Dr. Leslie B. Hammer specializes in the effects of workplace conditions, including supportive supervision at work and occupational stress, on workplace mental health and well-being. She is the Associate Director of Applied Research and Professor in the Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences at Oregon Health & Science University and the Director of the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center, one of 10 centers of excellence in Total Worker Health^® funded by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.

She is also Professor Emerita at Portland State University. Dr. Hammer has extensive experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating worksite supervisor training programs to improve employee mental health and well-being outcomes. She conducts applied research that focuses on workplace interventions aimed at improving supervisor leadership skills and in turn, evaluating the impact of such trainings on both supervisor and worker mental and physical health, safety, and well-being. She has been Principal Investigator of 5 large workplace intervention randomized controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness of supervisor support training funded by the NIH, CDC/NIOSH, and the DoD. 

She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and the European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology. She is also the Founding President of the Society for Occupational Health Psychology. She co-wrote a book entitled Working Couples Caring for Children and Aging Parents (2008), and publishes widely in such outlets as the Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, and Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine

RESEARCH PROJECTS

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation--Policy for Action

Evaluation of Oregon Overtime Pay Legislation Among Latinx Agricultural Workers and Their Families funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Polices for Action

Oregon’s HB-4002 legislation, passed in 2022 with a 5-year phased in implementation starting in January 2023, extends overtime pay protections to agricultural workers, a sector historically exempt from such benefits. This study will investigate how the new law affects Latinx agricultural workers, with a focus on financial security, health, and family well-being. By examining potential benefits like improved health outcomes and increased income, as well as challenges like job insecurity or fear of retaliation, the research seeks to offer policymakers a nuanced perspective on the effectiveness and limitations of overtime protections within immigrant and low-wage labor communities. 

Department of Defense Projects

The next three research projects in this section were all funded by the Department of Defense, starting in 2013 to the present. Dr. Hammer and her team built on the Family Supportive Supervisor Behavior (FSSB) training, created with Dr. Ellen Kossek, and adapted the content for specific types of supervisor support in various military settings. Each project used a rigorous study design, a randomized controlled trial, and focused on employee outcomes of health and well-being, as well as organizational outcomes. Dr. Hammer partnered with Drs. Cynthia Mohr and Todd Bodner at Portland State University and Dr. Jenifer Dimoff of the University of Ottawa.

Readiness Supportive Training for Leaders (RESULT): 2018 – 2023

RESULT involved the development and evaluation the effectiveness of our Readiness Supportive Leadership Training (RESULT) with active duty U.S. Army soldiers. The leadership training program has had a positive impact on service member readiness and resilience and psychological health, and has been shown to significantly reduce reports of problematic anger and loneliness in the Soldiers. This research was designed to benefit not only U.S. Army soldiers but service members across all military branches, as well as first-responders and other civilian occupations that face highly stressful situations as part of their work. This research led to the development of the Workplace Mental Health Training for Managers.

The Oregon Military Employee Sleep and Health Study (MESH): 2016-2022
 
The MESH Study addressed the issue of sleep-related health concerns that are increasingly the focus of research in the military, as well as in the civilian sector. The adverse effects of poor sleep quality and quantity are known to cause a variety of negative health and family issues. We partnered with the Oregon National Guard to conduct this study.

We created a Family and Sleep Supportive Training for ORNG leaders and also gave individual sleep feedback to participants. Findings thus far show the MESH Training has a positive impact on sleep health, general well-being and improved work outcomes, such as higher job satisfaction and safety behaviors, as well we reduced turnover intentions. Even though they were not directly involved in the training, spouses and partners also benefited with improved couple and individual well-being effects. For more detail on these findings, as well as to experience the training program, please visit the MESH Study website. The training has also been customized for non-military workplaces.

Study for Employment Retention of Veterans (SERVe): 2013-2018

SERVe aimed to improve the health and well-being of service members and their families by targeting the workplace experiences of Veterans and Service Members recently transitioned to the civilian workforce. For the SERVe Study, Dr. Hammer and her team created an online training for supervisors of military veteran employees to improve the knowledge and skills of supervisors with service members in their employ to foster a supportive workplace environment for former service members.

Work, Family & Health Network (WFHN)

The Work, Family & Health Network (WFHN) was comprised of an interdisciplinary team of researchers brought together by The National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to advance the field of workplace psychosocial interventions in order to improve the health of workers and their families, while benefiting employers. The network conducted the largest randomized controlled trial of a workplace intervention aimed at reducing work-family conflict and improving health and well-being of workers and their family members. Dr. Hammer was principal investigator of one of six centers that comprised the WFHN.