Bridging Disciplinary Boundaries (January 11 - 14, 2007)

Family members combining employment with the challenges of parenting children with mental health disorders have reported great difficulty integrating work and family responsibilities (Rosenzweig, Brennan, & Ogilvie, 2002).  The parents' difficulties may be due to inadequate community systems of care for their children, coupled with workplace demands and policies (Brennan & Brannan, 2005). 

Our paper reports on qualitative research focused on the negotiations that employed caregivers go through with human resources (HR) personnel to obtain workplace accommodations. The study examined two major research questions: (1) Do parent employees and HR professionals have comparable perspectives on negotiation of workplace accommodations? and (2) Which workplace supports are viewed as helpful by each group and why?

We explored negotiation processes through a series of nine focus groups, each about 60 minutes long.  Seventeen HR personnel participated in three focus groups; they were generally experienced (M = 15.6 years in HR; SD = 9.1), middle aged (M = 45.2 years, SD = 8.4), female (87.5%), and European American (88.2%).  Additionally, we held six focus groups with 28 female employed parents who were also generally in mid-life (M = 41.5 years, SD = 9.1), European American (68%), and had jobs providing benefits (68%).  We used scripted questions and probes, and audiotaped and transcribed the group sessions.  Transcripts were entered into NUD*IST to manage coding and analysis; a grounded theory approach guided the analysis (Charmaz, 2006).  Three investigators working independently generated preliminary codes. Next the researchers met to compare first level codes, and develop mores substantive codes based on themes. We checked interpretations for trustworthiness with group members.

Four major themes emerged. 1. Boundaries of Communication. Parents disclosed difficult home situations and risked having sensitive information regarding their children's mental health stigmatize them at work or be used to build a case to discharge them from their jobs; some self-censorship occurred. In contrast HR personnel were concerned about knowing too much mental health information, breaches of confidentiality, and feeding the rumor mill. 2. Management of Expectations.  Family members advised supervisors and HR personnel about anticipated disruptions to their workdays, and put crisis plans in place to manage unexpected absences.  HR professionals spelled out expectations that workers would not misuse accommodations, and would get their work accomplished. 3. Employee Performance. Both family members and HR personnel stated that being granted accommodations resulted in employee loyalty and retention, and competent, if not superior performance.  4.  Flexibility and Workplace Supports.  HR professionals were willing to grant flexible scheduling or working at home for adequate reasons, and believed formal supports such as Family Medical Leave were also important. Additionally parents counted on informal support and coverage from supervisors and colleagues, but also reported backlash from some resentful coworkers.

Results are related to theories of work-life integration (Lewis, Rapoport, & Gambles, 2002), and the socio-ecological nature of disability (Pledger, 2003).  We emphasize the importance of stigma reduction in the workplace and argue that service providers in systems of care must support family members in their struggle for workplace accommodations.