PinnedThe Workplace Causes LonelinessBy Marnie Dobson Zimmerman, PhD & Peter Schnall, MD MPH* Half of adults in the United States experience loneliness, and it was increasing even before the pandemic’s social isolation. Social relationships and adequate social support are key social determinants of health. Loneliness not only has consequences for mental health, contributing…Work7 min readWork7 min read
PinnedUnpacking Quiet Quittingby Marnie Dobson Zimmerman, PhD Why did the “Great Engagement Project” backfire and become “Quiet Quitting”? Quiet Quitting — the new buzzword in the world of workplace policy. The term made me thrilled and curious the first time I heard it. “Quiet Quitting” reportedly went viral after a TikTok video. …Work7 min readWork7 min read
Aug 20, 2021Remote Work or Return to the Office? It depends…by Marnie Dobson Zimmerman, PhD & Pouran Faghri, MD* Working from home was a luxury before the pandemic, and typically was composed of mostly people in professional, business, finance, management or freelance roles. Millions of American workers made a transition to “remote work” during the pandemic when employers complied with…Work8 min readWork8 min read
May 13, 2021Work Stress in the Age of COVID: What Can We Do?by Marnie Dobson Zimmerman, PhD & Pouran Faghri, MD* Work stress during the pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic has been causing much uncertainty, anxiety, and stress, touching on nearly every aspect of our lives, and is likely to stay for a while more. Research has shown, long before the pandemic, that work stressors (sources of stress…Work8 min readWork8 min read
Aug 21, 2020Member-onlyAir Travel and the Pandemic: an Epidemiologist’s Perspectiveby Peter Schnall, MD, MPH* An epidemiologist walks into an airplane Prior to COVID-19, I was a frequent flyer: traveling internationally almost monthly for both work and personal reasons, and logging more than one million miles in the past decade. As a physician/epidemiologist, I have had a research and public health focus on working conditions and…Coronavirus8 min readCoronavirus8 min read
Published inAge of Awareness·Jul 27, 2020Member-onlyReopening Schools: Mental health vs Health & Safety?by Marnie Dobson Zimmerman, Ph.D., & Pouran Faghri, M.D. During the past few weeks in the U.S., the debate over school reopenings in the Fall, in light of COVID-19 surges, has been fever pitched. The negative mental health and academic impacts of social distancing and online learning on children are…Reopening Schools12 min readReopening Schools12 min read
Published inThe Startup·Jun 27, 2020Member-onlyFreelance and Gig Work during COVID-19By Marnie Dobson Zimmerman, Ph.D.* Meet Sarah I’m on social media more than usual these days since the pandemic outbreak and stay-at-home order went into place. Questions that have been floating around among freelancers, not just in the spiritual communities, but also in the artistic, wellness, and literary worlds, are things like…Work7 min readWork7 min read
May 22, 2020Member-onlyBlurred Boundaries: Work-Life Balance in the Time of COVID19by Marnie Dobson Zimmerman, Ph.D. & Pouran Faghri M.D.* The dog barks. My husband yells at her to be quiet as he continues his Zoom call on mute. The kids can be heard arguing from the other side of our small house, playing video games on their iPads after completing…Work10 min readWork10 min read
Published inThe Startup·Nov 25, 2019Member-onlyBurnout among Physicians — a 21st Century U.S. EpidemicBy Peter Schnall, MD, MPH** I first became aware of the issue of burnout as an epidemic among physicians a few years ago when I went to see my internist for my annual medical checkup. Knowing that I was a physician who worked as an occupational health researcher investigating work…Work7 min readWork7 min read
Aug 26, 2019Member-onlyThe Cost of Burnout: Why We Need Healthy WorkBy Marnie Dobson Zimmerman, PhD & Peter Schnall, MD MPH* Burnout is the feeling that everything is wrong with your job and that no matter how much sleep you get, you just can’t get over this feeling of complete exhaustion when you leave work and when you think about going…Work8 min readWork8 min read
