Learning from a Natural Experiment: Studying a Corporate Work-Time Policy Initiative.
Year: 2009
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: When we (Erin Kelly and Phyllis Moen) applied for funding to establish the Flexible Work and Well-Being Center at the University of Minnesota (as part of a larger National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control [NIH-CDC] initiative to create an interdisciplinary, collaborative network on work, families, and health), we saw an opportunity to engage in a real-world investigation of an actual private-sector policy change aimed at lessening work-family conflicts and strains. This would be far different from simply studying possible associations between an existing policy and various work-family outcomes. We were interested in both (1) the process of organizational change and policy implementation and (2) the impacts of policy shifts aimed at reducing work-family conflicts and enhancing employee well-being at different points over the life course. We were especially drawn to this NIH initiative because it focused on policies changing work, not on changing employees (by promoting their coping strategies or teaching them stress-reduction techniques, for example).
Although neither of us had previously initiated a true policy intervention, we have always been drawn to engaged scholarship bridging the divide between theory and practice (Van de Ven 2007). The request for applications from NIH and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health suggested just such a possibility, one that would permit scholars to address a real-world problem by partnering with practitioners and stakeholders in the private sector.
Our goal in crafting the proposal was to theorize a workplace intervention that could potentially have high impact on employees and their families. To do so, we drew on our combined knowledge from (1) our previous research on flexibility policies and practices in organizations and the adaptive strategies of working families across the life course (e.g., Kelly 2003; Kelly and Kalev 2006; Moen 2003; Moen and Roehling 2005), as well as (2) the broad literature on workplace policies, job characteristics, and employee and family well-being, and (3) ongoing discussions with human resources professionals in corporate settings. How did we go from this knowledge base to crafting our actual proposal?
Source: PubMed
Authors: Phyllis Moen, Erin Kelly, Kelly Chermack
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: Evaluating the Health Benefits of Workplace Policies and Practices - Phase II, Flexible Work and Well-Being Center at the University of Minnesota, RU: Daily Diary Evaluation of the Health Benefits of a Workplace Intervention, A Translational Coordinating Center for the Work, Family and Health Network, Data Coordinating Center for the Work, Family and Health Network
OpenAlex ID: W2413989622