Young is Fun
Examining the Inter-Relations of Play and Age at Work
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2374876 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Cara Reed (0000-0003-1085-1661, Cardiff University, corresponding author), Helen C Williams (0000-0002-5646-3093, Swansea University), Helen Williams (0000-0002-0031-3758, Swansea University), Katrina Pritchard (0000-0003-1938-1272, Swansea University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 1225-1246 |
| Publication date | 2025-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Work Employment and Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0950-0170 • E-ISSN: 1469-8722 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/09500170251343276 |
| OpenAlex | W4411290962 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 72 |
This article addresses current limitations in theorisations of fun, introducing Turner's liminoid/liminal distinction of play and work. This suggests engaging in play - liminoid phenomena - releases individuals from everyday societal structures, like age-based identity memberships. Featuring participant data from a large UK-based insurance firm, the research highlights how play activities are underpinned by age-related assumptions. The study makes three contributions. First, conceptualising the 'pseudo-liminoid' - a space between work and play where the potential for play to be freeing is curtailed. Second, it problematises common positive attributes of organisational play, suggesting play can reproduce social norms, thus undermining why it was introduced to the organisation. Finally, it highlights how play and fun can be 'aged', with implications for how organisations conceive of play's role in creating an inclusive workplace
Developmental psychology · Sociology · Work (physics · Engineering · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · Psychology · Work-Family Balance Challenges · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics
Accounts, Interviews and Observations
Happiness at Work
Liminality in Management and Organization Studies
Beyond Neopositivists, Romantics, and Localists
“Just be yourself!”
The Forest of Symbols
What’s Age Got to Do With It? On the Critical Analysis of Age and Organizations
Redemption Through Play? Exploring the Ethics of Workplace Gamification
Deconstructing the ‘older worker’
Generational Encounters and the Social Formation of Entrepreneurial Identity
The new paternalism? The workplace as a place to work—and to live
Listening to People
The Sociology of Fun
Haka Fracas? The Dialectics of Identity in Discussions of a Contemporary Maori Dance 1
Workplace fun
Organizational play
Theories of knowledge and focus groups in organization and management research
Having some fun with it
Old age” as a social location
Exclusive craft beer events
One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis
Liminoid space and place-fixing in urban activism
Why People Play at Work
Queer consumption and commercial hospitality
A big night out’
Being yourself ’ in the electronic sweatshop
Othering' older worker identity in recruitment
Fun and friends
Who is responsible—and for what? An antenarrative perspective on organizational members’ crisis sensemaking of responsibility during a corporate scandal
Crafting one’s leisure time in response to high job strain
Playful work design
Unemployment as a liminoid phenomenon
Dramas, Fields, and Metaphors
From Ritual to Theatre
Live Performers' Experiences of Precarity and Recognition during Covid-19 and Beyond
Ambivalent Bias at Work
Residential Care Aides' Experiences of Workplace Incivility in Long-Term Care
When I'm 65
Management Millennialism
Categorical difference versus continuum
Cultural Control and the 'Culture Manager
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |