Rachelle Pascoe-Deslauriers
Biography
Dr. Rachelle Pascoe-Deslauriers (she/her) is a cross-appointed faculty in the Ron Joyce Centre for Business Studies/Commerce Department and the Women's and Gender Studies Program at Mount Allison University. Rachelle has research interests in job quality, organizational design and business strategy, human resource management practice, comparative employment relations and downsizing and job redeployment.
Rachelle is an applied scholar, working closely with community, industry and policy collaborators, as well as people from across businesses and organizations. She currently has projects with the New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity and with the Mount Allison Students Union.
Rachelle joined the Commerce Department in 2017 from the Scottish Centre for Employment Research (SCER) at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK (Strathclyde Business School). Prior to coming to MtA, Rachelle worked on a series of research and industry engagement projects in the areas of workplace innovation and Fair, Innovative and Transformative Work (funders include the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council) with SCER. She has previously worked in as a Social Researcher in Welfare Analysis for the Scottish Government.
Rachelle holds a PhD for research in Human Resource Management from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK (Thesis title: Job displacement and the implications for job quality: An investigation of the job transition process for displaced public sector workers in Scotland, UK and Ontario, Canada during the Great Recession), which was awarded the 2016 EFMD/Emerald Outstanding Doctoral Research Award in the category of Human Resource Management. Rachelle has as MLitt in Management from the University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK (Thesis title: Perceived access to retraining, re-employment and self-employment opportunities for displaced manufacturing workers). She holds a BA (Hons) in Equity Studies and Finnish Studies from the University of Toronto.
Dr. Pascoe-Deslauriers is open to industry collaborations, student research and independent studies in areas related to human resource management, employment relations, organizational strategy and design, social and economic inequality and the workplace, social and labour market policy, and other areas related to job quality, employer practice and work.
Publications
Pascoe-Deslauriers, R. Putting employers to work in economic development in the Atlantic Provinces of Canada. Local Economy. 35(2), pp. 165–175. DOI: 10.1177/0269094220907550
Book Chapters
Pascoe-Deslauriers, R. & Boak, G. (Forthcoming) Chapter 5: Strategy, Leadership and Innovation. In J. Bratton (Ed.), Organizational leadership (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
Commissioned and Policy Reports
Findlay, P., Thompson, P., Cooper, C., & Pascoe-Deslauriers, R. (2018) Creating and capturing value at work: who benefits? Research Report Part 2 – Measurements report. Commissioned Report. Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD), London, UK. Available: ;
Findlay, P., Thompson, P., Cooper, C., & Pascoe-Deslauriers, R. (2017) Creating and capturing value at work: who benefits? Research Report Part 1 – Thematic Literature Review. Commissioned Report. Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD), London, UK. Available:
Findlay, P., Lindsay, C., McQuarrie, J., Pascoe-Deslauriers, R., Findlay, J., & Smart, A. (2017) The Fair, Innovative and Transformative Work Project – FITWork in Scotland: Case Studies. Report to Governance Group. University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.
Findlay, P., Lindsay, C., McQuarrie, J., Pascoe-Deslauriers, R., Findlay, J., & Smart, A. (2016) Harnessing Knowledge, Research and Networks to Drive Fair, Innovative and Transformative Work (FITwork) in Scotland. University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.
Findlay, P., Lindsay, C., McQuarrie, J., Pascoe-Deslauriers, R., Findlay, J., & Smart, A. (2016) Networks and collaboration: driving fair, innovative and transformative work (FITwork) in Scotland. University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.
Findlay, P., Chalmers, D., Lindsay, C., MacBryde, J., Matthews, R., Pascoe-Deslauriers, R., & Wilson, J. (2015) Innovating Works… Improving work and workplaces: Workplace Innovation in Small to Medium Sized Enterprises in Scotland. University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.
Public scholarship
Pascoe-Deslauriers, R. (2020) As kids go back to school, parents can expect more missed days of work. The Chronicle Herald (Halifax). Available from: ;
Education
- Ph.D., Research in Human Resource Management, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
- Postgraduate Diploma, Research Methodology in Business and Management, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
- Master of Letters (M.Litt.), Management (Distinction in Taught and Research components), University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
- Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Equity Studies & Finnish Studies (Distinction), University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Teaching
COMM1011: Applications in Business Studies (W2018, W2019)
COMM3391: Critical Issues in Work and Employment (W2018, W2019, F2021)
COMM3321: Human Resource Management (F2021)
COMM4311: Strategic Management (F2017, F2018)
COMM4321: Strategic Issues (W2021, W2022)
COMM4951: Independent Study: Basic Income in the Pandemic (F2020)
COMM4990: Honours Supervision (2018-19; 2021-22)
WGST3201: Gender and Work (W2021, W2022)
WGST4950: Independent Study: Comparisons in Social Care Models (2021-22)
Undergraduate Student Supervision (Honours and Independent Study):
Smith, A. (2022), The Effect of Technology and Remote Work on Distributed Leadership Practices and Outcomes, (Honours Thesis in Commerce).
Strong, S-A. (2022) International Comparisons in Community and Social Care Delivery Models (Independent Study in Women's and Gender Studies).
Dyck, C., Universal Basic Income and the Canadian Emergency Relief Benefit (CERB) during the pandemic (Independent Study in Commerce), (Independent Study in Commerce).
Oliver, E. (2019) Harnessing Innovation Through Work and Organizational Structure: A Study of the Forest Fire Fighting Sector in New Brunswick, Canada (Honours Thesis in Commerce).
Research
Rachelle’s work focuses on the implications of organizational policies and practices, and social and labour market policies for the job quality of workers. She is interested in how policies interact to shape the design and nature of work. Rachelle is currently interested in these issues in the context of layoffs, organizational restructuring, and involuntary job loss.
Working with the team at the Scottish Centre for Employment Research (University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK), Rachelle also works to consider how the interactions and overlaps of workplace practices and processes can enable and support fair work and workplace innovation in ways that offer shared benefit for employees and organizations.
Grants, awards & honours
Research, Knowledge Exchange and Industry Grants & Projects
2021-22: SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant, Valuing Work in Community and Social Care in New Brunswick Through International Perspectives on Care Sectors Delivery Models, with the New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity
2021: Venture for Canada and Office of Experiential Learning (Mount Allison University), Business Innovation Research Interns (2 Internships)
2017-18: Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD), Study of Work and Value Creation, P. Findlay [Principal Investigator], P. Thompson, C. Cooper
2016-18: Scottish Enterprise, Workplace Innovation Masterclass Series, with P. Findlay [Principal Investigator]; collaborator with C. Lindsay, J. McQuarrie, L. D’Adderio
2016: Scottish Universities Insight Institute, Progressive and creative practice for workplace innovation, with P. Findlay [Principal Investigator]; collaborator with C. Lindsay, J. McQuarrie and Glasgow School of Art
Teaching and Student Research Grants & Projects
2021: Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning iHub, CEWIL Canada, Achieving fairer and more transparent employment practices in undergraduate work in New Brunswick, Partnership with Mount Allison Student Union (MASU)
2018-19: New Brunswick Experiential Learning Incentive Fund, Office of Experiential Learning, Mount Allison University