October 19, 2022

2:00 p.m. ET

This event is for invited researchers only.


Scholar presenter:

Kate Zipay, Purdue University

Seed generators:

Joyce Bono, University of Florida

Nancy Rothbard, University of Pennsylvania

Topic:

Let go and let love: Understanding how and why third places influence positive work behaviors

Talk description:

Decades of work-family research has sharpened our understanding of the interface between work and home domains, yet has implicitly, and sometimes explicitly, adopted the assumption that work and home are the two exclusive domains in workers’ lives. This reinforcement of a dichotomy between two centric and demanding places—the home (the “first place) and the workplace (the “second place”)—gives little room for understanding and valuing non-work and non-home places for working adults to “just be.” Notably, some employees have a “go-to” place outside of both domains that serve as a hub for relief and connection. These “third places”—epitomized in pop culture hang-outs like Central Perk from the popular show Friends—serve as community-based “home away from home’s” where people can come together outside of the confines of their home to experience a recess from an otherwise bifurcated life. To understand the value of these places to employees and their work organizations, we explore the concept of third place attachment then build and test theory to explain the emotional and behavioral implications of having a “go to” spot for working adults.


Research is the heart of Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS), and we want to make sure that we support each other in developing high quality research. To that end, we created the Adderley Positive Research Incubator for sharing and encouraging POS-related research ideas that are at various stages of development.

Learn more about the Adderley Positive Research Incubators here and direct questions about individual sessions to cpo-events@umich.edu.