Rachel Morrison

Auckland University of Technology | AUT · Department of Management

The experience of working from home changed drastically with the arrival of COVID-19. Compared to pre-pandemic experiences, key differences included the vast number of people involved, its involuntary nature, the suddenness of its implementation, its lengthy duration, and the presence of others at home. The demands of this form of remote work durin...

Organisations and associated management practices are generally considered responsible for promoting employees' enjoyment of work. Our study, on the other hand, seeks to examine the capacity of individual workers to regulate their own experience of fun. We interviewed eight ‘remarkable’ workers who claimed to always (or nearly always) have fun at w...

There are compelling findings that open-plan office environments are associated with declines in employee wellbeing. In spite of this, the move towards shared office environments continues; yet there is a lack of research describing open-plan offices that have positive outcomes for workers. We describe a "best practice" open-plan fit-out of a law f...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare different employee perceptions of the success of one change: a move to new offices and an open-plan design. Design/methodology/approach In sum, 25 interviews were carried out in a New Zealand law firm that six months earlier had moved to new premises. Findings Contrary to academic and practitioner r...

The purpose of the article is to explore the nature of support given to staff undergoing stressful organizational change and to determine the forms, antecedents, targets, and consequences of this support. Interviews in a wider study of changes in a New Zealand public health care authority produced the surprising finding that although 31 participant...

In their focal article, Chernyak-Hai and Rabenu (2018) argue that social exchange theory (SET) needs an update, and in this they are aligned with Cropanzano, Anthony, Daniels, and Hall's (2017) recent critical review of SET. Drawing on Chernyak-Hai and Rabenu's research, we explore two issues in more depth: first, that work relationships are becomi...

Qualitative data were collected from 146 work-experienced adults who either "loved" or "hated" their job. Those who loved their jobs were compared with those who hated their work using both Leximancer and thematic analyses. Leximancer analyses reflected both Herzberg's two factor theory (with the hate group focusing on the "hygiene" factors their j...

The prevalence of flexible and shared office spaces is increasing significantly, yet the socioemotional outcomes associated with these environments are under researched. Utilising the job demands-resources (JD-R) model we investigate both the demands and the resources that can accrue to workers as a result of shared work environments and hot-deskin...

The prevalence of flexible and shared office spaces is increasing significantly, yet the socioemotional outcomes associated with these environments are under researched. Utilising the job demands-resources (JD-R) model we investigate both the demands and the resources that can accrue to workers as a result of shared work environments and hot-deskin...

Purpose This paper aims to report an empirically grounded theoretical framework within which to understand the role of entrepreneurial identity development in the discovery, development and exploitation of opportunity, and to elaborate on how these identity transitions both mobilise and constrain female entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach A...

We describe a construct termed employee social liability (ESL); the antithesis of employee social capital. A conceptualisation of social liability does not yet exist and is the aim of this paper. We propose that ESL arises from workplace social networks and comprises of four distinct components: negative behaviour from others, distrust of others, u...

Qualitative survey data was collected from 146 work experienced adults who either “loved” or “hated” their job. Responses from those describing a job they loved were compared with those describing a job they hated using both leximancer and thematic analysis. Manual analysis was conducted using responses to each of the following four questions; with...

The influence of other people in employee’s social networks is the subject of research interest from both an organisational and individual perspective. Under the umbrella of positive psychology there is a rich body of research on positive organisational behaviour, identifying situations that enable optimal human flourishing (Fredrickson & Losada, 2...

The quality of relationships between supervisors and their subordinates has been found to be predictive of subordinate performance. A number of explanatory mechanisms have been proposed, and the frequency and nature of dyadic communication have been posited as contributory. To further explore this potential mechanism, the authors tested the hypothe...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to use boundaryless career theory as a perspective from which to explore understanding related to the interplay between life-stage and career transitions in women; and, specifically, the life-stage-related event of motherhood relative to the transition from corporate employment to self-employment. Design/meth...

Like them or loathe them we cannot escape the people we work with. Working adults spend around a third of their waking lives at work, and much of this time interacting with colleagues either directly or virtually. Further, our colleagues can become key players in our social life, through romantic liaisons, family links, or guanxi relationships that...

Naomi was recruited to restructure the administrative systems within a company- Her new’ line manager provided Naomi with the company’s vision lor how this should be done and provided her view on the system that would bring about the desired efficiency gains- Naomi’s manager did not have a background in administration but had been in the company fo...

This paper examines the multiple meanings and differing value that employees attach to 'fun at work' in a large call-centre. It utilises a phenomenological methodology to identify four components of fun at work: (1) 'doing' something exciting (2) a light-hearted expression of self (3) positive collegial relationships (4) best balanced with other re...

For some years now there has been growing enthusiasm amongst practitioners, managers and some academics about the value of promoting fun at work, resulting in a substantial body of managerial literature. As a result, the authors believe that fun at work deserves further research attention. In this paper the authors critically review the large body...

Having friends at work is almost universally considered to be a “good thing”. Friends are credited with enriching the work environment and providing support and sociability, yet relatively little is known about the effect upon day‐to‐day work practices. This paper examines the relationship between workplace friendships and the attitudes and behavio...

An exploration into the ways in which friendships, isolation and enemy-ships influence and affect our experience of work. The theme of the research volume is 'Alienation to Suffocation'; canvassing issues from loneliness and isolation through to the positive aspects of a friendly workplace.

Jo is the practice manager at a small accounting firm. She has been the cause of a great deal of trouble in the past few years. Several secretarial staffresigned primarily because of her bullying, political and self-interested behaviour.

Olivia and Jason were close friends at University and shared student accommodation for some years; Olivia began working within Org X eight years ago and recommended Jason for a role when Org X was recruiting and Jason was hired. They have been within the same department for two years. Emily also works in the department and, over the past five years...

This study investigates the link between perceptions of negative workplace relationships and organisational outcomes. Respondents (n = 412) spanned a wide range of occupations, industries and nationalities. Data were collected using an Internet-based questionnaire. Results indicated that those with at least one negative relationship at work were si...

This study investigates the link between perceptions of negative workplace relationships and organisational outcomes. Respondents (n = 412) spanned a wide range of occupations, industries and nationalities. Data were collected using an Internet-based questionnaire. Results indicated that those with at least one negative relationship at work were si...

This study investigated gender differences in the perceived benefits of workplace friendships and the relationship between friendship factors and organizational outcomes. Four hundred and forty-five respondents from predominantly Western countries including New Zealand, Australia and America completed an Internet based questionnaire which asked the...

Purpose The purpose this paper is to expand upon existing knowledge of this important topic by providing an expanded inventory of the causes and consequences of having enemies at work. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative data were collected from 412 respondents using an internet‐based questionnaire with respondents spanning a wide range of occ...

The relationship between workplace friendships and organisational outcomes were investigated. Employees from diverse industries responded to an Internet-based survey (n=445). A previously supported model of workplace relationships (Morrison, 2004) was cross-validated, confirming linkages between friendships at work and organisational outcomes. The...

This study investigates the link between perceptions of negative workplace relationships and organisational outcomes. Respondents (n=412) spanned a wide range of occupations, industries and nationalities. Data were collected using an Internet based questionnaire. Results indicated that those with at least one negative relationship at work were sign...

Informal relationships between people within organisations can potentially either hinder or facilitate organisational functioning. The presence of informal relationships at work and the degree of cohesiveness perceived by individuals was investigated in two studies. The association between relationship factors and organisational outcomes such as jo...

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massey University, Albany, 2005. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 213-231).

The current study investigated gender differences in (a) perceived benefits of workplace friendships and (b) the relationship between friendship factors and organisational outcomes. Four hundred and forty-five respondents completed a questionnaire which asked them to describe the benefits they received from workplace friends, and which measured wor...