Liz Lewis, PhD

Tech Anthropologist | Cultural Storyteller

I translate complex research findings into actionable insights and impactful stories.

Featured Articles

Explore some of my articles on tech, hiring and the world of work.

Encouraging Neurodiversity in the Workplace: An Interview With Shawn Brown

What if employers learned they were unintentionally neglecting a rich talent pool and didn’t even know it?

According to Shawn Brown, an engineer, designer and YouTube star, most companies fall short when it comes to attracting and retaining neurodivergent job seekers and workers — and he’s on a mission to change this.

The term neurodiversity refers to natural variations in how people learn, think and engage with the world around them and encompasses a variety of diagnoses, including dyslexia,

Back-to-Work Report: What Employees Say About Returning to the Office


• Although a majority of workers feel good about returning to the office, 71% remain concerned about health risks related to COVID-19.
• 45% of workers now view the office as less important than before.
• Many employees miss the social side of office life: 58% are excited to reunite with their coworkers, and 43% are eager to make new friends at work.
• Commuting is workers’ top worry about returning to the office: 45% are most concerned about the time they’ll spend getting to work.

We all reme

Susan Cain: Debunking Myths About Introverts

When you think of an introvert, what comes to mind? Odds are, it’s an array of stereotypes: someone who is shy, quiet or solitary, and who cringes at the thought of public speaking or taking the lead. But what if everything you think you know about introverts is wrong?

According to Susan Cain, author of the New York Times bestseller “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking,” these negative myths come from a widespread cultural bias toward extroverts. She even founded a

The Ghosting Guide: An Inside Look at Why Job Seekers Disappear

A truly scary trend has emerged in the last year: employers are getting ghosted by job seekers.

From ditching job interviews to not showing up on the first day, candidates are disappearing without a trace — and ghosting during the hiring process is now one of the biggest problems in recruiting. Ghosting originated in the online dating world, where new technology has made it so easy to ask someone out on a date that it has led to an epidemic of no-shows. The effect is similar for hiring: technol

Report: The Impact of COVID-19 on Working Women and How Employers Can Help


• The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on working women: Among women employed full-time prior to the pandemic, 29% have since reduced their hours and 9% left the labor market entirely.
• Women who cut back their hours say their employers could have helped by offering greater flexibility, understanding and patience to help navigate work and life during COVID-19.
• Most women who downshifted plan to return to full-time work, but the majority will seek remote positions.

The COVID-19 pa

Beating Burnout: Advice from an Expert

Burnout was a hot topic before COVID-19, but the pandemic has taken it to a new level. Not only have employees reported feeling more burned out during this time, they’re also taking action: many are leaving their jobs, triggering what some experts call the “Great Resignation.”

Employers are in a bind, struggling to hold onto their current workers while facing challenges with finding new hires — and burned-out workers aren’t willing to settle.

So why is burnout so insidious, and what can employ

Report: Employers and the Great Resignation

A few years ago, no one could have imagined the current labor market. COVID-19 continues to shape job seeker and worker behavior in surprising ways.

The most recent employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the coronavirus remains a threat to a strong and sustained labor market recovery. Meanwhile, ​​the supply of jobless workers currently looking for a job is well outstripped by employer demand: In July there were 83 unemployed workers for every 100 job openings — a rat

Annual Confidence Index: The Impact of COVID-19 on Worker Confidence

It’s amazing how much can change in a year.

In January 2020, Indeed published its first annual report on worker confidence. It was a different time where confidence reigned: the job market was the strongest in decades, the economy was booming and both workers and job seekers were in the driver’s seat. The future seemed bright.

But life is full of twists and turns. Since that time, the COVID-19 pandemic upended the workplace in ways no one imagined — resulting in layoffs, furloughs and, in many

Podcasts

Samples from my podcast series interviewing scholars and industry experts on work in the U.S.

Past Writings

Some of my past freelance projects.