Congratulations to Stephen Sweet, Chair for Sociology Department, for co-authoring the article, “Manager Attitudes Concerning Flexible Work Arrangements: Fixed or Changeable?”. It has been accepted for publication in the journal, COMMUNITY, WORK & FAMILY. Co-authors, both from Boston College, are Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes and Jacqueline James.
The article presents flexible work arrangements (FWAs) not only as vehicles for supporting caregiving responsibilities but also that FWAs have yet to be widely implemented, in part, because of limited support from managers. This study examines transformation of manager attitudes toward FWAs in the context of a change initiative.
Panel surveys of 721 managers revealed positive and negative attitudes concerning the use of flexible work arrangements (FWAs) and predictors of changes in these attitudes. Over the course of one year, the attitudes shifted in positive and negative directions consistent with conservation of resources and symbolic interactionism theory. Experience in supervising workers in FWAs, exposure to training, and perceived career rewards predicted favorable changes in attitudes.
Findings offer support for advocacy for FWAs on the basis of a positive spiral of affirmation that connects experience and attitudes toward FWAs. The viewing of a personalized report on support of flexible work use by peers predicted development of more favorable attitudes in the merits of schedule flexibility. Findings indicate that manager attitudes about FWAs can be influenced which, in turn, has potential to enhance family-responsive employment practices.
