I left Venus and came back to Mars: Emotional processes and Relational Shifts Post Maternity Leave

Introduction:Transitions that take place during an individual’s career represent times of considerable uncertainty and flux (Ashforth & Saks, 1995). While relational aspects of the workplace are fundamental to a variety of... [ view full abstract ]

Introduction:

Transitions that take place during an individual’s career represent times of considerable uncertainty and flux (Ashforth & Saks, 1995). While relational aspects of the workplace are fundamental to a variety of important organizational outcomes, such as motivation (Grant, 2007), well-being (Owens, Baker, Sumpter, & Cameron, 2016) and commitment (Maertz, Griffeth, Campbell, & Allen, 2007), workplace relationships assume an even greater salience during career transitions. However, the role of relationships during such transitions is poorly understood. For instance, there is scope for misunderstandings to take place and for expectations not to be fulfilled or, in some extreme cases, for promises to be broken, resulting in a violation of the psychological contract (PC; Robinson & Morrison, 2000; Tomprou, Rousseau & Hansen, 2015). Researchers are increasingly paying attention to ‘relational science’, the importance of dyadic relationships (Ferris et al., 2009) and the ‘relational architecture’ (Grant, 2007) of workplaces. As a result, there has been a proliferation of research on relationships and yet there remain gaps in, firstly, our understanding of how these relationships unfold or change during transitions and, secondly, the role of emotions in those relationships (Methot et al., 2017). Workplace transitions offer a particularly dynamic relational context in which to examine the inevitable emotional responses to changes in a relationship.

           The resocialization period for women re-entering the workplace following a period of maternity leave (ML) represents a very particular time of uncertainty, where women have to reconcile their identities as new mothers and as professionals (Ladge & Greenberg, 2015). The return to work post ML entails a major transition where women in many countries are out of work for between six months and one full year (Jurvista, Prpic, & Sabbati, 2016). While there is considerable attention paid to the underrepresentation of women at senior levels of organizations (Eagly & Karau, 2002; Ibarra, Ely & Kolb, 2013), little or no research considers the impact of ML and experiences of returning to work on potential disengagement from career progression. Preliminary research by Ladge and Greenberg (2015) suggests that the re-entry period after ML results in many women struggling to resocialize into the workplace while also renegotiating their personal identity.  Socialization research focused on employees beginning a new job suggests that new relationships with others in the organization play a central role in influencing socialization outcomes (Nifadkar & Bauer, 2016; Allen, Eby, Chao, & Bauer, 2017). However, the role of existing relationships and relational change during other workplace transitions such as the resocialization to work is less understood. Thus, we consider the social architecture surrounding a woman during this significant transition in work and examine how the emotive narratives that evolve during this time may ultimately determine career path push and pull factors (Hewlett and Luce, 2005).             

This paper examines how interpersonal relationships with one’s line manager and the emotions that accompany them influence the transition of resocialization. Drawing on PC theory and Methot et al.’s (2017) social-functional framework of workplace relationships, and using an abductive approach, we develop a model of the interacting processes of relational shifts and emotion that drive resocialization success for women returning to work. In doing so, we provide empirical support for the application of the socio-functional framework of emotions to the context of relationships (Methot et al., 2017), while extending this theory to integrate the dynamic understanding of relationships offered by PC. This integration also represents a contribution to the PC literature in considering a greater variety of relationship shifts inclusive of positive shifts in relationship quality as a result of exceeded expectations. Our study further highlights the powerful role that emotions play in influencing workplace relationships (Ashkanasy & Dorris, 2017) and expands our understanding of mixed and indifferent emotions at work. In using an abductive, qualitative approach we can explore and capture the emotional experiences associated with the transition and key workplace relationships in a more encompassing way than the quantitative approach often used in the emotion literature. Finally, we contribute to the understanding of career transitions and more specifically the transition back to work following ML. Although this transition is likely to be experienced by a large proportion of the workforce, research in the area has been limited and has tended to focus predominantly on identity (e.g. Ladge & Greenberg, 2015). As a result, this research represents the first examination of the role of shifts in the quality of pre-existing relationships on emotion during the transition and resocialization outcomes.

Method:

We conducted this study across 26 organizations, interviewing i) a woman who had been identified as talent and returned to work in the previous six months; ii) her line manager; and iii) the HR Director or HR senior manager. For this paper, we draw on only the returner and line manager interviews as we are interested in the dynamics of that relationship. Thus, the paper is based on 52 interviews in total.

We conducted 77 interviews in total; interviewing 27 returners (2 returning women in one company) and their 27 line managers. In two cases, the HR Director and the line manager were the same person and in one organization, due to the announcement of major downsizing, we had to postpone the interview with the HR Director indefinitely. For this paper, we are interested in the dyadic relationships between the returner and her line manager and so we do not include the HR Director interviews, except where that person also happens to be the line manager. We first drew on our own network within industry to pitch this research idea. We contacted 50 companies, 37 of whom initially agreed to participate in the research. However, following extensive communication and the process to identify suitable participants, we ended up with 26 companies who fully participated in the research. The returning women were identified by and first invited to participate through their HR Director. Once they agreed to take part, their line manager was approached. Both had to agree to be interviewed in order for us to proceed. Once their contact details were passed onto us by the line manager, we contacted the participants individually to set up convenient interview times on site. The majority of returners were first time mothers (70%) but as women are more likely to leave work permanently after a second or subsequent child, we also include some second and third time mothers. In most cases, women who were on their second or third ML had different line managers on each return and so were able to share how different relationships impacted on their transition back to work on different occasions.

Data analysis is currently in progress and the final paper wil summaries our key findings.