Work without boundaries: Examining new work demands and their impact on the work/non-work interface

EAWOP Small Group Meeting

Work without boundaries:
Examining new work demands and their impact on the work/non-work interface

Call for Papers
September 16th – 18th, 2015
University of Vienna, Austria

Organizers: Bettina Kubicek (University of Vienna, Austria) & Sara Tement (University of Maribor, Slovenia)

Conference Theme and Scope
In the past years, scholars have increasingly recognized the changing nature of the way people work (e.g., Näswall, Hellgren & Sverke, 2008). Expressions such as “new ways of working” or “boundaryless work” are used almost interchangeably to describe the new work realities which are characterized by blurred boundaries between work and other life domains (e.g., Allvin, 2008). Especially salient seem increases in flexibility in terms of time, space, and work organization (Allvin, 2008; Allvin, Aronsson, Hagström, Johansson & Lundberg, 2011; Korunka & Kubicek, 2013; ten Brummelhuis, Bakker, Hetland & Keulemans, 2012). There is also increasing evidence of an intensification of work which is characterized by a higher pace of work, tighter deadlines, and shorter respite periods. Finally, several authors point to a diminishing lifetime of employees’ knowledge (e.g., Kubicek, Paškvan, & Korunka, in press; Loon & Casimir, 2008) resulting in increasing knowledge demands.
Several streams of research should be considered in order to fully understand the effects of these new work realities on work/non-work boundaries. For instance, work/non-work boundary management literature could help to explain how people demarcate, maintain, or negotiate the boundaries between work and other domains (e.g., Allen, Cho & Meier, 2014; Ashforth, Kreiner, & Fugate, 2000; Clark, 2000). To date, it is known that strategies for managing work/non-work boundaries may range from the total segmentation of work and home domains to their total integration (Ashforth et al., 2000; Clark, 2000). Further research, however, is needed to understand the conditions fostering one strategy over the other. Research on recovery and psychological detachment could be utilized to explain the consequences of integration and segmentation strategies. In order to fully recover from work demands, one has to detach from work and potentially segment work and non-work more strictly. However, setting clearer boundaries may not be beneficial in every case, as it may also inhibit positive spillover between work and home.
Given these unresolved issues and potentially contradictory findings, the SGM strives to answer the following questions: (a) are new work demands related to boundary management, detachment, and recovery; (b) what are work-, non-work and health-related consequences of work/non-work boundary management; (c) which mediators might explain and which moderators might influence the relations between new work demands on the one hand and boundary management, detachment, recovery, and health outcomes on the other; (d) what advances in terms of theory and methodology need to be made in order to broaden the work/non-work research field. Applicants are invited to submit their abstracts to any of these topics.

Conference program and location
The EAWOP SGM on “Work without boundaries” will take place over three days, beginning on Wednesday, 16th September 2015 and ending on Friday, 18th September 2015.

The conference will include three keynote lectures, a "meet the editor" session, as well as approximately 20 interactive oral presentations of all accepted papers. Dr. Ellen E. Kossek, Dr. Clare Kelliher and Dr. Evangelia Demerouti are the confirmed keynote speakers. Dr. Kossek will present developments in terms of theory on boundary management. Dr. Demerouti will focus on the recovery process and its importance for the work-home interface research. Dr. Kelliher will present new developments in working environments (the so-called »new ways of working) and their impact on the work-home interface.
The SGM will be held in Vienna, Austria. This beautiful city with 1.8 million inhabitants was chosen to be the world's most livable city for the sixth time in a row. According to the Lonely Planet, this “new old city” is packed with imperial history; at the same time it has exciting contemporary museums, lively eating and nightlife scenes, and many quiet corners to explore (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/austria/vienna). Whether one chooses to travel back in time by visiting Schloss Schönbrunn, Hofburg, and other museums or to enjoy the overwhelming opportunities to relax and eat, Vienna has a lot to offer. As it is also one of the most musical cities in the world offering a wide range of concerts from opera to musical, music enthusiasts will not be bored either. Given these facts, it is no surprise that Lonely Planet lists Vienna among the top 10 cities to visit in 2015.
The SGM presentations will take place at the University of Vienna, which is conveniently located with good public transport connections to other parts of the city.

Conference fee
Following the EAWOP requirements for SGM organization, the overall cost for the participants will be kept at a minimum. The conference fee will be 60 EUR for all participants. Beside attendance to the presentations, this fee will cover coffee breaks and a conference dinner. There will also be possibilities to book rooms at pre-selected hotels at a reduced fee.

Submission of abstracts and full papers
Applicants are invited to submit their abstracts (up to 500 words) by 30th April, 2015 to bettina.kubicek@univie.ac.at and sara.tement@um.si. Participants will be notified about the acceptance of their paper by 15th June, 2015. Abstracts should follow the general structure for EAWOP conferences and include the following parts: 1) Purpose, 2) Design/Methodology, 3) Results, 4) Limitations, 5) Research/Practical Implications and 6) Originality/Value. Conceptual and review papers are welcomed as well. However, the general structure of these abstracts should be modified in order to fit the scope of the paper. The decision of acceptance will be based on a double-blind peer review procedure. Upon confirmation of acceptance, the applicants will be invited to submit working papers (up to 10 pages, font 12, double spaced) by 15th August, 2015. The working paper will be made available for all small group meeting participants. To make the insights of the SGM accessible to a broader group of researchers, we plan to edit a special issue on the topic of the SGM. To enhance the likelihood of publishing the special issue or articles on the topic, we included a slot to meet the editors of potential journals in our conference program. Other publication and dissemination activities will be discussed at the conference.