Research
My research in human resource management examines the relationships that shape working life. I study how people connect, why they stay or leave organizations, and how they learn from one another.
Workplace fun has been my most sustained area of research. What began as a question about whether fun matters became a broader inquiry into coworker relationships, managerial support, and the ties people develop at work. That same interest runs through my research on employee retention, training, and everyday learning.
My newer work asks what happens to these relationships when conditions become difficult. Through research on relational viability, I am exploring how working relationships hold up under persistent pressures, mistreatment, and difficult managerial decisions.
Across these areas, I am interested in both what relationships make possible and where their limits lie.
Workplace relationships and fun
I have studied workplace fun since the mid-2000s. My research distinguishes between organized fun activities, everyday socializing among coworkers, and the degree of freedom employees have to enjoy themselves at work.
These experiences are not the same, and they do not produce the same results. My work examines how they influence workplace relationships, employees’ sense of attachment, and organizational outcomes. I am particularly interested in when fun helps people connect and when it creates unintended challenges.
Employee retention and learning
People often stay or leave because of the relationships surrounding their jobs. My research examines how connections with coworkers and supervisors influence retention, especially when combined with factors such as organizational support or abusive supervision. Strong workplace relationships can encourage employees to stay, but their effects depend on the broader work environment.
I also study workplace learning. This work explores both formal training and learning that happens through everyday experience. More recently, I have collaborated on projects involving play-based learning approaches, including MiniCandidate and LEGO Serious Play activities, which help participants share perspectives, build connections, and explore questions of belonging.
Relationships under pressure
My newer work develops the idea of relational viability. It asks what allows workplace relationships to remain workable when conditions become difficult.
These projects explore issues such as ongoing staffing pressures, workplace mistreatment, and the aftermath of difficult managerial decisions. I am interested in how managers can maintain boundaries while remaining approachable, and how coworkers continue to recognize one another’s humanity when tensions persist.
This emerging work extends the same relational themes that run through my research on workplace fun, retention, and learning.
Research conversations
For collaborations or questions about this work.