SMLR faculty are engaged in research across a wide range of topics about employment and the changing workplace.
At the School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR), our applied research centers embody our mission by generating publicly engaged scholarship and fostering collaboration to improve employment systems, strengthen worker-employer relationships, explore innovative worker ownership models, and promote democratic and equitable workplaces. Through rigorous research, innovative programs, and deep community engagement, our centers address critical issues in labor, public education, skills development, economic inclusion, workplace justice, and the health care and small business sectors.
Whether advancing policies that support workers’ rights, exploring the future of work, or building networks and capacity that drive equitable and systemic change, our centers serve as catalysts for a more just economy. We engage scholars, practitioners, policymakers, government, and worker organizations, in New Jersey, across the United States and globally. SMLR’s centers seek to better understand and shift exclusionary policies and practices on the basis of age, race, gender, income, and disability to ensure opportunities for all.
Our Values and Impact
Applied research centers at SMLR are transforming workplace policy, practice, and culture in ways that involve, prioritize, and empower diverse workforces. Center research, strategies, and resources have been widely deployed by practitioners to strengthen the rights and agency of all workers, contributing to a more equitable environment where workers thrive, employers benefit, and a just economy grows.
Our Approach
Center learnings and solutions are informed by a wide range of perspectives and industry voices, drawing from collaborations with workers, those in training, employers, regulators, advocates, and policymakers. As trusted partners among the leaders and organizations collectively working at the ground level, centers produce rigorous research, share practical resources with actionable steps, and convene peer learning communities. These approaches are designed to reveal evidence-based pathways to build holistic ecosystems of support across stakeholders to improve the world of work for all.
Build With Us
Our centers offer educational programs to businesses and labor organizations; resources for better organization, management, and policy; and fellowships and research opportunities for students and scholars. Please visit our Areas of Impact here to learn more about individual centers, get involved, and support this work.
Our Mission and Work
The Center for Global Work and Employment explores the consequences of a deepening global economy for the governance of work through research, curriculum innovation, and public engagement.
The Center for Innovation in Worker Organization promotes movement-building, offering multiple levels of support and mentoring to diverse workers and community organizations. We foster vibrant peer networks to advance innovative strategies, leadership, and structures rooted in racial, gender, and economic justice.
The Center for the Study of Collaboration in Work and Society develops the understanding of effective collaboration as theory and practice. Our research examines how collaboration fosters achievement, strengthens partnerships, and improves performance in diverse workplaces.
The Center for Women and Work promotes the equity and advancement of women workers, their families, and their communities. We research successful public and workplace policies and provide technical assistance and programs to educators, industry, and governments.
The Education and Employment Research Center examines the intersection between education and work to inform policy and practice. We seek to improve equity and quality in education and training for students and workers, the institutions that serve them, and the broader economy.
The Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing studies current and future models of employee ownership and profit shares in the US and around the world. We focus on approaches that broaden financial participation, facilitate worker engagement and prosperity, and increase inclusion in businesses and the economy.
The NJ/NY Center for Employee Ownership communicates a better understanding of employee ownership among diverse business owners, policymakers, employees, and others. Its goal is to create more employee-owned companies that retain and expand the local workforce and strengthen the economies of New Jersey and New York.
The Program for Disability Research conducts and coordinates research on the economic, social, and political inclusion of people with disabilities. We focus on solutions that support the increased employment and political participation of people with disabilities.
The Workplace Justice Lab@RU supports, strengthens, and fosters innovations in government and grassroots organizations. We build dynamic communities of learning and practice, conduct research, and offer specialized resources and consultations.
