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"The policy exists but you can't really use it"

Communication and the structuration of work-family policies

Bibliographic Data

ID19603000
AuthorsErika L Kirby (0000-0002-0341-2858, Creighton University), Erika Kirby, Kathleen J Krone (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), Kathleen Krone
Year2002
Volume30
Issue1
Pages50-77
Publication date2002-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Applied Communication Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-9882 • E-ISSN: 1479-5752
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00909880216577
OpenAlexW1988823037
LanguageEN
Citations received99
References cited21

Although work-family benefits are increasingly important organizational policies, limited research addresses the impact of communication on benefit utilization. However, communication is significant because the perceived appropriateness of work-family benefits emerges through interaction. For example, when coworkers complain about "picking up the slack" for those using family leave, their discourse may impact future decisions of other workers regarding whether they utilize the work-family benefits available to them. We apply Giddens' (1984) Structuration Theory to examine organizational members' discursive responses to conditions (and contradictions) present in utilizing work-family benefits in a governmental organization. We argue the daily discursive practices of individuals can either reinforce or undermine formally stated work-family initiatives, and in turn discuss the implications of this "structuration" of policy

Organizational change · Political science · Public relations · Social science · Sociology · Structuration theory · Work (physics) · Emotional Labor in Professions · Gender Diversity and Inequality · Psychology · Social Psychology · Work-Family Balance Challenges

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Unique citing works99
Citations per year4,3
Citation span2003 - 2026 (24)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 93

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