Principal speaker
Dr Eva Selenko
Abstract:
Why do we work? Work to us is more than just a way to pay the bills. It comes with a number of social and latent benefits, and it forms an important part of who we are. In recent years, contexts of work have shifted radically. People increasingly find themselves working in short term, insecure, agency-based or even gig-economy jobs. In my research I explore how these job situations affect well-being, behaviour and attitudes. If work is an integral part of who we are, could a threat to work perhaps threaten our identity? In this talk I will provide an introduction to the social identity perspective on atypical work and employment. Drawing from social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner 1982) and its application to organisations (e.g. Ashforth & Schinoff, 2016), I will illustrate how volatile employment contexts can threaten and undermine the development of work-related identities. Feeling threatened in ones sense of who one is can affect well-being, but also behaviour and attitudes associated with that identity. Furthermore, not knowing who one is professionally can affect people's career management abilities. After outlining the theoretical framework, this talk will present a number of longitudinal empirical studies (published and unpublished) that provide interesting support for the connection between atypical work, identity and wellbeing, behavioural and even attitudinal outcomes in domains outside work.
Speaker:
Dr Eva Selenko is a senior lecturer in work psychology at the Centre for Professional Work and Society at Loughborough University, UK. She holds an MSc in Social and Organisational Psychology from the University of Groningen, NL, a doctorate in Psychology from the University of Graz and has recently gained Habilitation at the University of Linz (both: Austria). Prior to joining Loughborough in July 2016, Eva was a lecturer at the Institute of Work Psychology at the University of Sheffield. Eva's research interests centre on precarious employment situations and how these affect well-being, performance and non-work related behaviour. Eva is a member of several national and international bodies (e.g. AOM, EAWOP, the German DGPS, CIPD…) and also acts as associate editor for the journal Applied Psychology: An International Review.
Event categories
RSVP
RSVP on or before Thursday 19 April 2018 , by email wow@griffith.edu.au , or by phone 07 3735 3714
Event contact details
- Clare Inwood
- http://www.cvent.com/d/2gqmyj
- 07 3735 3714