Leslie B. Hammer, Ph.D., Professor, Industrial/Organizational Psychology
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Department of Psychology Biography |
Current Research: Center for Work-Family, Stress, Safety & Health at PSU funded by a grant from NIOSH. |
Biography
Dr. Leslie Hammer has been teaching at Portland State University since 1990. She received her B.A. in 1985 from James Madison University, her M.A. in 1989, from Bowling Green State University, and in 1991, her Ph.D., also from Bowling Green State University.
Dr. Leslie Hammer is a Professor in the Department of Psychology, Portland State University. 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 Project. 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.
Dr. Hammer's current research focuses on the development a measure of behaviors of supervisor support which created the Center for Work-Family Stress Safety & Heath at PSU, a grant funded by NIOSH. This study is the first to examine family-supportive behaviors that supervisors need to demonstrate that will lead to employee perceptions of managerial supportiveness for work and family. It is also the first to explicitly link conflicts between work and family demands to worker safety and the mental and physical health of workers and their families.
