The pandemic has led people to re-think who is an “essential” worker and is raising questions
about how we value front-line, low-wage workers. On April 29, Ellen MacEachen was the guest on a CBC Maritimes call-in show about the changing understandings of frontline work.
University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Applied Health Sciences recently released video with some of our professors discussing their work and research interests. Here, Dr. Ellen MacEachen speaks about her research examining the rapidly-evolving work landscape.
Low-wage workers who need to take time off and self-isolate for illness face economic uncertainty. A recent news article highlights the importance of supporting precarious workers, such as those earning minimum-wage or working in the gig-economy. Financial insecurity may drive these vulnerable workers to continue working even if they feel unwell. Key to reducing transmission of viruses during the Coronavirus pandemic is providing financial security for these workers, so they can stay home when they are sick, says Dr. Ellen MacEachen.
Read the whole article here: “Supporting Vulnerable Workers Key to Slowing COVID-19”
Welcome to the newest member of our lab! Katya McKnight introduced us to Daniel, her newest son.
Congratulations to Work & Qualitative Health Research Lab MSc student, Pamela Hopwood for being a finalist in the University of Waterloo’s GRADflix event, in which graduate students present one-minute videos of their theses (see Pam’s video here). Pam was well cheered on by her lab-mates and she drew the first audience question about her work. It was a great event!
