Putting the Work Back into Work/Family

Abstract

This article locates the source of the work/family conflict in our shared underlying assumptions about how work must be done if one is to succeed. Based on a 6-month field study of engineers in a Fortune 100 company, three barriers to the successful implementation of work/family policies and programs were identified. Examining the source of these barriers reveals an assumption that individuals must be present at work to succeed. Gidden's theory of structuration is applied to explain why this assumption perpetuates. The article further indicates that to alter this assumption will require rethinking the organization's reward system and the recurrence of impromptu interactions that result. At the end, the article suggests that surfacing this and other underlying assumptions about work has potential benefits for organizations, as well as individuals.

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